The History and Pictures of CUDJO'S CAVERNS at Cumberland Gap before the National Park. 

I was born and raised in East Tennessee (Blount County) but both of my parents were born and raised in Harlan Kentucky so we made many trips there. We always went by Cudjo's on the way home. We didn't always go in the cave but we certainly stopped for cigarettes every time. My Mom was scared to death of that road. I ended up getting a scholarship to Lincoln Memorial University and on my lunch break I'd go up to the pinnacle and sit there and eat with that view. As much as I loved it then, I sure wish I had appreciated having somewhere like that to enjoy some silence more. I know what it means now more than ever with all the tourists overcrowding every park in the country. This made me miss my Mom more but, that's ok. She's worth missing. Thanks for jarring my memory 💚

I mean this in the sweetest of ways...but I listen to your storytelling with my ear buds at night in bed. The comfort of your stories is such a peaceful way to end a busy day.

My 5th great grandfather was exploring part of the Cumberland Gap in VA before any settlers had went that far west of the Appalachians. Peters mountain is named after him. You can see the gap from the top. He made trails for hundreds of miles people still use today. Lots of them are roads now.

It's too bad we can't travel back in time to those days. Thank God for Donnie and his story telling abilities!

I was just telling my great grand children about how the US park dept ruined all the area around the gap and cave area and progression or regression has never been more assanine.

I think you and I are of the same generation. I was born in 1948. Our generation in general has so many wonderful stories to tell. We live in a totally different world now. The younger people have no idea how slow paced life was, how different values were, and generally the world was a safer place...not perfect, but definitely better than today. Thank you for sharing your area's history. You definitely have that southern gift of story telling.

Thank you for sharing your home with the rest of us. I hope it helps people to understand all the places and history we have to protect in our country.

I so remember going here in the early 70's! The wedding chapel, the bacon formations. Even the one with the "toe" sticking out of it. It was a light hearted magical place with a few corny elements thrown in. I looked for videos of it and found yours! Nice tribute. I was hoping to see it again as it had been. Sadly nothing lasts forever but the cave it's self. It will be a beauty long after us all. Thanks for sharing!

Another awesome job Donnie!!! It would be nice to know what the CRF has found in those caves. I would say with the frontiersman, Indians and soldiers they hold a lot of history.

Glad I stumbled upon your channel. Really enjoy learning the history of these breathtaking mountains.

Cheap cigarettes... my uncles use to go there to by their Pall Malls...$2.00 a carton...not $2.00 a pack but $2.00 a carton of 10 packs.

Thank you very much for this. I have very fond memories of touring Cusjo's as a child. We used to travel between NC and Northern KY for family visits, and before I40 connected Asheville to Knoxville, and while I75 was incomplete, going up through the Cumberland Gap was the only way. Good to know that NPS is taking care of it, although I will miss the shop across the road....... gotta motivate the wife to go visit.

This brought back so many memories with my family in the late 60's and early seventies. Thanks Donnie.

My Dad took our family to visit Cudjo's Caverns in the early sixties, we had a great time,I was probably about 10 years old. Thanks Donnie for bringing back some good memories 🙂.

Thanks for sharing this! I been over that mountain road many times and always looked forward to stopping at the store to get an ice cream or RC Cola. However, I never went into the cave. Not so much a cave fan. This brings back some wonderful memories!

This video is a blessing. My dad and grandparents live in Harrogate. My dad met my mom with us kids before going back to California, at Cudjos Cave in the late 60's. My dad bought me a beautiful abalone ring there. I will never forget. Sure wish it was still there. RIP mom and dad 😥❤️ I miss you more than words can say! This video is like a soothing ointment on my heart bringing back such a fond memory.

That mountain took 3 of my cousins life but miss it the cave an the rd thanks for sharing this

Donnie, you are the memory man.....thanks for all you do....we enjoy all your videos....i grew up in Cumberland Ky.....during a much better time...the 1950's....I've been in the cave many times....

I didn’t know it had so many names but it will always be Cudjos’

I remember the tour guide saying we had to rub “the old man’s head,” a rock that looked like a bald head, to get out alive. I didn’t. It scared me. My mom made sure I got out alive . Whew! I think I was about four! That would have been in 1961.

I love listening to your voice…your accent is so comforting. My ancestors (Ogles and Ewings) settled there, in Tennessee, as pioneers. I’ve only been to the south once (upcountry of SC), but felt so at home before I knew this. The Smokeys and culture Fascinate me. Thanks for sharing!

