We Were Honored to Share Alabama’s Story
There are some stories that simply deserve to be told.
Recently, Majestic Caverns was honored to be featured by ABC 33/40 as part of its Amazing America 250 series, highlighting remarkable places that help tell America’s story as our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary.
The television feature explored something we have the privilege of sharing every day with our guests: that long before America declared its independence, before presidents, and even before the founding of our nation, history was already being written beneath the hills of Alabama.
We are incredibly grateful to the ABC 33/40 team for taking the time to visit, experience the caverns, and help introduce viewers across Alabama to one of our state’s most extraordinary historical treasures.
Watch the Full ABC 33/40 Story here
What the Television Story Could Only Begin to Tell
A television feature only has a few minutes to tell a story that spans thousands of years.
While ABC 33/40 beautifully introduced viewers to Majestic Caverns, there are many more remarkable chapters that make this place unlike anywhere else in America.
Here are just a few.
A Story That Began Thousands of Years Before America
Long before Alabama became a state…
Long before Europeans reached this continent…
Long before the Declaration of Independence…
People were already coming to these caverns.
Archaeological discoveries have shown that Native Americans visited and used these caverns more than 2,000 years ago during the Woodland Period. Evidence uncovered inside the cave included woven baskets and Copena-style burials, revealing that this was far more than simply a place of shelter.
For many Native peoples, this was a sacred place.
Traditions passed through generations describe the caverns as Nanne Hamgeh, often translated as “Fathers Coming Out of the Hill,” reflecting the belief that this was the birthplace of their people. This remarkable heritage continues to shape the way we respectfully share the history of the caverns today.
One of America’s Earliest Documented Natural Wonders
One of the most remarkable facts about Majestic Caverns wasn’t fully explored in the television segment.
In 1796, Benjamin Hawkins, President George Washington’s General Superintendent for Indian Affairs, visited these caverns while traveling among the Creek Nation.
He later wrote to President George Washington describing the extraordinary beauty of the cave.
That report placed this cave into the official historical record during George Washington’s presidency, making it recognized as the first cave officially placed on record in the United States, a distinction that continues to make Majestic Caverns unique in American history.
For guests celebrating America 250, that connection provides a tangible link to the earliest years of our nation’s history.
Nature Is Still Writing the Story
Unlike museums where history is preserved behind glass, Majestic Caverns is still changing today.
Our cave is considered a living cave, meaning the beautiful formations continue growing one mineral-rich drop at a time.
The growth is incredibly slow.
It takes approximately 200 years for many cave formations to grow just one cubic inch.
Because of that slow process, visitors today are seeing many of the same formations in nearly the same appearance as those witnessed by Native Americans centuries ago.
It truly is one of the few places where time itself seems to move differently.
More Than Beautiful Formations
During the ABC 33/40 feature, viewers caught a glimpse of our towering stalactites, stalagmites, flowing columns, underground waterfall, and remarkable deposits of gemstone-quality cave onyx.
But these formations are only part of the experience.
Throughout the guided tour, guests also discover stories from multiple chapters of American history, including:
- Native American history dating back over 2,000 years
- Early European exploration
- George Washington’s connection through Benjamin Hawkins
- Civil War saltpeter mining used to produce gunpowder
- The Prohibition-era “Bloody Bucket” speakeasy
- More than a century of stewardship by the Mathis family
Few places in America bring together so many different periods of history within a single guided experience.
More Than 100 Years of Family Stewardship
One story not included in the television feature is the story of the family who has cared for these caverns for generations.
In 1912, Alabama businesswoman and agricultural pioneer Ida Elizabeth Brandon Mathis purchased the property with hopes of mining its onyx. When those plans proved impractical, she chose something far more lasting.
She kept the property in her family.
Today, more than a century later, Majestic Caverns remains family owned and operated by her descendants, continuing her vision of preserving this extraordinary place for future generations.
As we often say, we don’t believe we own this place.
We believe we have the privilege of stewarding it.
Celebrating America 250 Underground
As America celebrates its 250th birthday, there may be no more fitting place to reflect on our nation’s story than beneath the hills of Alabama.
During our guided cave tours, guests learn about thousands of years of history while walking through one of America’s most historically significant cave systems.
Following the tour, visitors experience our special America 250 Laser Light Show, celebrating freedom, faith, courage, and the enduring story of our nation in a setting unlike anywhere else.
It is one more way we are honoring the generations who came before us while inviting new generations to discover the stories still waiting beneath the surface.
Come Experience the Story for Yourself
History is different when you don’t simply read about it.
You walk through it.
You stand where generations stood before you.
You hear the waterfall echo through ancient passageways.
You look at living formations that have been growing for thousands of years.
And you realize that some of America’s earliest stories weren’t written in famous cities or on battlefields.
Some were written beneath our feet.
We would love to welcome you to Majestic Caverns and help you experience those stories for yourself.
Plan your visit today and discover why Majestic Caverns is proudly known as America’s Most Historic Caverns.
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