Doctors didn’t know how to treat consumption. They tried many experiments in hopes of finding a cure. But in the year 1842, consumption was still killing more people in the United States than any other disease was.
In his clinic in Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Croghan had many patients suffering from consumption. He tried to help them, but nothing worked. Then one day he had an idea.
Doctors had noticed that most people who suffered from consumption lived in cities. Not so many people caught the disease out in the countryside. And sometimes patients who left their city homes and went to a hospital away from crowds and noise got better.
Maybe bringing his patients to Mammoth Cave would help them improve, Dr. Croghan thought. He believed that the air inside the cave was clean and pure. The temperature was always the same, and maybe that would help the patients, too. He would set up a hospital inside the cave!
John Croghan asked his Louisville patients whether they would like to join his experiment. A few of the patients had visited the cave, and the others had heard about it. All of them were frightened about having consumption, because they knew they were likely to die.
So several of them agreed to give the idea a try. But the sick people would need a place to stay. Dr. Croghan ordered his slaves to build several cottages deep inside the cave.
Just beyond Steamboat Rock, the cottages went up. The first two were constructed out of stones collected from inside the cave. They had tiny square windows and roofs made of canvas. Slaves brought in beds, storage chests, benches, and other items to make the patients comfortable.
Stephen watched the cottages being built as he led tours past the Grand Curve and on down the tunnel toward the Cataracts. He didn’t know what to think. He had heard that the patients would live in the cave day and night until they got better.
Stephen didn’t think he would like to spend every minute inside Mammoth, even if he did have a bad disease. He was always happy to come out into the sunlight or into a moonlit evening. In the cave there were no trees, no grass, no flowers. No sun shone, no birds sang. He wondered how the consumption patients would adjust to such a strange life.
The first patient to arrive was a doctor himself. In the summer of 1842, Dr. William Mitchell came to Mammoth Cave from Glasgow, Kentucky. He spent five weeks in one of the stone cottages and then left, pronouncing himself “very much relieved.”
The experiment seemed to be a success! Other doctors heard the news and asked if they could send patients to the cave. Men and women arrived from New York, Pennsylvania, Alabama, and South Carolina. New wooden huts had to be built to house them all.
Now when Stephen took a tour past the hospital, he would see a very strange sight. Patients wandered among the huts. They were afraid to go far for fear of getting lost. A few feeble lanterns shed some light in each cottage, but it was very dark everywhere else. Potted plants lined the pathway. They soon withered from lack of sunlight.
At mealtime, a couple of slaves brought provisions from the inn. One of them was Stephen’s friend Alfred. Part of Alfred’s job was to climb onto a rock and blow a horn to announce that the food had arrived.
Stephen was there one day to see what happened next.
Patients dressed in long white robes drifted out of the huts like ghosts floating across the rocky floor. Several coughed into handkerchiefs. They had all grown thin and pale during their time in the cave.
Stephen knew the patients had almost nothing to do all day. Many did not feel well and spent hours in bed. Others tried to talk to the visitors who passed through, but no one wanted to get very close to them. They were afraid they would catch consumption, too.
Several times Stephen guided friends or relations down to see the patients. The visitors stopped at the cottages while he led other paying customers farther along the trail. On the way back he would collect them and take them back to the mouth of the cave.
One night Stephen was sound asleep when a knock came at the door of his cabin. Stephen pulled on his pants and went to the door. Another slave was standing there. “Master wants you,” he said.
Doctor Croghan was waiting nearby. In the light from his lantern he looked very tired, as if he had not slept. “Come, Stephen. You need to lead a party into the cave.”
In the middle of the night? It would make no difference inside the cave, since it was always dark there. But this request was very odd.
Stephen got his shirt and jacket and followed the doctor into the chilly winter air. “What has happened, sir?”
Dr. Croghan’s shoulders were slumped.
“One of my consumption patients has died. I want to remove him from the cave as quickly as possible for burial.”
Stephen shivered, and not just because of the cold. The slaves loved to tell ghost stories. Stephen had never seen anything that looked like a ghost, even in the darkest corners of the cave. But he hoped the sick man had died quietly and that his soul had found its way back outside.
A small group of slaves was waiting with a makeshift stretcher. Croghan’s medical assistant was there, too, looking tired and nervous. In the rustling darkness, the party proceeded toward the cave.
Patients dressed in long white robes drifted out of the huts like ghosts floating across the rocky floor.
The nighttime journey went smoothly. But it would not be the last time Stephen helped with such a task.
Dr. Croghan’s experiment turned out to be a failure. Most of his patients were already very sick when they arrived, and not a single one got better.
In all, five men and women died in the cave. One by one their bodies were laid out on a wide slab next to one of the stone cottages. The place became known as Corpse Rock.
The rest of the patients all decided to leave. The experiment lasted only a few months. Then the tunnels were empty again. By the spring of 1843, only the two stone cottages and Corpse Rock remained.
Stephen Draws a Map
By now Stephen, Mat, and Nick had discovered so many new passages, pits, and other features that the old maps of Mammoth Cave were hopelessly out of date. All of them stopped at Bottomless Pit. A new map was desperately needed.
