Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
“Saltpeter Cave, in Carter Caves State Resort Park near Olive Hill, Kentucky. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.”
Wikipedia article Saltpeter Cave, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 3 National Register listings published here for Carter County · listed in 2001 · category: Site.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 148 fires within 5 miles of Saltpeter Cave between 1997 and 2020, burning about 3,169 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 34 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 54 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 38 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 34 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 17 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 September 2007 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 13 September 2007 | Debris and open burning | 4.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 18 August 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 9.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | FORT FALLS |
| 7 July 2012 | Natural | 25 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | CARTER CAV |
| 11 June 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 9 April 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 5.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | BAKER CEMETERY FIRE |
| 9 April 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 16 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | WEST CARTER HIGH |
| 9 April 2012 | Debris and open burning | 25 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | GREGORY HO |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Saltpeter Cave: 5 producers, 2 past producers. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Clay, Stone, Crushed/Broken. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Olive Hill Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| V Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Fultz Mine | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Gesling Open Pit Mine | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Messer Mine | Clay | Producer | ||
| Wesley Corn Mine | Clay | Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Olive Hill, the town this property stands in, in 30 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 12 thunderstorm wind, 10 hail, 4 flash flood, 4 flood. The reports record 1 death and 1 injury. 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 1996 | Flash Flood | Olive Hill | 1 killed, $75,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olive Hill | 1 hurt, $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Flash Flood | Olive Hill | $285,000 | Three to 5.5 inches of rain fell in about 3 hours in a west to east band, mainly on the north side of Interstate 64. A gauge at Carter Caves measured 3.11 inches in just an hour. Rain totals included 5.35 inches at Carter Caves, 4.27 inches at Olive Hill and 3.78 inches at Grayson.||Several small streams and their feeder runs flooded. Near the Lewis County border, Jordon Fork and McGlone Fork saw the most severe flooding. Other flooded basins included Smith Creek, Brushy Creek, Long Fork, and Smoky Creek. Sections of roads and culverts were washed out or damaged. There were about 10 to 15 homes flooded or affected. Two homes were washed downstream and destroyed. One was a mobile home, with 2 adults and dogs inside. They were rescued. The other was an unoccupied house. In addition, another 10 to 15 outbuildings were flooded. At least 2 vehicles were washed away and destroyed. |
| July 2010 | Flood | Olive Hill | $50,000 | After a night of flash flooding, the larger streams and the Little Sandy River were still flooding across roads and fields. The crest at Grayson on the Little Sandy River was near 25 feet during the late afternoon on the 21st. Flood stage is 21 feet. Damage was minor compared to the earlier flash flooding. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olive Hill | $25,000 | Several trees were blown down, some onto power lines. One tree fell onto a house, trapping the resident inside. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olive Hill | $25,000 | Trees were blown down. |
| June 2021 | Flash Flood | Olive Hill | $15,000 | Both of the west bound lanes of Interstate 64 at Mile Marker 166 were underwater near the town of Gregoryville. In Fultz, Four Mile Road became flooded and a portion of the roadway was washed out. Acorn Lane was also under water for a brief time near Cold Springs. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olive Hill | $10,000 | Numerous trees were knocked down. Power outages occurred. |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olive Hill | $8,000 | Numerous trees were blown down around Carter Cave State Park. One large wind was broken in the lodge. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olive Hill | $5,000 | Multiple trees were knocked down in town. |
| June 2022 | Flash Flood | Olive Hill | $3,000 | Water entered into the basement of a home in the town of Olive Hill. |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olive Hill | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olive Hill | $2,000 | Several trees were blown down in the Olive Hill area. |
| March 2012 | Hail | Olive Hill | $2,000 | no account filed |
| February 2025 | Flood | Olive Hill | $1,500 | Tygarts Creek above Olive Hill rose above its bankfull level of 10 feet during the pre-dawn hours of February 6th. The creek rose to a crest of 14.5 feet during the morning, then receded below bankfull around midday. While above its banks, the lower section of Chili Street and the American Legion building off Lawton Road flooded. Agricultural fields, Bond Hollow Road, and low sections of Biggs Bridge Road next to the creek also flooded. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olive Hill | $500 | Several trees were blown down around Olive Hill. |
| February 2025 | Flood | Olive Hill | - | Route 986 was closed due to flooding just south of Olive Hill. |
| February 2024 | Flood | Olive Hill | - | The Tygarts Creek river gauge above Olive Hill exceeded a bankfull level of 10 feet on the morning of February 28th. The river crested around 11.3 feet just before noon and then returned below bankfull level early that same afternoon. Biggs Bridge Road and Bond Hollow Road both experienced flooding from Tygarts Creek. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olive Hill | - | Trees and power lines were knocked down. |
| December 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olive Hill | - | Around 4 trees were blown down and fell across roads. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Olive Hill | - | Large branches were snapped off. |
| June 1997 | Hail | Olive Hill | - | Dime size hail fell around Carter Caves State Park. |
| May 2017 | Hail | Olive Hill | - | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Hail | Olive Hill | - | no account filed |
| April 2015 | Hail | Olive Hill | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Hail | Olive Hill | - | no account filed |
| April 2009 | Hail | Olive Hill | - | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Hail | Olive Hill | - | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Hail | Olive Hill | - | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Hail | Olive Hill | - | no account filed |
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.
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.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Olive Hill C & O Depot | 6.0 miles | 1992 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 01000743 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Carter County | All 3 listed properties in this county. |
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