History
The Kennamer family's ancestors settled in the cave a long time ago, hence the name of the cave. Mr. Gurley, eventually, saw the cave and bought it from the Kennamer family.
Mr. Gurley maintained the cave as a tourist attraction from 1959 to 1974. The cave was sold in 1975 at an auction. The State of Alabama bought the cave in 1987 with the intent to reopen the site as a state park. After funding delays, restoration work actually began in 1995. In May 2000, the Cavern re-opened to the public.
In 1995, Cathedral Caverns provided the cave settings for the Disney Studios film Tom and Huck starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Tom Sawyer and Brad Renfro as Huckleberry Finn.
Archaeological excavations at the mouth of Cathedral Caverns have indicated occupation by Native Americans as recently as 200 years ago and perhaps as early as 7000 BCE.
Read more about this topic: Cathedral Caverns State Park
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