Russell Cave National Monument

Built in 1961. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

From the record

“Russell Cave National Monument is a U.S. national monument in northeastern Alabama, United States, close to the city of Bridgeport. The monument was established on May 11, 1961, when 310 acres (1.3 km2) of land were donated by the National Geographic Society to the American people.”
Wikipedia article Russell Cave National Monument, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 12 National Register listings published here for Jackson County · listed in 1966 · category: Site · built in 1961.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

Address. 8 mi. (12.8 km) W of Bridgeport via U.S. 72, CR 91 and 75, Bridgeport, 35740
When was it listed? October 1966
Category. site
Census division. Bridgeport
When was it built? 1961
National Register reference number. 66000150 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

35 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 35 fires within 5 miles of Russell Cave National Monument between 1996 and 2019, burning about 1,158 acres in total. None started naturally. 14 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Arson/incendiarism	14
Debris and open burning	12
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	5
Equipment and vehicle use	2
Recreation and ceremony	1
Misuse of fire by a minor	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
8 September 1998	Equipment and vehicle use	5.0 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
15 September 1998	Debris and open burning	15 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
12 September 1998	Arson/incendiarism	12 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
16 August 1999	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	75 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
6 July 1996	Debris and open burning	2.0 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
22 July 1998	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Russell Cave National Monument	RUCA
28 May 2019	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	2.3 acres	Tennessee Division of Forestry	BROWN TRACE #1
9 April 1997	Arson/incendiarism	2.0 acres	Tennessee Division of Forestry	not named

Every fire recorded in Jackson County

Mines and quarries near this property

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Russell Cave National Monument: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where	Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
	No 1 Mine	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer

Every working recorded in Jackson County

Storms near this property

46 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bridgeport, the town this property stands in, in 46 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 29 thunderstorm wind, 15 hail, 1 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
June 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$30,000	Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down in the city of Bridgeport and the surrounding areas. Numerous power outages were reported in the area. One tree was knocked onto a home on Dr. Lee Avenue in Bridgeport.
May 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$12,000	Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees and power lines northwest of Bridgeport.
June 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$10,000	Thunderstorm winds knocked down one foot diameter tree limbs and a few trees in Bridgeport. Power was also knocked out in the city.
April 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$10,000	Trees were reported down in Bridgeport. Time was estimated by radar.
May 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$10,000	Numerous trees and power lines were blown down around the city of Bridgeport.
April 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$10,000	Large trees were down along US 72 and CR 94.
May 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$10,000	no account filed
August 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$5,000	A detached garage of a home was destroyed, toppling metal sheeting onto a parked vehicle. Several tree branches were also snapped. Time of gust front/outflow was estimated by radar.
June 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$5,000	A tree was knocked down onto a home on CR 206.
May 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$5,000	Thunderstorm winds blew down a very large Pecan tree onto a car and home off of Gunter Avenue in Bridgeport. Some significant damage occurred on the front of the house from the fallen tree. Damage to the nearby car appeared to be minor.
November 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$5,000	A power pole was blown down onto a car and a few trees were blown down due to thunderstorm winds.
May 1998	Hail	Bridgeport	$5,000	no account filed
February 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$4,000	Thunderstorm winds along and just behind a gust front knocked down a large oak tree and a power pole at 8th Street at Broadway in Bridgeport. A street sign was damaged as well. Power was interrupted for about thirty minutes. Time estimated.
February 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$2,000	Power lines were knocked down on County Road 74 near County Road 206 west of Bridgeport.
May 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$2,000	Thunderstorm winds blew down a tree in the Battery Hill Historic district on Jacobs Avenue.
May 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$2,000	Thunderstorm winds blew down a tree onto Jacobs Avenue in Bridgeport.
July 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$2,000	Power lines were blown down near Bridgeport.
August 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$2,000	Trees and power lines were blown down in the Bridgeport area. A few reports were also received of small hail.
March 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$2,000	A large tree was reported across Highway 72E south of the North Jackson Hospital in Bridgeport.
May 1998	Hail	Bridgeport	$2,000	no account filed
June 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$1,000	Power lines were knocked down on Highway 277.
July 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$1,000	A large tree was downed and uprooted by strong thunderstorm winds near Widows Creek.
June 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$500	A tree was knocked down onto a house on CR 255.
July 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$500	A tree was knocked down across AL Highway 277 off of U.S. Highway 72. Time estimed by radar.
June 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	$100	A tree was blocking the road at CR 206.
September 2024	Heavy Rain	Bridgeport	-	Public report of 24 hours rainfall from Remnants of Helene.
March 2017	Hail	Bridgeport	-	Quarter sized hail was reported.
March 2017	Hail	Bridgeport	-	Penny sized hail was reported.
March 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	-	Shingles were blown off of a roof.
November 2016	Hail	Bridgeport	-	Quarter sized hail was reported.
March 2013	Hail	Bridgeport	-	Nickel sized hail was reported.
May 2009	Flash Flood	Bridgeport	-	Strong to severe thunderstorms caused two to three feet of water to accumulate over Broadway Avenue between 8th and 9th Street. Other streets that were impacted included: Bleeker Street, Aldhouse Avenue, and Moore Avenue.
April 2006	Hail	Bridgeport	-	Quarter size hail was reported.
April 2005	Hail	Bridgeport	-	Quarter size hail was reported.
July 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	-	A few trees and power lines were blown down.
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	-	Thunderstorm winds knocked down several trees and power lines blocking County Roads 74 and 206 near Bridgeport.
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	-	Thunderstorm winds knocked several trees down across County Road 332 and Highway 71 near Bryant.
April 2003	Hail	Bridgeport	-	Nickel size hail reported.
May 2003	Hail	Bridgeport	-	penny size hail reported.
June 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	-	a few trees down.
June 2003	Hail	Bridgeport	-	nickel hail reported.
June 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Bridgeport	-	several trees and power lines down.
June 2001	Hail	Bridgeport	-	Dime size hail was reported in Bridgeport..
April 1998	Hail	Bridgeport	-	Marble to dime size hail was reported in Bridgeport.
March 1998	Hail	Bridgeport	-	Dime size hail was reported in Bridgeport by the police.
March 1998	Hail	Bridgeport	-	Dime size hail was reported in Bridgeport.

Every storm recorded in Jackson County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

5 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Bridgeport Historic District	6.3 miles	2002
Gen. William Rosecrans Headquarters	7.1 miles	1978
Stevenson Historic District	7.5 miles	1978
Stevenson Railroad Depot and Hotel	7.5 miles	1976
Fort Harker	7.9 miles	1977

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 66000150 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Jackson County	All 12 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.