Rockport in Spencer County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Historical Site Lankford Cave
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 25, 2022
1. Historical Site Lankford Cave Marker
Inscription.
Historical Site Lankford Cave. . At the age of 24, James Lankford (Langford) and his family left their home in Stokes County, North Carolina probably traveling through the Cumberland Gap across Daniel Boone's wilderness road, the most direct route from North Carolina to Indiana Territory. Tradition says when they came to the Ohio River they made their way downriver by boat until they reached present-day Rockport, Indiana. Beginning in 1808, the Lankford family lived in a small cave under the bluff overlooking the river. The front of the cave was protected by boughs and bark with animal skins stretched over the structure. Lankford made an opening in the top for smoke to exit. He purchased land in Grass Township, Spencer County and lived there until his death in 1849. He was a Methodist minister and helped establish the Tippecanoe Methodist Church of Grass Township which is now known as Bloomfield Wesley Chapel. History books refer to him as a well-respected member of the community.
At the age of 24, James Lankford (Langford) and his family left their home in Stokes County, North Carolina probably traveling through the Cumberland Gap across Daniel Boone's wilderness road, the most direct route from North Carolina to Indiana Territory. Tradition says when they came to the Ohio River they made their way downriver by boat until they reached present-day Rockport, Indiana. Beginning in 1808, the Lankford family lived in a small cave under the bluff overlooking the river. The front of the cave was protected by boughs and bark with animal skins stretched over the structure. Lankford made an opening in the top for smoke to exit. He purchased land in Grass Township, Spencer County and lived there until his death in 1849. He was a Methodist minister and helped establish the Tippecanoe Methodist Church of Grass Township which is now known as Bloomfield Wesley Chapel. History books refer to him as a well-respected member of the community.
Erected 2020 by Spencer County Historical Society.
Location. 37° 52.879′ N, 87° 2.679′ W. Marker is in Rockport, Indiana, in Spencer
Click or scan to see this page online
County. It is on South 1st Street 0.1 miles south of Main Street, on the right when traveling south. Marker is at The Bluffs in Rocky Side Park. South 1st Street is one-way southbound. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Rockport IN 47635, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Tri-State Region and in Southern Indiana. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Ohio River Valley, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 25, 2022
2. Lankford Cave Secondary Marker
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 25, 2022
3. Historical Site Lankford Cave Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 4, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 4, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,032 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on October 4, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
