Boone’s Cave is a North Carolina State Park located in Davidson County, North Carolina, just a few miles up the Yadkin River from where my Hartley ancestors lived. Because it was close to the old home place, I have been going there since I was a child who soaked up anything to do with history. It officially became a state park in 1971 after the Davidson County Historical Society donated the land to the state.
There are trails for walking and hiking as well as a picnic area and a rose garden surrounding a statue of Daniel Boone, the famous hunter and explorer, and there is also a replica of the cabin that Squire Boone, Daniel’s father, supposedly built there and was the first Boone family residence in our state. However, the big draw for tourists is definitely the cave reached by old stone steps down at the edge of the river. While new wooden steps have been built, we older folks prefer the stones ones!
Legend has it that when the Boone family first came to North Carolina back in 1750, they spent their first year or so living in the area that is now the park and that they used the cave as a sort of dwelling. They also supposedly used the cave as a hiding place to get away from the Indians who already lived in the area. There is no historical evidence of this theory; however, Daniel Boone and his father and brothers could have roamed those woods as well as other settlers in the area.
Interestingly enough, in that same area there is a Boone’s Bottom, Boone’s Ford, and Boone’s Spring, and one of the early sections of Davidson County was called Boone. So whether it is true or just a legend, it certainly seems more than coincidental at the very least. I personally believe that it is true because all legends arise from some truth!