National Register of Historic Places

Salts Cave Archeological Site

Mundfordville, Hart County, Kentucky
Listed
May 14, 1979
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
79000278

About this property

Salts Cave Archeological Site, near Munfordville, Kentucky, is a cave and archeological site which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The cave is part of Mammoth Cave National Park. It has also been known as West's Cave and as Old Salts Cave. It was listed for its information potential. Salts Cave was explored, and mined for gypsum and medicinal sulphates, by Indigenous people from around 800-300 BC, during the Early Woodland period. It is archaeologically valuable for the many paleofaecal deposits and plant waste left behind by the miners, which give insight into their diets. These deposits show the miners were eating many crops farmed in the region (goosefoot, sumpweed, sunflower, maygrass, erect knotweed, and pepo gourd), as well as wild foods (particularly hickory nuts). The listed area spans the borders of Hart County, Kentucky and Edmonson County, Kentucky.

Location

Mundfordville, Hart County, Kentucky

Categories

PREHISTORIC
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Questions about this property

When was Salts Cave Archeological Site listed on the National Register?

Salts Cave Archeological Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Salts Cave Archeological Site?

Salts Cave Archeological Site is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Salts Cave Archeological Site?

The period of significance for Salts Cave Archeological Site is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Salts Cave Archeological Site?

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