"Cities, Towns & Countryside"

4th Annual Preservation Week 2002 Photo-Essay Competition

Second Place: Chris A. Turner
9th Grade, Bowling Green High School
Bowling Green, Kentucky

Title: Joppa Ridge Community, Mammoth Cave National Park

Have you ever wondered what happened to the cemeteries and communities that were inside a national park? When people hear the words "Mammoth Cave" most people think of cave tours and forget that there were communities or families that lived there 75 years ago, one like the Joppa Church and community. Joppa's located eight square miles, north and west in Mammoth Cave National Park. The cemeteries are the only reminders left visible to the public but there is more than that to those communities.

The church has a cemetery next to it and we found another old cemetery off one of the roads that lead back into the Joppa community. The cemetery is so deep in the woods that photographs are hard to do because of the vast nature of the picture and the overgrowth of vegetation. The cemetery itself is not being preserved at all, so naturally it's neglected. It is not on any map that we have found or had access to. This church and cemetery were at the center of this huge community. The community itself included the church, cemetery, a telephone exchange, two general merchandise shops, a blacksmith shop, a mill, and primary school that was later a high school. From the size of it, it was a community cemetery.

The park service should be photographing and documenting the names of the persons who are buried in the cemetery. With that information, families would know where their ancestors were buried and they could trace their ancestry that could possibly put an end to some family mysteries. Were this information available, some of the cemeteries could open eyes to the past and the present. If the old roads were blocked off and maintained, they could be made into trails for people, pets, bikes, and campers. We wish money from the cave tour income or a percentage thereof could be converted to trail and park preservation so these areas could be repaired for future generations. The park service welcomes all volunteers that are willing to work in the park and cave areas.

This essay and photograph(s) are the property of Preservation Kentucky, Inc. and Kentucky Heritage Council and that any use of the photo or essay must be approved by PK and KHC.