Mammoth Cave National Park is said to be haunted by the ghost of the first tour guide, slave Stephen Bishop, as well as the tuberculosis patients who were placed in the caves and died as a result of the experiment.
Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, USA, is a colossal testament to the wonders that lie beneath the Earth's surface. Designated a national park in 1941, Mammoth Cave National Park invites adventurers to explore its intricate labyrinth of tunnels, a subterranean world that stretches for over 400 miles and remains the largest cave structure ever discovered.
Yet amid the awe-inspiring beauty of this geological wonder lies a ghostly tale that harks back to when Mammoth Cave was more than just a park; it was the setting for the disturbing tale of Stephen Bishop, a slave tour guide said to haunt the site.
Mammoth Cave
But what is Mammoth Cave really and what can you find there? No woolly mammoth fossils have ever been found in Mammoth Cave, and the cave's name has nothing to do with the extinct mammal but rather with its size.
Mammoth Cave National Park, located in central Kentucky, is an underground wonderland and the longest cave system in the world, boasting over 400 miles of explored passages. This UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve is known for its stunning underground labyrinth, home to immense chambers, intricate formations and unique geological features.
Above ground, the park features diverse ecosystems, including lush forests and rolling hills that provide habitat for a variety of wildlife. Visitors can take guided tours to explore the cave’s depths, learn about its luxurious history and the antique Native American artifacts found inside, and enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and kayaking.
Cave explorer Stephen Bishop
Long before Mammoth Cave was granted National Park status, it was a private tourist attraction fueled by its murky history of slave labor. Tours of the cave were led by people like Stephen Bishop, a man who threw off the shackles of slavery and pioneered exploration of the depths of Mammoth Cave.
Stephen Bishop (1821-1857) was brought to the caves when he was 17 by Franklin Gorin, a lawyer who wanted to turn the place into a tourist attraction. Gorin owned Mammoth Cave for just one year before selling it to John Croghan for $10,000, a price that included Bishop. He stayed there for another 19 years, exploring the cave, mapping it, and becoming a renowned explorer and self-proclaimed geologist who guided people through the caves. He called the caves: “A magnificent, gloomy and strange place.”
Initially, he intended to free his wife and son and move to Liberia, but never did. Stephen Bishop was freed a year before his death and buried near the cave. The cause of his death is unknown, and it is said to be mysterious, at the age of just 37.
Ghost of Stephen Bishop haunting caves
In up-to-date times, those who venture into the silent depths of Mammoth Cave claim to witness the ethereal presence of something strange, often believed to be the spirit of Stephen Bishop. Alone in the inky blackness, explorers report glimpses of his ghostly form, a spectral guide who walks the same paths he once trod in life.
One of the things the guide does is turn off the electric lights and speak to the group only by the delicate of a kerosene lamp, just like they used to do. They call this a blackout and that's when they most often report strange things happening.
Guides claim to have been pushed by a strange and concealed force, grabbed or touched when no one was around. They also heard footsteps, but when they turned around, no one was there.
Once, while he was in a room called the Methodist Church because the miners held services there, the guide claimed to see an entire black family in his group, which was odd because there were no black people joining their tour when they entered the caves. When he looked away for a second, they were gone.
People with tuberculosis
Another thing Dr. Croghan did was to establish Dr. Croghan's Hospital after purchasing the caves in 1839. He believed that the icy and underground location would be good for the lungs, but in fact it was the opposite. Several of his patients became worse and three died before the experiment was terminated a few months later.
Bishop, the Bransfords, and probably other slaves built huts in the cave, two of which can still be seen today. The ill lived alongside their guides, becoming a spectacle in themselves.
Croghan died of tuberculosis in 1849. The body was taken outside and buried on a stone slab now called Corpse Rock.
After the hospital closed, visitors reported hearing coughing sounds in the cave, a section that once housed patients.
Mammoth Cave, with its magnificence and secrets, holds within its depths the spirits of those who shaped its past. The ghostly legacy of Stephen Bishop, the explorer who dared to unveil the secrets of the abyss, still resonates in the cavern chambers, where echoes of the past resonate alongside the dripping of stalactites, creating an unearthly symphony in the subterranean darkness.
References:
Stephen Bishop (cave explorer) – Wikipedia
Mammoth Cave National Park has more than a few ghost stories to tell
Image Source: Pixabay.com
