The City of Horse Cave (population 2,252) has an unusual feature: an entrance to a cave on downtown's Main Street. Hidden River Cave leads to an underground river that for decades provided the community with drinking water, electricity, and tourism opportunities.
By the mid-20th century, however, the groundwater in the cave became polluted. In the 1990s, the city partnered with the American Cave Conservation Association (ACCA) to curtail the pollution, develop a regional waste management system, and create the American Cave and Karst Museum in a historic building adjacent to the cave.
Hidden River Cave reopened to tourists, and the ACCA is expanding its facilities by renovating three more historic buildings in the downtown historic district, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Designated a Preserve America Community in April 2004.
For more information
Hidden River Cave & American Cave Museum