Conservation Assessment of War of 1812 Saltpeter Works, Mammoth Cave National Park

Scope of Work: Mammoth Cave contains one of the most complete and well-preserved examples of an early nineteenth century saltpeter mining operation in the United States. The saltpeter operatioi* was at its peak during.the War of 1812, but the beginning of the operation probably dates to the early 1 SOOs or late 1790s. These cultural resources are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as contributing elements to a nationally significant underground historic district and includes wooden leaching vats, wooden pipelines and pumping stations, an ox-cart trail, stacked rock walls and support structures, mining pits, piles of leached dirt, and various artifacts and historic signatures on the cave walls that can be attributed to the mining era. These resources are threatened by several agents of deterioration including but not limited to dissociation, dripping water, decay organisms, pollutants, light, and improper temperature and relative humidity. The saltpeter operation remains are in need of a comprehensive conversation assessment and preservation plan to insure that these significant cultural resources are preserved for future generations.