Lost River Cave

A growth of fine timber here skirts the road and would prevent us or the casual observer from noting the large sink of an oval form at the bottom of which (one hundred feet below) flows a river twenty or thirty yards wide.

Under this arch an enterprising Kentuckian has located his grist mill and the noise of falling water and the clattering of the cog wheels by giving life and animation increases the picturesque effects.

[4]Archaeologists at Western Kentucky University have uncovered a significant history of human presence dating from the Paleo-Indians at the end of the last ice age 10,000 years ago.

The location of the cave and the valley provided area inhabitants with shelter and with safe and plentiful sources of food and water.

These humans utilized Clovis spear points to bring down such animals as the giant ground sloth, the woolly mammoth, and the mastodon.

This spear point, dated at around 8,000 years old, is a rare find, making Lost River an important archaeological site for studying the Archaic period.

The proximity of the cave to Bowling Green and the Louisville-Nashville Turnpike allowed it to contribute to the 19th century commercial and agricultural development of Warren County.

Some undocumented 20th century reports state that it was built in 1792 (the year Bowling Green was founded) as a corn gristmill and saw mill.

The first of these structures sat inside the cave; however, later millers built their operations on top of the arched entrance to the cavern.

John Hunt Morgan allegedly hid in the cave when escaping from pursuing troops after burning the train depot at Shakertown, South Union, Kentucky.

Later explorers have found places where soldiers wrote their names, ranks and companies on the ceilings and walls of the cave.

In 1934, local businessman Jimmy Stewart opened a nightclub in the mouth of the cave, complete with stage, bar and dance floor.

Known as the "Cavern Nite Club," the venue was popular because of its cool temperatures during a time when air conditioning was relatively rare.

[5] The Cavern Nite Club was made accessible to tourists by the construction of the Dixie Highway (now U.S. 31-W) on the right-of-way of the 19th-Century Louisville-Nashville Turnpike.

In 1962, the Cavern Nite Club closed its doors and Lost River Cave entered a time of neglect and abuse.

In 1990, the Friends of Lost River was formed as a non-profit organization with 501(c)3 status in an effort to return the site to its former glory.

Programs are in the works to remove invasive pest plants from the valley and upland trails and to construct a wetlands area to improve filtration of storm water entering the cave system.

The River Birch Meeting Room, located adjacent to the visitor center, and contains its own restrooms, a kitchen, and a big screen TV.