In the winter, very few visitors came down Green River or rode the stage over the bumpy track to Mammoth Cave. The hotel stayed open, but most of the rooms were empty. The guides did not have much to do.
Stephen would have been happy to keep exploring, but his master had another idea.
Dr. Croghan wanted to publish a book about the cave. It would have stories about the cave, descriptions of the wonderful sights there, and drawings of some of the most famous features. He planned to have the book printed at his own expense and to sell it in the United States and in Europe. If it was a good book, it would make many more people interested in visiting Mammoth Cave.
Dr. Croghan paid two artists to draw views of the most interesting parts of the cave: Bottomless Pit, the river scenery, the great domes with their beautiful flowstone walls. The new book would also need a new map. Who better to draw one than Stephen? He knew more miles of the cave than anyone else did.
In the winter of 1842, Dr. Croghan took Stephen home with him to Locust Grove, his farm outside Louisville. He lodged Stephen in a small room next to the kitchens, which were in a separate building out back. Although Stephen was only a slave, Dr. Croghan gave him a place to work inside the big house, furnished with a desk and a lamp.
Stephen was very comfortable at Locust Grove. He slept warmly at night, and he made friends with the other slaves. He started to draw the map his master wanted.
For many days Stephen labored with a large sheet of paper and a sharp pencil. He started by tracing a map that had been drawn in 1835. It showed only the old avenues, nothing beyond the Bottomless Pit. Then he started to add on the many new miles that had been discovered since 1838.
He drew the biggest passageways first. In his
mind he followed the trails he had walked so many times, remembering where each one curved or widened or came to a dead end.
Sometimes one of the other slaves brought Stephen a meal; other times Stephen joined the kitchen workers for supper. Every evening Dr. Croghan asked him how the map was coming along.
“It is an enormous job, sir,” Stephen told him. Dr. Croghan had invited him into the cozy sitting room, where there was a fire burning. Outside it was dark and a few flakes of snow were beginning to fall.
In his mind he followed the trails he had walked so many times, remembering where each one curved or widened or came to a dead end.
“If you need any aid, just tell me,” Croghan said. “I can bring Mat or Nick to help, if you cannot remember all the trails.”
Stephen just smiled. He remembered the trails. It was just that there were so many, it was taking a long time to draw them!
Dr. Croghan’s study was full of books. Stephen had never seen so many. The doctor saw him looking at the leather-bound volumes. “Do you read, Stephen?” he asked.
“I do,” replied Stephen, “but I have very little to practice with.”
“You may choose something to read while you’re at Locust Grove,” the doctor said. “Here are biographies, these are essays, I have a Bible. . . .”
“Do you have anything about caves?” Stephen was excited. He had been wanting to read about caves in other places.
Dr. Croghan smiled. “Certainly I do! Let me look. . . .” He stood up and went to the bookshelf. Soon he pulled down a handsome volume with gold lettering on the front.
“This is a book about traveling in Europe. There are excellent descriptions of the major caves.” Then he pointed to another area of the shelf. “Here are several books on geology. They talk about the different types of rock, and the way landscapes are formed. I find it a fascinating study.”
Stephen left with five precious books cradled in his arms. He couldn’t wait to start reading.
It was just before Christmas, and Dr. Croghan’s relations were visiting at Locust Grove. His brother, George, was there with his daughters, Serena and Angelica. There was a room in the cave named after each of them. Serena’s Arbor was a charming little room at the far end of Cleaveland Avenue. Angelica’s Grotto was found in Pensico Avenue.
With so many people in the house, the slaves were kept busy. But Christmas was special. The kitchen workers were given a chicken to roast for their dinner. The women baked biscuits instead of the corn bread they usually ate, and they cooked many different vegetables, like snap beans and greens. And each slave received a treat from Dr. Croghan—an orange and a stick of peppermint candy. It was a real celebration.
When dinnertime came, Stephen’s piece of chicken had the wishbone in it. One of the little boys noticed and jumped up. “Stephen’s got the pully-bone! I want one end!” Stephen let him hold one end of the wishbone. Then they both pulled.
“I got the big end! I get a wish!” the little boy said. Stephen knew what he would do with his piece.
The slaves always said that if you put the short end of the pully-bone over your doorway, you would meet the person you were going to marry. Stephen looked around the kitchen. All the women there already had husbands, or they were still little girls. He didn’t see how the old story could work this time, but he kept the little piece of bone anyway.
Late that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Stephen carefully set the pully-bone on the ledge over his doorway. Then he said his prayers and went to sleep.
The next morning, he was still in his room when someone knocked at the door. “Come in,” said Stephen. He was expecting the little girl who brought him a bowl of water to wash with.
But when the door opened, there stood a young woman he had never seen before. She smiled as she set the water down on Stephen’s table. “Good morning,” she said.
“Who are you?” Stephen asked. She was a very pretty girl, with shining brown eyes and bright red lips. Stephen couldn’t help but remember the pully-bone over his doorway.
“My name is Charlotte,” said the girl. “And you’re Stephen. Miss Tilly told me.” Tilly was the head cook for Dr. Croghan’s household.