Great job Donnie, very cool! I bet you'd like to get in there with the detector, probably some great stuff hiding in there still.

Been here many times. Thanks for the history. The history makes it. Thank you for the video.

Donnie my day was stressful and this video relaxed my mind and refreshed my spirit! Thank you so much Donnie.

It's so neat that three states come together there. you could have breakfast, lunch and dinner in three different states! Thanks for sharing, donnie.Louise

My father started working at Cudjo's Cave in the 1940s and worked there practically his entire life; he was the last owner/operator and retired in the 1990s when the national park bought the rights to the cave from LMU. So many great memories of this place, thank you so much for creating and sharing this video.

Great video Donnie...I used to ride to the cave shop with my cousin and great uncle to get cartons of camel cigarettes no filter...and prince Albert tobacco for my uncle's pipe...my cousin chewed Cumberland twist never forget that... Thanks for knocking dust off all those memories love the videos keep them coming I live just down the road in Hancock county I've always wanted to go back to the cave but assumed it was closedown.

This was awesome! I can remember all that very well....my Uncle wrecked on that road many, many years ago as did many others. My late father (passed in 2016) was Vice President of the Union & work on the new tunnel & road as well as the new Pineville flood wall. What rich history we grow up in. I'm proud to be a hollor gal from these parts! (=

I remember, as a young chap in the early 70's, my family visited that cavern. Brought back memories I haven't thought of in many years. Thank you.

My daddy from middlesboro.and my cousin Anthony hall lived there too.been to the cave many times thanks for the memories buddy.

Wow, talk about serendipity! We were just there a few weeks ago! Spent the day along a stream that comes from the cave. HEAVEN ON EARTH! Still have a bottle of the water in fridge, it feels almost sacred. Thank you so much for post!

My parents brought us here every summer for years, it was a high light to summer vacations! Greatest family memories!! Thank you for not letting history die!!

U mention Cumberland Gap,. Fun Fact; when engineers were first starting g the tunnel build way back when ,..there were problems during the construction phase due to all the caverns & caves running thru the area,.. However u cannot find any literature about the caves that connect Middlesbrough tunnel to cujos or mammoth cave systems,. If u have ever been Cumberland Gap tunnels,. Anyone with half a brain can pick up on the vibes of something being off about the area,. Personally I think it maybe a hidden in plain sight military installation,. DUMBS, “DEEP Underground Military Base System,. Everyone gots their own opinion;,,.To each their own,..

I remember it iam 51 years old enjoy the videos and the time gone bey

Fascinating. I love caves. We have visited many. Mostly in our area of the Midwest. I love hearing about the soldiers using them. Very interesting.

Thanks for you videos Donnie. These stories are part of the fabric of Appalachian people. Your videos are very tastefully and calmly presented which reflects on the temperament of the people. Thank you again and please, keep the videos coming. Best wishes!

I never got to go in but I always wanted to. I was sad when they shut down the old road.

Thank you so much Don for such a Great Story!!! Have a Very Blessed Day My Friend 😇💓

Wonderful!!!! Thank you from a descendant of Squire Boone. I just subscribed.

Thank you so much! I went there when I was a little girl in the early 60's. I remember Cudjo's bathtub and I remember when they turned the lights off, it was so scary!

Boy, I 'd of love to see that! Pictures are beautiful. So many things that I remember are gone. One, was the Catskill Game Farm. I went as a 4-5 yr old and took my 3 children. Now gone. Pictures and memories.

Donny, I’m on a 12 hour iv drip everyday and I want to tell you your videos make me very happy

Nice presentation. I remember passing it before the tunnel was built and regretting not having stopped there before the tunnel was built.

Personally, I love these vids with the vintage pictures. Thank you for the trip down memory lane. Like you, I passed through here literally thousands of times. I actually went in once. So glad I did. Stay safe. God bless.

Them formations from the ceiling to the floor imagine how long it took them to form. Wonder how many 1,000’s of years it took them to form one drop at a time. Good old days as bad as it hurts me to say it but them days are gone but not forgotten. Be safe sir and GOD BLESS y’all Amen 🙏

Thank you! One of my favorite stops as a kid. The other 2 being dogpatch to see the oxen and clinch mountain to see the cinnamon colored bear.

My brother took my sister and me to gap cave when I was nine it’s pretty cool place, mammoth cave I’ve been too also it’s the biggest cave in America

Donnie I suppose it's gone now but we used to eat often at The Little Tunnel Inn resturant.my dad was a druggist at Perry & Pope in Middlesboro. I really miss Middlesboro. The old ones gone forever.

