This Fearless Teen Slave Memorized Mammoth Cave & Made Its First-Ever Map in 1842

Stephen Bishop, Mammoth Cave Explorer

Stephen Bishop could navigate total darkness like most people walk through their living room.

Born into slavery, he became Mammoth Cave’s most famous guide in the mid-1800s. His maps and discoveries still help visitors today.

Here’s the incredible tale of America’s first great cave explorer.

A Teen Meets the Mammoth Cave

Stephen Bishop arrived at Mammoth Cave in 1838 when he was just 17 years old. His owner, lawyer Franklin Gorin, had acquired Bishop as repayment for a debt and purchased Mammoth Cave for $5,000.

Into the Abyss

While other guides stuck to safe, well-lit routes, Bishop had different plans.

Using ropes and a flickering lantern, he explored unknown caverns, discovering tunnels, crossing black pits, and sailing on underground rivers.

One blown-out lantern meant death in absolute darkness, but the brave teen forged on.

The Bottomless Breakthrough

The farthest anyone had ventured was to the infamous Bottomless Pit, where torches thrown into its depths would simply disappear.

According to legend, a tourist offered Bishop a “fistful of money” to explore beyond this terrifying chasm.

In 1838, Bishop and the visitor either positioned a ladder or cedar sapling across the pit.

Bishop ventured across, carrying a lantern in his teeth. This single act of courage opened miles of unexplored cave territory.

An Exceptional Memory

In 1842, Bishop was sent to Dr. John Croghan’s plantation for two weeks, where he drew a complete map of Mammoth Cave from memory.

The map was published in 1844 and was regarded as the authoritative guide for over four decades.

Some branches he explored weren’t found again until modern equipment was invented.

Remarkably, a passage lead on Bishop’s 1842 map actually showed the key connection between cave systems discovered 130 years later in 1972.

A Self-Taught Scholar

Bishop was self-educated with knowledge of Latin, Greek, and geology.

His former owner Franklin Gorin described him as having “a fine genius, great wit and humor, and perfect knowledge of man.”

Visitors noted he could “recall everybody that ever visited the cave, and all geological terms were at his tongue’s end.”

He discovered and named cave features still used today: Fat Man’s Misery, River Styx, Great Relief Hall, and Lake Lethe.

Leading Celebrities Underground

Bishop guided famous visitors including opera singer Jenny Lind, essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Yale professor Benjamin Silliman Jr.

On March 31, 1851, Jenny Lind toured the cave with Bishop, who was called “The Prince of Guides” by her entourage. These tours sometimes lasted 18 hours.

Scientists specifically sought him out for his geological knowledge as well.

One visitor noted that “Stephen is almost as widely known as the Cave itself.”

A Romantic Adventure Underground

While at Croghan’s Locust Grove plantation in 1842, Bishop met Charlotte Brown, an enslaved domestic worker, and they married.

Bishop took Charlotte to a fairy-like section filled with gypsum flowers and named it Charlotte’s Grotto.

On the wall, he drew a heart and wrote: “Stephen Bishop, M Cave Guide, Mrs. Charlotte Bishop 1843” and “Mrs. Charlotte Bishop, Flower of Mammoth Cave.”

Their son Thomas was born in 1843.

Stephen’s Freedom and Legacy

When Dr. Croghan died in 1849, his will stated that his 28 enslaved people would be freed seven years later, including the Bishops.

Bishop was freed in 1856 and died in 1857 at age 37.

Posthumous Recognition

He was buried in an unmarked grave until Pittsburgh millionaire James Mellon provided a headstone years later.

The inscription reads: “Stephen Bishop, First Guide & Explorer of the Mammoth Cave,” though the date is incorrectly listed as 1859.

Visiting Mammoth Cave National Park

The park is at 1 Mammoth Cave Parkway, Kentucky right off Interstate 65 at Exit 53.

The park grounds are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

You can hike, bike, visit the visitor center, and explore above-ground areas completely free.

Cave tours range from $6 to $60 for adults, depending on the tour type and duration, which you can book up to 6 months ahead.

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