Churches

 

Good Spring Baptist Church is one of three remaining church buildings still standing in the park today.

NPS Photo/ Thomas DiGiovannangelo

Mammoth Cave encompasses over 53,000 acres of land. Those who travel into the park today see hills and valleys covered by a lush woodland, a scenic river eroding the landscape, and a place inhabited by commonly seen creatures such as white-tailed deer and wild turkeys. What may not be obvious to those who visit, is this forest was called home by nearly 600 families who once lived here in a number of communities. However, driving along some of the roads, it becomes clear that not all aspects of these pre-park communities have disappeared. Sparsely dotted across the park are three churches that still stand on land that was once surrounded by open farm fields and tight-knit neighbors. Much like the stone hearth chimney of a cabin still remains after its wood has yielded to decay, these three churches still stand as the cornerstones of the once active communities that have long since vanished.

 

Little Hope church once stood near Frozen Niagara entrance to Mammoth Cave, June 1938.

NPS Photo

A Community Cornerstone

As with many areas of Kentucky, the Mammoth Cave area’s predominant religion was Baptist. Many of the churches had their humble beginnings as rustic log buildings. As congregations and communities grew, often there was a need to construct buildings dedicated specifically for holding church services. In many instances however these churches often doubled as schools to avoid the labor and expense of separate buildings. For church attendees, it was not uncommon for faithful members to walk or ride horseback through rain, mud, wind, or snow to attend services. In addition to regularly held worship services, the churches were also a joyous gathering place for weddings and homecomings as well as a comforting sanctuary for funeral mourners.

When development began to create Mammoth Cave National Park throughout the 1920s & 1930s, the families once here were removed from the only home they had ever known. Homesites were dismantled and reclaimed by the forest. Fields that once nourished the survival of generations were erased and planted over with trees. Of approximately one dozen churches that were once here, all but three were torn down. Though the communities moved away, their hearts were still connected to these places of worship. Services in the Mammoth Cave Baptist Church were held regularly until the 1970s. Today, some former church members and descendants still meet for annual homecomings at Good Spring and Joppa Baptist Churches to remember what was so important in the lives of those before them and to continue the connection to their own heritage.

 

During the summer of 2020, park maintenance crews worked to restore the three remaining churches in the park.

NPS Photo/ Tim Logan

Preserving the Past

Recently Mammoth Cave National Park completed projects for these three structures. Maintenance crews labored in providing fresh paint, repair, and a thorough cleaning to the structures. Their work helped the church buildings shine again as they did when they were first constructed. Their efforts also continued in the preservation of such significant tangible pieces of the area’s history.

The remaining churches in Mammoth Cave National Park are among the last of the pre-park structures in existence. The songs once sang there have floated into the ether. The regular lively gathering of neighbors has fallen silent. However, the presence of these churches recalls the congregations they once nurtured, the lives they lived, and the sacrifices they made, so that all may enjoy these earthly pieces of Heaven.