I loved this! I'm from Pound Virginia and have lived in Iowa for the past 20 years. I cry for home every day.

Living in this area I know many many people who believe they should have left the old mountain road open.

Oh dear God! This is bringing back some memories! We used to get carbide rocks at that little store in the beginning of the video! And rock candy!

"Gone but not forgotten"

Wish we were young again my friend. 👍 Watching your channel 👍

Love this video! I remember going through the cave. It’s absolutely gorgeous!

Grandma, born in Mountain. City Tenn. in 1916 might have visited before my mom was born.

My mammaw and pappaw moved to Detroit in '48 but the went back home every year after.. I remember well the Cumberland Gap from the 70's and early 80's.. sometime around '96 I was there with my kids, there was an old time heritage type festival in Cumberland Gap.. I took the kids up above the iron furnace to cool off in the creek.. beautiful place!

WE wood go up there and drank beer in three states at the same among other things LOL!!

You won't believe how happy I am to find this video. I traveled by there with my husband in '81. He was taking a truckload of Carroll county Va cabbage to Ky. I insisted we stop. A teenage tour guide and us! We were in the cave for a long time. We had a ball! I have always wanted to go back. Your video made that possible. Thank you and God bless.

I wonder if they found anything interesting while mapping the caves out

Just like you said Donnie, “It’s only in our memories “ .

remember the old original 25 across this mountain. also remember many times visiting Cudjo's many times when i was a kid (earyl 70's) i'm 56 now but can still remember massacre mountain. it was a bad road. been through the tunnel many times since. you should do a video about the old portion of 25 across clinch mnt, between bean station and tazewell. that was one curvy, dangerous road!

Thanks for sharing love the stories

I live in wise,Co Virginia right now y'all please keep us going with the memories,i would love to meet up with you guys and talk to you my Dad was born in Harlan Ky and my Papaw was, was,born in Ramsey,in Norton Va but my Mamaw is from Harlan by then my Papaw was, the town Drunk then got saved and became a Holiness Preacher until he passed away i grew up in Rogersville TN and Coeburn VA .Thank u guys so very much i needed this.

I've been to several big caves in the lower Appalachia. I'm ,not a spulunker. But. Caves are all over the place around here. Some small,some big,,,,

Loved the old pics! Blessings🙏🏻💖

Donnie, your videos are so well done, the interesting subject matter, excellent and relevant historical pictures, and your spot on narration. I couldn't watch anything better on tv, despite having over 200 channels, Well done Sir!

Thanks for sharing this beautiful and amazing history of the area! Love your storytelling style! Best wishes!

GOD BLESS YOU AND THANK YOU.

A very enjoyable video. Thank you, Donnie. God 🙏 bless.

Thank you for the video. I hope there is a possibility of the cave being open again to visitors. I got to go into it when i was a boy. I live in Corbin, KY and there is never any talk about the cave anymore.

I love to listen to your stories. The videos bring the stories to life and us back to the time. Also, learning about the history with the soothing voice makes a wonderful lesson. Thank you so very much for sharing the story telling of the past.

Thanks again Donnie.

Thank you for reviving my memories of the past 🖖🏻

Thank you so much for this fantastic video. We are visiting the cave this summer and really enjoyed hearing about the history of this location before the NPS took over.

There’s so much unique history in those mountains I honestly like listening to your videos! Thanks for sharing what you know to everybody!!

Donnie, really enjoyed it!! Such breathtaking beauty!!! Thanks for taking me by video and making it look like I'm going right along with you! Can't wait for your next adventure!! God bless you ❤️🙏

This is Great Donnie...Thank You Buddy 👍🏻

I am from Detroit but my heart lives in Harrogate and Middlesboro. I lived with my aunts and uncles in Harrogate during the Summers. In 1987 my uncle Steve Napier taught me how to drive when I was only 14 years old. We lived in Harrogate and he had a small shop in Middlesboro. To get me past my fear of driving he would have me drive across that mountain before the tunnel. Sometimes we would stop at the Cudjo's Cavern shop for some ice cream (before dinner). Uncle Steve was well known and loved from what I remember. Donnie, your voice and talk atyle reminds me of so many of his friends that would stop in his shop to visit. It brought me back to the very happiest days of my life. Makes me wonder if you two knew each other...

