Horse Cave, Kentucky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Horse Cave, Kentucky
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Downtown Horse Cave, December 2006, looking eastward down Main Street/HWY-218. The cave opening is to the right.
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Location of Horse Cave in Hart County, Kentucky.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Hart |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.16 sq mi (8.20 km2) |
| • Land | 3.15 sq mi (8.15 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation | 633 ft (193 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,212 |
| • Estimate
(2022)
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2,246 |
| • Density | 703.34/sq mi (271.52/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
42749
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| Area code(s) | 270 & 364 |
| FIPS code | 21-38008 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0494572 |
Horse Cave is a city in Hart County, Kentucky, United States. It is known for the large cave that gives the city its name. As of the 2020 census, about 2,212 people lived in Horse Cave. This makes it the largest community in Hart County.
The city is governed by a mayor and a city council. The mayor is Randall Curry, and six members make up the city council.
Contents
History of Horse Cave
How Horse Cave Began
The town of Horse Cave was started by Major Albert Anderson in the 1840s. In 1858, he gave land for a new Louisville and Nashville Railroad station. He asked that the station be named after the nearby Horse Cave.
The area around the station grew quickly. A post office was set up in 1860. The city officially became a town by the state assembly in 1864.
The Mystery of the Cave's Name
The famous cave is on the south side of Main Street. There are a few ideas about how it got its unusual name. One idea is that Native Americans or outlaws used to hide horses inside the cave. Another story says that a horse from a carriage might have fallen into the cave opening by accident. A third idea is that in the 1800s, people used the word "horse" to mean something very big. This is similar to the Swedish word hoss.
Hidden River Cave: A Source of Power and Problems
The cave is also known as "Hidden River Cave" because of an underground stream inside it. This stream was once used to power a dynamo, which made electricity. For a short time in the late 1800s, Horse Cave was one of the first cities in Kentucky to have electric lights. Only Louisville and Ashland had them too.
Around World War I, special tennis courts were built near the cave entrance. They were the only air-conditioned tennis courts in the world! The underground stream also provided water for the town. However, due to problems with development, dirty water began to leak into the stream. This forced the cave to close for 50 years. In the 1960s, the smell was so bad that people would cross the street to avoid walking near the cave. Birds sometimes even fell from the sky because of it. Luckily, this problem has been mostly fixed in recent years.
Name Changes and Growth
In 1869, the town's name was changed to "Caverna." But because the railroad station's name could not be changed, the community decided to go back to "Horse Cave" in 1879.
Because of its early railroad connection, Horse Cave became an important center for farming business. This was true for Hart, Metcalfe, Green, and Barren counties starting in the 1870s. Selling Tobacco brought in most of the money.
Modern Horse Cave: Factories and Fun
Since the 1970s, some factories have moved to the area. These include Dart Container Corporation, T Marzetti Company, and Sister Schubert's Bakery.
Horse Cave also has many fun places to visit. These include Kentucky Down Under/Kentucky Caverns, Hidden River Cave/American Cave Museum, and the nearby Mammoth Cave National Park.
Every year, there is an event called Civil War Days. During this time, there are parades down Main Street and reenactments of the Battle of Rowlett's Station. This battle took place between Horse Cave and Munfordville. A local theater, once known as the Horse Cave Theatre, used to operate here but is now closed. Horse Cave has also been a filming location for movies like "Runaway Romance" and "Never Forgive."
Famous People from Horse Cave
Artist Joseph Dudley Downing (1925–2007) was born and grew up in Horse Cave. He was the top student in his class. In 1980, an exhibition of 150 of his paintings was held in a local tobacco warehouse.
Geography of Horse Cave
Horse Cave is located in Kentucky. Its southern border is the line for Barren County and the border of Cave City.
U.S. Route 31W (Dixie Street) is the main road through Horse Cave. It goes north about 8 miles to Munfordville. It also goes southwest through Cave City about 10 miles to Park City. Park City is near the entrance to Mammoth Cave National Park.
Interstate 65 is about 2 miles west of Horse Cave. You can get to it from Exit 58. I-65 goes north about 78 miles to Louisville. It goes southwest about 97 miles to Nashville, Tennessee.
The city of Horse Cave covers a total area of about 3.16 square miles (8.2 square kilometers). A very small part of this area, about 0.02 square miles (0.05 square kilometers), is water.
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 479 | — | |
| 1880 | 526 | 9.8% | |
| 1890 | 598 | 13.7% | |
| 1900 | 867 | 45.0% | |
| 1910 | 881 | 1.6% | |
| 1920 | 864 | −1.9% | |
| 1930 | 1,259 | 45.7% | |
| 1940 | 1,278 | 1.5% | |
| 1950 | 1,545 | 20.9% | |
| 1960 | 1,780 | 15.2% | |
| 1970 | 2,068 | 16.2% | |
| 1980 | 2,045 | −1.1% | |
| 1990 | 2,284 | 11.7% | |
| 2000 | 2,252 | −1.4% | |
| 2010 | 2,311 | 2.6% | |
| 2020 | 2,212 | −4.3% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 2,246 | −2.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In the year 2000, there were 2,252 people living in Horse Cave. These people lived in 977 households, and 601 of these were families. The city had about 758 people per square mile. There were 1,091 homes in total.
Most of the people in Horse Cave were White (about 80.91%). About 17.94% were Black or African American. A small number were Native American or from other races. About 0.58% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.
In 2000, about 28% of households had children under 18 living with them. About 40.2% were married couples. About 18.2% had a female head of household with no husband present. Many households (34.8%) were made up of people living alone. About 16.8% of these were people aged 65 or older living by themselves. The average household had 2.21 people, and the average family had 2.84 people.
The population was spread out by age. About 21.8% were under 18 years old. About 20.3% were 65 years or older. The average age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were about 81.8 males.
The average income for a household in the city was $21,134. For families, the average income was $28,026. About 24.1% of families and 27.9% of all people lived below the poverty line. This included 36.8% of those under 18 and 22.5% of those aged 65 or over.
Arts and Culture in Horse Cave
Horse Cave has a public library called the Horse Cave Public Library. It offers books and resources for the community.
Notable People from Horse Cave
- Joseph Dudley Downing, a famous artist.
- Simon Bolivar Buckner, who was the 30th governor of Kentucky.
- Clarence Glover, a former player in the NBA.
- Tom Moran, a player in the National Football League.
- John Stanley Palmore Jr., who used to be the Chief Justice of Kentucky's Supreme Court.
Images for kids
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Downtown Horse Cave, December 2006, looking eastward down Main Street/HWY-218. The cave opening is to the right.
See also
In Spanish: Horse Cave (Kentucky) para niños
