- Opened to public 1955 - State park opened 2000 Area 461 km² | - State purchase 1987 Designated June 1972 Phone +1 256-728-8193 | |
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Address 637 Cave Rd, Woodville, AL 35776, USA Similar Honeyco Campgro, High Falls Park, Eagle's Nest Golf Course, Fern Cave National Wildlife R Profiles | ||
Cathedral caverns state park hiking trails and cave tour video
Cathedral Caverns State Park is a publicly owned recreation area and natural history preserve located in Kennamer Cove, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of Grant and 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Woodville in Marshall County, Alabama. The state park's main feature, first known as Bats Cave, was developed as a tourist attraction in the 1950s. Cathedral Caverns was declared a National Natural Landmark in 1972 and opened as a state park in 2000.
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Cathedral caverns state park
DescriptionEdit
Cathedral Cavern is a karst cave with a large stalagmite forest covering approximately 3 acres (1.2 ha). The public portion of the cave extends along 8-foot-wide (2.4 m) wheelchair-accessible, concrete walkways for approximately 3,500 feet (1,100 m) and has some 2 miles (3.2 km) of paths; another 2,700 feet (820 m) extend beyond the end of the pathway. Some 11,000 feet (3,400 m) have been surveyed and explored; only experienced cavers are allowed to go beyond the developed trail. The cave system laid claim to many world records in its commercial heyday though their accuracy has been disputed.
Notable features of the caverns include:
HistoryEdit
Archaeological excavations at the mouth of Cathedral Caverns have indicated occupation by Native Americans as recently as 200 years ago and perhaps as early as 7000 BCE.
The area that includes the cavern was settled by the Kennamer family and became known as Kennamers Cove. During the Civil War, the Kennamer family lived in the cave for an extended period of time after their farmhouse was burned down by Union soldiers.
The cave was maintained as a tourist attraction by Jacob "Jay" Gurley from 1955 to 1974. It was sold at auction in 1975 to Dewie Graben, who in turn sold it to the State of Alabama in 1987. After funding delays, the state began restoration work in 1995. The cavern was re-opened to the public as Cathedral Caverns State Park in May 2000.
Activities and amenitiesEdit
The park offers cave tours, gem mining, and facilities for picnicking. The park has improved and primitive campsites and a single backcountry camping site.
In popular cultureEdit
The caverns provided a location for two motion pictures: in 1983, principal photography for the horror film Secrets of the Phantom Caverns took place in the caverns, and in 1995, they provided the cave settings for the Disney Studios film Tom and Huck.