Georgia Natural Wonder #153 - Kingston Saltpeter Cave - Kingston (Part 1). 1,410

[Top Row Dawg]

Georgia Natural Wonder #153 - Kingston Saltpeter Cave - Kingston (Part 1)

I am hitting a wall on caving information in Georgia. I was able to find about 23 caves in these 9 separated wonders, and we come to the last cave with enough information and images to warrant a full Natural Wonder Post. We can't be choosy down here at 153 but our last cave gives us a chance to tangent on Bartow County and that is impossible to talk about in just one post  tangent, I have visited Bartow County a lot but I never heard of this cave. What a great county, I am going to stick with Bartow County for my next theme of Natural Wonders.


Blair's Saltpeter Corridor leads into Kingston Saltpeter Cave in Bartow County.

Kingston Saltpeter Cave

Kingston Saltpeter Cave is the largest cave in Bartow County, Georgia, and was formerly used as a source of saltpeter, the critical oxidizing component of gunpowder, by the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. The cave is now a preserved area composed of 40 acres of largely hardwood forest, underlain by a variety of wildflowers and mosses.



Let me again post these super important links about spelunking in Georgia as I want these Forum Post to stand alone, so as a continued disclaimer list we submit .....

Safety Rules of Caving
Nine listed Grotto's in Georgia (Scroll Down)
The Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc.
White Nose Fungus
National Speleological Society.

Again, there is very little Internet information on Georgia caves because cavers like to keep the locations secret, in order to preserve and protect the caves and the life they contain.The sport remains tight-lipped about cave entrances and maps. Still pretty exciting what I did find.

 

In late 1983 the property was acquired by the Felburn Foundation in order to preserve, maintain, and protect it for future generations.



Kingston Saltpeter Cave  (GA):  This cave is owned by a private foundation, but administered by the NSS.  It cannot be accessed without crossing gated private property.  Contact Larry Blair (NSS member, GA) for information.


Larry Blair and Carole Sneed at the Main Entrance Gate.

Saltpeter Cave, in Barstow County, is the only cave in Georgia that is managed by the National Speleological Society. The historic cave, previously used for saltpeter mining, contains important Pleistocene fossils.



Kingston Saltpeter Cave, Bartow County, Georgia, has produced late Quaternary fossils of 38 taxa of birds.  The presence of extinct species of mammals, and three radiocarbon dates on mammalian bone collagen ranging from approximately 15,000 to 12,000 Cal B.P., indicate a late Pleistocene age for this fauna, although a small portion of the fossils may be Holocene in age. 



It had been damaged and vandalized as a result of heavy visitor traffic, but barriers have been erected to keep out sport cavers, and the cave has been cleaned.


Carole Sneed at the small entrance barrier. Entrance and Exit of Main Cave.

History

Many caves within the Appalachian Mountains and Ozarks contain naturally occurring saltpeter, which is used in combination with sulfur and charcoal to create gunpowder. Saltpeter mining played a significant role in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and the Civil War.



During the Civil War, the blockade of southern ports by the Union navy prevented the Confederates from importing gunpowder, a critical supply element. The Confederacy needed to manufacture its own gunpowder, so they mined 22 caves in what is presently West Virginia from 1862-1865. Organ Cave, in particular, was a prime source for saltpeter, and was regularly mined by soldiers under the command of Confederate General Robert E. Lee . In order to make the gunpowder, soldiers would excavate soil and shovel it into containers called “hoppers.” From there, they would pour water into the hopper to leach out saltpeter. After the water evaporated, the valuable saltpeter remained. If you visit Organ Cave today, you will see the largest collection of Civil War-era saltpeter “hoppers” in the country.



Several Saltpeter Kettle caves in Georgia served as mines for saltpeter, including the Kingston Saltpeter Cave in Bartow County. Mined for nitrates as early as 1804, Kingston was a  site at the outbreak of the Civil War but was taken over by the Confederate Nitre Bureau in order to increase production. While other saltpeter operations farther north had been overtaken, this cave was located far enough south of advancing Union forces in 1864 that it survived until late May. While none of the saltpeter works are in evidence there today, records attest to the large quantity of material processed from the cave before its destruction by the Union army. 



