Clarksville in Montgomery County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

The Dunbar Family

Dunbar Cave

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, June 4, 2023

1. The Dunbar Family Marker

Inscription. Thomas Dunbar and his family arrived on this land in 1784 during a time of immense land speculation and fraud. He purchased 500 acres including the cave but was never given legal title to the land. Meanwhile, he built a home and farmed the land for eight years. Robert Nelson, a deputy surveyor, made his own claim to the cave. It overlapped Dunbar's significantly. Due to his political connections, he obtained the legal title to the land. Nelson filed an ejectment suit in 1792, which removed Dunbar from the property. However, Nelson then sold Dunbar 50 acres east of the cave where Dunbar built another house. The building in front of you, now the clubhouse for the Swan Lake Golf Course, contains a hand-hewn log wall and stone chimney which are likely the ruins of Dunbar's second house.

Thomas Dunbar's daughter, Ann, died in 1823. Thomas died three years later in 1826. Both were buried nearby. After Thomas's death, his widow and his two sons, James, and William, relocated to Stewart County. In a brochure for the 1934 Clarksville Sesquicentennial celebration held at the cave, it is noted that the Dunbar graves were still visible on the hillside overlooking the newly created lake. Although the cave has passed through many hands over the years it has always been known as Dunbar's Cave.

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Photo: Deed from Robert Nelson to Thomas Dunbar, 1792, Montgomery County, Archives Clarksville, TN

Erected by Tennessee State Parks.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 36° 32.973′ N, 87° 18.182′ W. Marker is in Clarksville, Tennessee, in Montgomery County. It is at the intersection of Dunbar Cave Road and Acuff Road, on the left when traveling east on Dunbar Cave Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Clarksville TN 37043, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee

and in the Highland Rim.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

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,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Dunbar Cave (within shouting distance of this marker); Affricanna Town (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Three Sisters Garden (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Dunbar Cave (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Dunbar Cave (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named Affricanna Town (about 700 feet away); Roy Acuff (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Dunbar Cave (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Clarksville.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, June 4, 2023

2. The Dunbar Family Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 590 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 8, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.