Cave City Commercial District
Broadway between 1st and 2nd Sts., Cave City, KYLocated at the northern edge of Barren County is the town of Cave City. Boasting a population of 2,500. Cave City is the second-largest community in Barren County. Located near Interstate 65 and Louisville and Nashville Railroad, Cave City is also only eight miles from the Mammoth Cave National Park. Its proximity to this large tourist attraction has fostered large strip development, but the mid-19th century center of town remains intact.
The commercial area lies adjacent and perpendicular to the railroad tracks. Contained within two city blocks, the district contains 17 commercial buildings. Of this total number of structures, nine were included in the survey. Only one intrusion exists within the district and no empty lots break up the streetscape.
The Cave City Commercial District has significance as being the last intact section of a once architecturally cohesive and thriving business area. While not extremely important individually, as a group these commercial buildings signify the important economic growth which Cave City experienced during the last half of the 19th century.
Established in 1853, Cave City was a planned community, established primarily. because of its proximity to the Mammoth Cave resort and the proposed Louisville and Nashville Railroad line. During that year four Louisville speculators purchased the land for the town site. By 1860 the population had grown to one hundred and fifty.
Between 1870 and the first quarter of the 20th century, Cave City experienced a steady period of economic expansion. It was during that time that the largest growth occurred in the commercial area. All of the commercial structures are vernacular, but some achieved the distinction of their importance to the community.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.