Confederate miners often produced the saltpeter entirely underground to avoid detection. However, many mines were discovered, and the workers were subsequently imprisoned. Schoolhouse Cave in Pendleton County, West Virginia is the only cave known to have been mined for saltpeter by Unionists during the Civil War. Following the war, saltpeter mining was discontinued as new technologies rendered the mines obsolete.


Saltpeter, or potassium nitrate, was mined from caves during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and used to make gunpowder. Several caves in Georgia, including the Kingston Saltpeter Cave in Bartow County, were excavated for the substance during both the War of 1812 and the Civil War.

When mixed in proper proportions with sulfur and charcoal, saltpeter—or potassium nitrate—forms gunpowder. The ability of early Georgia colonists to procure their own supplies of this essential substance enabled them to successfully fight the Revolutionary War (1775-83) despite blockades by England. As did the Confederates during the Civil War (1861-65), the colonists and the rebels depended on a secure source of gunpowder, and Georgia proved to be an important producer.


Larry Blair at the "Jug Formation" - an example of the vandalism in the cave. Rufus Mullinix and Karl Sneed at work cleaning the large formation in the "BBQ Pit" room.

Caves within the Appalachian Mountains were the most significant source of saltpeter. Earth from the caves was mined and carried in bags or wheelbarrows to be processed either outside or, in many instances, inside the cave. Large wooden hoppers, or vats, were constructed to hold the excavated soil. Water was then poured in and allowed to stand for several days to take into solution the nitrates present in the soil, which was stirred often with wooden paddles. The water would then be collected by troughs at the base of the hoppers.


Saltpeter Vat - A West Virginia caver investigates the remains of a wooden vat used to hold the soil excavated during the process of mining saltpeter, or potassium nitrate. Water added to the soil leached out the nitrates and collected in troughs at the base of the vat.

This aqueous solution was next boiled in large cast-iron kettles to extract the mineral, a process known as lixiviation. Since the nitrate obtained was actually calcium nitrate, wood ash was added during the lixiviation to convert the substance into potassium nitrate. Once the water boiled off, the remaining precipitate was bagged and transported to gunpowder factories, such as the Confederate Powder Works in Augusta.


Larry Blair observing boxwork in the cave.

The work of the "peter monkeys," as the miners were known, was an extremely tiring and dangerous task. Laboring for long hours in the cold and dark environment of a cave, dimly lit with torches that gave off noxious smoke, the workers often crawled into small passages to extract the earth.


Carole Sneed and Bob Martin collecting soil samples.

They also felled many trees to provide wood for the hoppers and to fuel the fires used for boiling. If the processing was done within the cave, all of this material was carried underground. If a water source was not readily available, logs were hollowed out to provide piping for its transport. Wages were low, and often either slaves or conscripted soldiers were employed in the operation.


Saltpeter Kettle - A kettle formerly used in saltpeter operations was removed from a north Georgia cave and put into use on a local farm. Kettles were used to boil water containing potassium nitrate, or saltpeter, in order to extract the substance for use in the production of gunpowder.


Bob Addis exploring the "BBQ Pit".

Cave was the name given the post office for the Gaines and Lewis grist mill complex in 1890. It was located approximately two miles south of Kingston along Two-Run Creek and the Western & Atlantic Railroad (now CSX). According to Gaines family history, Lewis Pendleton Gaines applied for and received permission to operate a fourth class post office in 1868, which he named Cave, Georgia. The name was derived from Saltpeter Cave some 2 miles to the west.



This was by no means a small operation as the five story mill building ground nearly a million pounds of grain in 1880 alone. A sidetrack extended from the Western & Atlantic Railroad to the mill, allowing for delivery of wheat and corn and the shipping of flour, corn meal and feed. A flag station on the railroad was also built for this thriving mill community which also took the name of Cave.



