Brought my oldest daughter to her first wild cave today, Black Cat Cave. It is a historical location due to the fact that 90 years ago, bootleggers and women of a wilder nature hauled in blocks and cement to create the Black Cat Cave / Speakeasy Dancehall. The remnants are in shambles today, but 3 separate rooms remain from the original speakeasy. The main room is a large dancehall, more than half of the 90 year old cement floor has collapsed due to continued erosion from the cave floor and the increasing water table underneath. A fireplace still stands in the 3rd room created in the main chamber. Pictures above are far better then any I was able to get with my camera. After you leave the main chamber you can maneuver your way through tight crawl spaces to find a rapidly running spring emerging into an underground river. The depth ranges from inches to several feet deep. Today the water levels were very high due to heavy rainfall last night. Many of the caves more beautiful creations have been damaged by vandals, but the further you venture into the cave, the natural beauty starts to come alive again.
This cave smell like rotting onions, Im sure from the trash that has been left in there. Its was apparent to us that no one had recently been there doing any damage, but it's definitely in need of some cave conservation to help improve its appearance. Im glad that my daughter was able to experience this cave as a beginner and also see the sad vandalism that has happened, as it has already made her appreciate how precious these cave systems are.