The Not-so-Ghostly Ghost of Mammoth Cave (KY)

Martha Washington's Statue Postcard

Mammoth Cave has sometimes been referred to as America's LARGEST haunted location. Covering 52,830 acres with over 400 miles of mapped passages, there is definitely room for plenty of ghosts! There is also plenty of historical precedent for a spooky past. For example, part of the cave was used as a tuberculosis hospital in the 1800s! Mummified human remains also seem to have a habit of popping up within the interior of the cave. And yes, over the years there have been plenty of personal experiences of ghostly noises and apparitions by both staff and visitors to the cave.

However, the cave's most famous ghost is not really a ghost at all!

According to the book, Scary Stories of Mammoth Cave, the ghostly apparition now commonly referred to as Martha Washington's Statue, was first spotted by tour guide William Garvin in the 1880s. While walking down a cave passage known as 'Broadway,' Garvin saw the glowing apparition of a woman FLOATING above the ground in front of him. He witnessed the apparition for several moments before it blinked out of existence. Bravely approaching the location where the ghostly woman had been seen, Garvin raised his cane with the idea that he might possibly have to defend himself against some spooky entity. He then realized his mistake.

Garvin had assumed he was alone in the cave at the time, but there was actually a tour group nearby. The apparition he had spotted was caused by a Bengal Light (a type of flare used before the cave was rigged for electricity) turned on by the tour group and shining through the rocks.

Over 100 years later, visitors to Mammoth Cave, especially those taking the historic tour, can still spot Martha Washington's Statue and even purchase a 1912 postcard with her glowing image, photographed by Benjamin Hains. If you've been to Mammoth Cave and have a spooky story to share, or a photograph of the famous Martha Washington, I'd love to hear from you! Share below in the comments and as always...stay spooky my friends!

Further Reading:
Mammoth Cave--The World's Largest Haunted Place, by Troy Taylor

Book Review for Scary Stories of Mammoth Cave

Title: Scary Stories of Mammoth Cave
Authors: Colleen O'Connor Olson with Charles Hanion
Illustrated by: Roger W. Brucker
Published: 2002 by Cave Books, St. Louis, MO
Amazon Purchase Information

Recently, I took a day trip to Columbus, Ohio. Since we don't have any Half Price Books around here, I always make it a priority to stop while we're in Columbus. On this last trip, I picked up Scary Stories of Mammoth Cave, a great little read about a popular attraction in south central Kentucky.

Mammoth Cave is one of those locations that I've always meant to feature here on Theresa's Haunted History, but just could never get around to organizing all the information associated with its haunted reputation. Therefore, I was thrilled to find this book! I'll definitely be sharing some posts inspired by its content later on, but first I wanted to share my thoughts on the book itself...

It's a good one! If you're looking for just a straight up collection of ghost stories, this may not be the best choice for you. However, if you're looking for dark history, deaths, legends, mummies, un-classifiable weirdness, and a few paranormal anecdotes, then you'll love this book. I definitely did. I learned so much about the cave's general history, but also some really interesting uses for the cave, such as the time it was used as a TB hospital!

Plenty of mummies were found within the cave and at nearby locations, many of which became tourist attractions in their own right. Unique geological features of the cave were given ghastly descriptive names. And of course, there have been plenty of sightings of vanishing guests, reports of phantom sounds, and the touch of disembodied hands.

This really is a great, yet short read about the strange, spooky, and sometimes macabre history of Kentucky's Mammoth Caves. If you're planning a trip out there this summer, or simply want a captivating campfire read, I highly recommend adding this book to your own personal library.

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