An African American Heritage

An African American Heritage. . In 1839 African American slaves Stephen Bishop (buried here), Mat Bransford, and Nicholas Bransford, came to Mammoth Cave to work as cave guides. Cave visitors from around the world extolled their exploits as guides and cave explorers. The guides’ descendants continued a tie to the cave, working as farmers, teachers, and timbermen, while supplementing their income as cave guides., In 1939, the retirement of Mat Bransford’s great-grandson Louis, ended 101 years of unbroken family cave guide service, a profession long dominated by African Americans. Today, the heritage lives on as family relatives live in the local community., [Captions]: Stephen Bishop’s grand-nephew, Ed Bishop, was an accomplished cave guide. He discovered several cave passages with German cartographer Max Kamper in 1908 and 1909, leading to the creation of one of the most famous Mammoth Cave maps. , , Cave guide William Garvin and his wife, Hannah Bransford, lived on this small farmstead with walking distance of Mammoth Cave. , , Many cave guide descendants attended Mammoth Cave School. Former students worked as teachers, loggers, farmers, and musicians. , , By the 1930s, the predominantly African American cave guide work force was becoming more integrated.