Wonder Cave barn

This is a fading memory for a couple of reasons. First, the paint has worn off so much that you very easily could miss the sign. You might look at the photo and still not see it. Second, The tourist attraction advertised here went out of business about 20 years ago.



You'll have a tough time determining what this says, but I caught a glimpse of the word Wonder, did a U-turn in the street and went back to take another look. On rock city barns, a popular slogan is "World's 8th Wonder" and maybe that's why I even saw the word Wonder.

This is instead an old ad for Wonder Cave, which was at the base of the drive up Monteagle in Grundy County on Highway US 41 in a small town called Pelham. This metal barn is approx. 6 miles north of that. The cave was discovered in 1897 by a trio of Vandy students. It was used by moonshiners for a while. In 1900, it opened as a tourist destination when visitor boarded a flat bottom boat, which lasted until 1917. A few years later, an inn, which is now a bed and breakfast opened. With the opening of the interstate diverting traffic off highway 41, the cave has closed and opened to visitors several times.

If you are so inclined to try and find it on your own, see it on a map HERE.
Lat & Lon: 35.35894 N / 85.938374 W