Sending these off as fast as I see to my kin in Michigan. Most of family moved there for the jobs in 1937. DON'T know why they didn't come back after they retired. GREAT Grandfather x8 or 9 was given 100 acres in 1783 for his part fighting 3 yeasrs On The Virginia Continental Line by the Commonwealth of Virginia Land-Office Military Warrant, No.1179 in what is now KENTUCKY. LOVE YOUR VIDEO'S. OOHRAH SEMPER FIDELIS

went there on my 8th grade school trip in 1979, out of Barbourville , ky G.R.Hampton

Another great video, I finally got to watch it. I have a question, I haven't been there since 1992 (I have a photo from the top of the tunnel being built), did old 25 run where the Wilderness Rd Trail runs today? Can you still see remnants of the old road? Or did they completely wipe it out?

Cudjo’s Cave, not a place/name you hear anymore. My Mom, and Pop moved to Columbus Ohio before us kids were born, in 52-53 from Tazewell Tn. I was born in 60. We stopped every year their on our way back to Tazewell. Looking down on Middlesbrough was something to look at from all the way on top of the mountain. Funny thing is I don’t remember any guardrail on the road. Mom and Dad moved back in the 90s, a brother in the 2000s. Still have Numerous Aunts, Uncles, and cousins in Tazewell and New Tazewell. Always proud to be part of East Tennessee, even when my cousins called us northerners, (Yankees) and teased us because we had an accent.

My Dad is from very near there! He lead born and lived in Norton Va. he always talked about cudjos cave

Awesome Mr Laws.. My wife's family came from West Virginia.. the Hensley's. Quiet a robust bunch 😂. Love the mountains and cave's. We're blessed with a lot of both in NE Alabama.

I never knew about this cave and the story & history behind it. Thank you for sharing this Mr Laws! Such beautiful country and breathtaking views! I couldn’t help but chuckle when I saw those cars & trucks! Now those vehicles were made to last & last! I just absolutely love your channel and all the stories of times gone by. I love stepping back into the past with you as my tour guide and story teller! Blessings always! ❤️✝️

I loved this place as a good We moved from Ohio back to Tennessee and we always went across the mountain and my Pappaw would stop at that little store and by tickets to the cave ic it was, the right time of year,I miss those days thank u for sharing this with us.

Me an my wife an my wife's pap walked all the way to the Cumberland Gap , like to have a few of them old cars in the picture must have been took in the 1960's saw a 1961 Ford Starliner and looked like maybe a 1967 Chevy . I'm sure about the the Ford but not the Chevy. used to play that song a little on the old 5 string. Like to go there some day. Thanks for this story.

Thank you, Mr. Laws, for this interesting video. We are a bit late to watch this one, but my husband and I are cave enthusiasts and we found this video particularly interesting. We've put this cave on our future visit list. Thank you for putting these out, and God bless you and yours.

This was an outstanding video. Thank you for putting this together. I’m going to visit for the first time in May 2024 and love seeing what it looked like in the past.

Donnie I live in flat lick ky about 32miles from the Cumberland gap. I was born and raised up on stinking creek I am sure you know were that is I am sixty four years old so I know this place very well. You do tell everything just like it was. Keep up the great work.

I thought the same thing about the cigarettes. TN people would drive to the store to buy them. Even with gas being 40 cents a gallon.

I was watching Leave it to Beaver on my old philco television then I watched The Bowery Boys while drinking ice-cold bottle of dr. Pepper then I switched over to my modern 65 inch TV and watched your videos on RU-vid

Visited Cudjos Cave many times ………Wives tale said if you sail your Hat into the cave it would come back out………Never tried it………

I just got back from a trip to the Gap my Grandmother Hazel Chappell and my great-grandmother Sydney Dacus were born and raised there! what I would like to know is when did the souvenir shop close down was it open and was it there the entire time until 25E shut down because of the tunnel or did it close long before that occurred? So many memories of coming down this mountain and passing the cudjo's cave it was great to hike up there to both of those entrances to the cave! I hadn't been to Gap in over 20 years ❤

Beautiful Country, plan on going there sometime soon. Love the History Lesson that went with the video. Your an awesome historian Mr. Laws. Thanks for posting this.

I grew up in Claiborne County, TN. Cudjo’s Cave was so fun!

Being from Barbourville Ky, I have been to the cave many of time. The tunnel sure made the trip to Tazewell a lot shorter, but it destroyed the trip. Many of bad wrecks on the mountain.

Raking leaves as weather permits. Slow to come down this year. Taking breaks to watch one or 2 of your videos, then back at it. Tks. Stay united.

My favorite place in the world to visit. So calm there and beautiful.

Great memories. Dad took us there in the early 70s. I was about 10. So did they rip up the asphalt? Looks like the road is gone! Wonder if you could hike it and find any trace of it.