CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It may be bright and sunny now, but many communities across Middle Tennessee are still dealing with the impacts of recent flooding, including at a historical site in a state park in Clarksville.
Dunbar Cave State Park Rangers took to social media this week, sharing the current state of the cave that's beloved by many people.
Justine Kaneris initially stumbled upon Dunbar Cave State Park one Sunday after church.
“We had just gotten some chicken and were going to have a picnic. I saw all these things that inspired me,” said Kaneris, a member at large with Friends of Dunbar Cave.It quickly became one of her favorite spots in Clarksville.
“This place is really special to me because it's kind of the first place that I explored when we moved here back in 2017,” Kaneris said.
She even joined the advocacy group Friends of Dunbar Cave, they're working to help preserve the history of the cave and bring awareness to the park. The group holds many fundraising and outreach efforts throughout the year including their annual Cooling of the Cave event and concert.
Inside the cave, there are historical artifacts from many eras. "It's layers and layers of history inside the cave, from Indigenous artwork from back all that time ago, to the Civil War, to people who still probably live here today that have signed their name,” Kaneris said.
However, right now those layers of history are covered by layers of mud.
Dunbar Cave State Park Rangersshared information and pictures on the current state of the cave. According to the Facebook post, this was the highest level of flooding ever recorded inside the cave. The water was so strong it moved boardwalks. There are inches of mud coating every surface, even the ceiling in one room.
The 800-year-old Mississippian Cave art was completely submerged, that's something they said hadn't happened before.
The full post is listed below:
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation provided us with the following statement about this story:
Dunbar Cave State Park experienced flooding due to excessive amounts of rainfall in Tennessee on February 15 and 16. The flooding has since subsided, and the park is open to visitors to enjoy. However, the cave itself remains closed while the impact of the flooding is assessed.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
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