From 1935 to 1937, many a young man and woman arrived at the Cave depot from Atlanta and surrounding counties to begin their short journey to nearby Saltpeter Cave. Three young men equipped with a fiddle, harmonica and banjo held public dances there. They constructed steps down to the floor of the cave, some 160 feet, building a wooden floor in the larger room for dancing.



A lighting system was installed operated by batteries which were charged by a generator. For a fee of fifty cents per couple, people could dance the night away in a naturally air conditioned ballroom. For an additional twenty five cents, a tour of the cave was available.


"December 27, 1936. Entrance Salt Peter Cave. Cartersville, Ga. Sunday Magazine"

As of 2012, nothing remains of the old mill, side track or flag station. However, an early twentieth century iron bridge crossing Two Run Creek at the old mill site which was once part of the old Rome Road remains.


Larry Blair at the "Nitre District No. 14 Pillar", a rare, unvandalized speleothem. The Jug has been abused.


Looking out the entrance of Kingston saltpeter cave.



Imagine the Hoe Downs of the 1930's



All about the entrance on this cave.



Big Hole, but you can just walk in.



You get down there and there is all sorts of writing on the walls.



Historic signatures on the walls in Kingston saltpeter cave.



Looks like square dance crowd from 1930's



Kinda' looks like Cherokee syllabary.





Several examples Indian Cave Paintings in here?



Cherokee Graffiti.



This formation is called the jug it has been abused over the years by stupid ass people with spray paint.



Everybody wants a picture with the Jug.



The Jug.



A good example of the black, soot covered walls throughout the cave.



The Kingston Saltpeter Cave is the only cave in Georgia to be managed as a preserve by the National Speleological Society.



The Kingston Saltpeter Cave Nature Preserve, Bartow County, Georgia is composed of 40 acres of largely hardwood forest, underlain by a variety of wildflowers and mosses.



The area is teeming with wildlife, from deer and an occasional bear to small rodents, snakes, birds and microscopic life.





The Preserve is located almost entirely on and along the flanks of a large isolated dolomitic knob, providing an incredible vista in all directions. Now the only mountain in Kingston is Hodge Mountain, 1093 feet.



Out-croppings of the Knox series of dolomite are found, along with an array of multi-colored agates.



The focal point of the Preserve is the Kingston Saltpeter Cave, and it is for the protection of this endangered natural resource that the Preserve has been established.



In late 1983 the Felburn Foundation acquired the property for the purpose of preserving, maintaining, and protecting it for future generations.



The NSS manages the cave under an agreement with the Felburn Foundation.



To date, the acquisition, improvement, and maintenance of the cave and property has been at no cost to the Society, all expenses are being borne by the Felburn Foundation and the Project co-directors.



The Kingston Saltpeter Cave Preserve is administered by a permanent committee of the NSS, headed by Larry Blair.



Barriers on the cave entrances and along the access road have been constructed, the property posted, and the cave has undergone a thorough cleaning by NSS members, with care having been taken to preserve any items of historical value.



This cave has been heavily visited, and vandalized, since its saltpeter mining days.



During the 1930's, it was briefly commercialized. Kingston Saltpeter Cave is probably Georgia's most historic cave. The Pleistocene fossil record and archaeological evidence alone warrant its protection and continued study.



The Preserve and the cave itself presently are not open to the general public. Although general maintenance trips are conducted and the property is checked from time-to-time, sport caving is not allowed.



Special interest groups are granted permission to visit the Preserve on a "case" basis only.



It is the intention of the Management Committee that after the cave's history and physiography have been fully studied and the findings are published, then possibly more recreational trips will be allowed.



Members of the Management Committee are working hard to recover this abused treasure.


I was cuttin a rug in a cave with a jug, give me 300 steps to the door.

Alright our Bartow County theme begins with this post as we (Part 2) tangent to Kingston and include a Civil War ghost town with our next post. We have other wonders and town tangents for Bartow County in mind, but this is our last chance for Cave Woman GNW Gals, so we trot out four.