“Where have you been since I got here?” asked Stephen.
“With my mama. She’s been sick. Dr. Croghan let me visit with her for a while.” Charlotte looked sad. “She’s still not better. Now my sister is with her.”
Stephen reached out his hand to comfort her. Charlotte touched it for just a second, then she turned back to the door. “I have to do my work now. I’ll see you at suppertime!” She smiled and left.
Stephen had to start work himself. The map was going well, although there were still many trails to draw. But for the first time, Stephen found it hard to concentrate. Suddenly there was something other than Mammoth Cave to think about.
Charlotte and Stephen became close friends. Charlotte was one of the house slaves at Locust Grove. Her job was to clean the bed chambers, make sure Dr. Croghan’s clothing was well taken care of, and help the doctor’s housekeeper in many other ways.
The map took twelve days for Stephen to finish. Then Dr. Croghan’s brother George took over. His job was to add labels to the major features, like the Bottomless Pit and Mammoth Dome. He also drew over Stephen’s pencil lines with a fine ink pen. Then the map was ready for the printer.
Stephen knew he would not be staying at Locust Grove. Now that the map was finished, he would be sent back to the cave. The journey was long, more than ninety miles. How would he be able to see Charlotte again?
Then he had an idea. The hotel at Mammoth Cave was a busy place during most of the year. Maybe there was some work that Charlotte could do there. Would she want to leave Locust Grove? Would Dr. Croghan allow her to? Slaves could not just choose their own jobs and places to live.
First he spoke to Charlotte. He told her that he didn’t want to be away from her. Did she feel the same way about him?
Charlotte looked down into her lap. They were sitting in Stephen’s room. She was quiet for a moment, but then she looked up and gave him a beautiful smile. Her answer was yes.
Dr. Croghan was getting ready to return to his patients in Louisville. The Christmas season was over, and it was time for everyone to go back to work. The night before the doctor left, Stephen asked if he could speak to him about Charlotte.
Stephen knew he was making a big request. But he thought Dr. Croghan would take him seriously. Because of Stephen’s discoveries, Mammoth Cave was receiving more visitors than ever before. Dr. Croghan had made a lot of money. He should want Stephen to be happy.
First Stephen returned the books that the doctor had loaned him. Then he made his request about Charlotte.
Dr. Croghan listened carefully. “Charlotte is a good girl and a hard worker. We would be sorry to let her go from Locust Grove,” he said slowly. He looked straight at Stephen. “Do you love her? Do you want to marry her?”
Stephen thought very hard before he answered. He liked Charlotte very much, he told Dr. Croghan, but they had only met a few days ago. If she worked at the Mammoth Cave Hotel, they would have a chance to know each other better.
Dr. Croghan nodded slowly. “I see. Let me think about it. I’ll speak to you in the morning.”
Stephen barely slept all night. In the morning, he had his answer. Charlotte would stay at Locust Grove until spring, when the stagecoaches would start bringing visitors to the cave. Then she would come to work at the hotel as a chambermaid.
Stephen and Charlotte were overjoyed. They said thank you again and again. Dr. Croghan smiled and climbed into his carriage, heading back to Louisville.
Charlotte did indeed come to the Mammoth Cave Hotel, and soon she and Stephen “jumped the broom,” as it was called when two slaves became man and wife. A slave preacher was there to oversee the marriage. Dr. Croghan even p
aid for a big party.
Stephen took Charlotte into the cave one day, just the two of them. He took her over the bridge across Bottomless Pit, then down a side passage that few visitors traveled. There he let his lantern smoke smudge the underside of an overhanging rock. When the rock was blackened, he scratched the shape of a heart and inside it the words, “Stephen L. Bishop, Guide, M. Cave. Mrs. Charlotte Bishop, 1843.” Outside the heart he wrote: “Mrs. Charlotte Bishop, Flower of the Mammoth Cave.”
Later that year, their son Thomas was born. They were very happy.
Free at Last?
As the 1840s passed, the topic of slavery was more and more in the news. The United States had won a war against Mexico and claimed huge new territories as a result. The Gold Rush attracted thousands of new settlers out west, to California and Nevada. Vast new areas of land were opening up for settlement beyond the Missouri River.
New states were joining the union. Still, no one could agree on whether the new states should be allowed to keep slaves.
At the same time, thousands of immigrants were arriving in the United States from places like Germany and Ireland. These new white Americans took away many of the jobs free blacks had held in the Northern states. It became very hard for many freedmen to support themselves and their families.
The Southern states pointed at the blacks struggling to make a living up North. They claimed the situation would get a thousand times worse if slavery was abolished. Where would all the former slaves find work? Every state, North and South, would end up having to feed, house, and clothe thousands of people, the slave owners warned.
But this argument held no truth for the millions of slaves still held in bondage. Many tried to escape.
Stephen’s state, Kentucky, was a slave state. But the northern border of Kentucky is formed by the Ohio River. On the other side of the river were the free states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Any slave who could cross the Ohio River without being captured could hope to start a new life.
Journey to the Bottomless Pit Page 6
