The Story Behind This Cave In Nashville Is Truly Remarkable
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Meghan Kraft
Author
Have you ever heard the story of the Nashville man in a cave…? Located about a mile down the Cumberland River from Nashville, you can find a small cave nestled in the rock – and it has quite a remarkable story.
Did you know that this teensy, tiny little crack in the wall was actually the home of Nashville's FIRST official citizen? Yep. This is where Timothy Demonbreun, the famed fur-trapper once laid his head.
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Demonbreun was actually the son of Canadian nobles, but he shunned his homeland and title to make his way south, and eventually his simple lifestyle out in the North American wilderness brought him to Tennessee.
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This particular area of the Cumberland River attracted quite a bit of game, so Demonbreun holed up for a couple of months until a more suitable home could be figured out. You can see here a cage of steel bars, which was damaged in the flood of 2010 but was meant to keep folks out of the cave. It's dangerous, you know. The earth is ever-changing.
He eventually became a local merchant and tavern keeper, holding his title as, "The First Citizen of Nashville" for years to come.
He eventually became a local merchant and tavern keeper, holding his title as, "The First Citizen of Nashville" for years to come.
It can be a bit hard to get out here, so we’ve included the video below to show you just HOW crazy it is that Demonbreun managed to choose this particular cave.
That’s one quirky story if you ask us – living in a cave?! We’ll pass. But we’re glad ol’ Timothy didn’t! Take a look at these beautiful Nashville hiking trails if you’re looking to adventure just like him.
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