My dream about the cave reminded me of my explorations of Eleven Jones Cave during my early teen years. This cave is next to Beargrass Creek between Newburg Road and Poplar Level Road, in the vicinity of the St. X campus and the Louisville Cemetery. To explore it, one had to crawl on hands and knees through mud and a very shallow stream. Even so doing, it was a tight squeeze for skinny 13-year-olds. I didn’t go back as far into it as did Mekimeki and one of our other friends.
There is little about Eleven Jones Cave on the Internet. According to local legend, it was the hiding spot for loot stolen by eleven Jones brothers, who were into banditry or some other form of nefarious activity. One thing that I did find on the Internet, though, was mention of the Louisville Cave Beetle (in the link, look about half way down for Pseudanophthalmus troglodytes. The pages are unnumbered.) I was surprised to find that Eleven Jones Cave is home to a cave beetle that is listed as "Imperiled." It has only been found in that cave and at Oxmoor farm in another cave that has since been covered over for subdivision development.
Here is another link through which it is easier to read than the first:Center for Biological Diversity
I also learned that the primary means for diffentiating between various local cave beetle species is by examining their penis size. Say it with me now: Cool.
hmmmm...high levels of CO2. Now it all makes sense. Just how much time did you spend in this cave, Mark?
ReplyDeleteCome gather 'round and you shall hear
ReplyDeleteA tale of fire and a tale of fear,
A story 'twill chill to yer very bones:
The tale of a cave called Lebbin Jones.
'Twas a grand hidey-hole for a band on the run,
Just the width of a man and the height of a gun;
They'd count out their loot by the light of the moon:
Every last ducat and dime and doubloon.
Eleven they numbered, with th'ambitions of thirty,
As they stole real hard and burgled real dirty,
Striking fear in the hearts of thousands of millions
Of hard-working, God-fearing, sexy Louisvillians.
They loved that dank cavern as they would a twelfth brother,
And equated its charms with their long-suff'ring mother,
Who'd borne each young Jones in the fruitless belief
That this one, at least, wouldn't turn out a thief.
Alas for the mom, and for Louisville, alas,
The Joneses found refuge along the Beargrass.
(Though on this point we're lucky: they'd have doubled their harm
Had they known of that cave out at Oxmoor farm!)
To this day, skinny boys with dreams of lost bounty
Spelunk deep in the "Mammoth of Jefferson County."
What treasures must lie, what freak-flags must wave
In the chilly dark depths of Lebbin Jones Cave!
!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I pretend at poetry, but I am merely a rhyme-diddler. Nice work, G- o'logic.
I was reading a book tonight about Jones Cave and it reminded me of the days when I was young ( 1950s ) and went exploring in Eleven jones Cave. I didn't know the story about the robbers but we went into the cave after having heard it connected to the cave in Cave Hill Cemetery. I can remember going back ? 1000 feet ? into the cave but had to turn back because the water covered up the passageway from that point on. Haven't thought of this cave in years.
ReplyDeletehey, where exactly is the cave? parking suggestions? hope you see this and answer. thanks!
ReplyDeleteThat was my old playground back in the 50s. Their were two room, large enough to stand in and a "natural bridge" that water had formed and you had to climb over it. At each corner it made a 90 degree turn and most corners had a cave in where it went in another direction. The cave was about a block from eastern pkwy and could be found by looking for a stream running into beargrass creek.
ReplyDeleteCapt Jack
Wow, sorry I missed these other comments. I had no idea people I didn't know were commenting on my blog! Yes, it is as capt jack said, and there is no place to park nearby. Probably the best place is the Medical Arts Building, and just walk from there. It has been twenty-five years since I've been there, but I'd guess it's less than a fifteen minute walk. I think I'll have to go visit it again sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteAround 1950, when 11-13, we lived on Deerwood, off Newburg Rd. and later moved to Illinois Ave. on the other side of Beargrass Creek. We spent many happy hours exploring and playing in the woods between Poplar Level Rd. and Newburg Rd. and along the creek. After a big rain we loved to see what changes the high water had made and what interesting flotsam and jetsam had appeared. We crossed it on an old wood bridge that was behind present-day Caritas Peace Center and on fallen trees; we once tried to dam it and jumped off just as our log “dam” was carried away; we built rafts to float down it. Although we collected bottles for the deposit money, we also loved to throw bottles into Beargrass Creek (and its tributary from Illinois Ave.) and sink them with our BB guns. (This was before environmental awareness.) Later, my brother walked to Highland Jr. High from Illinois Ave., alone, through the woods, crossing Beargrass Creek on the remnants of the (then burned and dilapidated) wooden bridge.
ReplyDeleteWe were also fascinated by the stories about Eleven Jones Cave and once a friend and I explored it, crawling on hands and knees through about 6 inches of cold, running water; I think there were small, white crawfish in it. I remember a sharp turn to the right; then a sharp one to the left. We probably only got about 30 feet before the ceiling came too close to the water to continue (or maybe we just got scared). The passage was too narrow to turn around in, so we had to back up to the last turn.
Kids today wouldn’t be allowed to roam the woods unsupervised for hours like we did. They don’t know what they are missing.
Great memories! I grew up in a tract between Ehrler's Dairy and Beargrass Creek. We had our own gang called "The Hoodie Hornets". The only other gang that I knew of then was one called "The Hoodie Hornet Haters". No wonder. We used to do some horrible things, like shoot bb's at crayfish, block trails with downed branches and scare outside kids with stories about Levin Joneses. We even plotted to build a Viking ship, float it down the creek to the Ohio River and then down the Mississippi to sack New Orleans. That was all before Chertoff and Bush saved us from one another.
ReplyDeleteThat was the good ole days when George Rodgers Park was a woods with foot paths thru it and St X was Hammords farm. If you could cross his farm, climb down a cliff with out him yelling and chasing or shooting rocksalt you were clear to Beargrass creek. We would build log huts in hidden areas which would last a few days before someone found them and tore them down. Make rafts, float the creek and try to hid the raft but someone would always find it and tear it up. We would hike from Eleven Jones cave to the rock quarry and collect "fools gold" at the quarry. Oh, Mark, nice blog. I don't know you but googled Eleven Jones Cave and there you were. Thanks for the memories.zajwigb
ReplyDeleteAnyone know anything about the location of Oxmoor cave? Was it destroyed totally? Or is there still any trace of it?
ReplyDeleteI have a photo of my home-made sail boat at that quarry. Re George Rogers Park I remember a dirt road from Poplar Level that was the local lover's lane...
ReplyDeleteMy name is Rudi and I posted the Feb 19th comment that began, "Around 1950, when 11-13..." It seems there are quite a few of us with fond memories of running loose in those woods long ago.
Since Mark started this thread, I don't want to preempt him, but with everyone posting anonymously we can't "meet" and converse. So if you would like to talk more about that era and area, email me at rmarkl@optonline.net. I'm a retired marine geologist living near New York City. I get to Louisville from time to time - and for class of '55 Manual reunions.
I used to go there and smoke pot. What great adventures in the old bear grass creek i had.
ReplyDelete