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

Dunbar Cave

The Dunbar Family

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, April 27, 2024

1. Dunbar Cave 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

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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.

Caption
Background 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 this topic list: Notable Places.

Location. 36° 32.988′ N, 87° 18.184′ W. Marker is in Clarksville, Tennessee, in Montgomery County. It is on Dunbar Cave Road west of Acuff Road, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 585 Dunbar Cave Rd, 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

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, April 27, 2024

2. Dunbar Cave Marker

States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Dunbar Family (within shouting distance of this marker); The Three Sisters Garden (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Dunbar Cave (about 600 feet away); Affricanna Town (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 (about 800 feet away); a different marker also named Dunbar Cave (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Clarksville.

Hand-hewn log wall and stone fireplace image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, April 27, 2024

3. Hand-hewn log wall and stone fireplace

Credits. This page was last revised on May 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 274 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 30, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.