Lost River Cave

This unique underground river cave has served Native Americans, Civil War soldiers, a milling operation, and even a 1930s nightclub. The cave was known as "Dead Man's Cave" or "Purgatory Cave" before its current name.

Lost River Cave, known historically as "Dead Man's Cave" and "Purgatory Cave," stretches seven miles beneath Bowling Green, Kentucky, carrying a quarter-million years of dark history. This underground wonder—the only cave in Kentucky explored by boat—has served as a sacred Native American site, Civil War battleground, outlaw hideout, underground nightclub, and toxic dumping ground. With such a violent and varied past, it's no surprise the cave has earned its ominous nicknames.

The cave's human history begins with Paleo-Indian groups who sought shelter, water, and food within its limestone walls thousands of years ago. The Lost River, which originates outside the cave and flows through it, provided sustenance for countless generations. But the cave's role in warfare would cement its haunted reputation.

During the Civil War, the cave and surrounding valley changed hands between Confederate and Union forces. Confederates briefly made Bowling Green the capital of Kentucky, using Lost River Cave as a campground for its natural shelter and fresh water. When Union forces took control, they transformed the area into a field hospital and camp for nearly 40,000 soldiers between 1862 and 1865. Many of these soldiers, knowing they might not survive the war, scrawled their names, ranks, and companies on the limestone walls—ghostly signatures that remain visible today. How many of those men died here, in combat or from disease, their spirits perhaps never leaving?

The legends of outlaws only deepen the cave's mystique. John Hunt Morgan, the Confederate raider known as the "Thunderbolt of the Confederacy," allegedly hid in the cave while escaping pursuing troops after burning the train depot at nearby Shakertown. Jesse James himself is reputed to have holed up in Lost River Cave during the 1860s. While evidence suggests James likely stayed at a friend's house in Bowling Green instead, the legend persists—and some claim his outlaw spirit still roams the dark passages.

In the 1930s, the cave's massive natural entrance was transformed into something entirely different: Kentucky's only underground nightclub. A dance floor was constructed in the mouth of the cave, complete with a stage built into the rock where jazz musicians performed. The glamour of the speakeasy era echoed through ancient stone. But the nightclub eventually closed, and the cave fell into darker uses—becoming one of the largest illegal toxic waste dump sites in Kentucky, a secret shame buried beneath the earth.

As Lost River Cave CEO Justin Jennings explains: "We've got stories of Civil War soldiers that died here at the park, some may or may not still be here. We've got different stories of milling operations that have mysteriously burned down on the property, and for a while, this cave was actually known as Dead Man's Cave or Purgatory Cave. Anytime you have a property that is this old and has been used for this long, scary stories just kinda naturally, organically develop."

The "Lost Tales of the Underground" tour reveals the darker history that regular tours leave unspoken. Guides share stories of ghostly soldiers still standing watch, the spirits of workers killed in the milling operations, and the restless dead whose bodies may still lie hidden in the cave's unexplored depths. Visitors report cold spots, disembodied whispers echoing off the limestone, and the overwhelming sense of being watched by unseen eyes in the darkness.