Eleven Jones Cave - The Legend

The Legend

The Jones were supposed to have used the cave as a hideout in the 1800s. They were reportedly bank robbers, counterfeiters, and murderers. They stashed their ill-gotten gains within the cave. The brothers also created eleven rooms to live in within the cave. The Jones eventually left the area, and their treasure reportedly hid behind collapsed rocks. Since the rooms have never been found, legend often says the gang sealed them off by collapsing the cave roof. The cave was supposedly once large enough to drive a horse and carriage through, but has since "shrunk," a geological impossibility.

Three-inch bars on a gate were supposed to further decrease the chances that someone might find Jones' gold, silver, and jewels. These bars were said to prevent access to a main passage, which was also supposed to be guarded by a cannon. A book published by University of Kentucky Press has called this account "mythical".

Early descriptions of the area, as late as 1822, make no mention of the cave or legends surrounding it, but it was known to locals as the source of a spring by 1831. It was first definitively called Eleven Jones Cave in 1848. Eight entrances were said to have been located along Beargrass Creek, although none but the main entrance were ever found.