Joel M. Sneed

Entrance to Kingston Saltpeter Cave (Linda Pye photo)

As a part of our study of Kingston Saltpeter Cave in the 1980s, inscriptions were recorded from the walls of the cave, and these – nearly 500 names, some with dates and other information – were included as an Appendix in my 2007 book, Bartow County Caves: History Underground in North Georgia. These names, and the record of a visit to the cave by people over a period of 200 years, had been written with charcoal or scratched into the walls throughout the cave. Although we had systematically recorded these inscriptions so that none would be missed, we found a few years ago that we had, indeed, overlooked an entire wall of writing.

How this was brought to our attention was by Mrs. Joan Creviston having found online a video of the cave that had been made by Kevin and Shannon Glenn, members of the KSC Committee of the National Speleological Society. The video had panned across a wall where the name “Jodie Hill 1935” was clearly shown. Mr. Hill was an uncle of Joan’s and she wanted to visit the cave to see the inscription. Joan and her husband then accompanied me to the cave, where we found that wall. A follow-up trip was made, which included Joe Head, also a nephew of Mr. Hill. Following that trip Joe purchased a copy of the book, and upon inspection of the Appendix listing names from the cave, found that the inscription of Jodie Hill was not shown and he informed me of such. I later recorded all of the names from that wall, and they are published herewith.

In addition to those inscriptions, I have now recorded several that were not on the original survey because they were covered over by soot and not visible. These are found on the ceiling of a passage that is now about eight feet high, but at the time they were written, prior to the intensive excavation for nitrates during the 1860s, the passage was only a few feet in height. To find and record these I carried into the cave a short stepladder, and, protected by goggles and mask, I carefully brushed away the soot, exposing pre-Civil War inscriptions. Hereby was discovered the oldest inscription in the cave, that of a John W. Bank, dated 1802.

It is hoped that by publishing these names someone will recognize a name that is familiar to them, perhaps a relative or a person with whom they are otherwise familiar, and report it to this writer. Likewise with names previously published in the Bartow caves book. Joe Head has set a good example by sending me the following information about his uncle whose name is on the wall recently recorded:

                                       Jodie L. Hill (Nov. 5, 1919 – Feb. 20, 2016)

Jodie was a native of Bartow County and the son of William and Ludie Hill. He was a veteran of WWII having stormed the beaches at Normandy France where he received the Purple Heart. Following the war Jodie became an insurance executive becoming vice president of the Life and Casualty Insurance Company in Nashville TN. While in Nashville, Jodie met many country singers and performed as a back-up fiddler for the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium. He was married three times and had two children, Jodilynn and Vickie, by his second wife Myra Spivy Hill. Jodie was an entrepreneur and a historian. In the mid 1990s, he purchased and restored the Corra Harris property in Rydal, Georgia known as “In the Valley” and later donated it to Kennesaw State University. Jodie received the Life Time Achievement Award from the Etowah Valley Historical Society in 2009.

In my study of caves in Bartow County, and learning of the involvement of Corra Harris in the protection of early Native Artifacts from Bradford Cave, I sought out Mr. Hill since he at that time was the owner of the property that Mrs. Harris had owned, and he was arguably the person most familiar with that lady. Mr. Hill graciously spent an afternoon with me, telling me about Mrs. Harris and showing me around the property.

KINGSTON SALTPETER CAVE INSCRIPTIONS 2019 Newly-Discovered Names Not Included In Original 2007 Transcription

WEST WALL OUTSIDE “DOOR TO THE PLEISTOCENE”

CEILING IN WEST END OF “BLAIR’S SALTPETER CORRIDOR”

This research has been compiled to preserve the list of pioneers and early visitors who left an inscription of their visit to the cave before they are lost to natural deterioration or vandalism. It is very likely that many of these people may have explored and toiled in the cave or once enjoyed the legendary dances that were once held in the large chamber in the 1930s. Some of the names represent historic figures and community leaders who ventured in to one of Bartow’s most iconic natural features.

For those who do not have the Bartow Caves book, the following is the list that appears in the book as Appendix 1: