We were on one of the many trails at Mammoth Cave…when what did we happen to see…at the end of this particular path…the Old Guides Cemetery.
If you look closely you can see it there…buried in the corner…on the right
the tombstone of Stephen Bishop…in the sunshine shining bright.
In 1853 a 17 year old Stephen Bishop began exploring the caves…it was hazardous work…without electric lighting…around every unknown corner…trouble and danger lurked.
Mr. Bishop was a self-taught geologist and cartographer…it was because of him people began to understand…the intricacies of the Mammoth Cave system…from the maps he drew by hand.
I imagine there was a sense of accomplishment…an inner feeling of pride…for the 19 years Mr. Bishop labored as the premier Mammoth Cave guide.
Stephen Bishop was vital in mapping out and guiding people through the caves…
Oh by the way, one thing I failed to mention…Stephen Bishop was a slave.
Yes…while he did his mapping…risking danger…drawing his maps by hand…in the entire 19 years as a guide in the caves…he was ‘owned’ by another man.
Franklin Gorin a lawyer…an enslaver who Stephen Bishop met…
when Mr. Gorin acquired him as payment for a debt.
It’s sad to think this wonderful man…who was known as the the cave’s finest guide…wasn’t ‘given’ his freedom until one year before he died.
Why does Mr. Bishop’s story need to be told…need to be taught to every daughter…every son?
Because we need know our history…we need to know the good…and bad we’ve done.
We study history not just for the Who, What, Where and When….
We study history to help us grow…so won’t make the same mistakes again!
We should study Stephen Bishop and other like him as often as we can…
because no person should ever own anther person…
no child, no woman…no man.
The Old Guides cemetery…is tiny…it doesn’t contain many graves…
It was originally intended to be solely…a cemetery for the slaves…
But on this particular morning…in the corner…on the right….
Stood Stephen Bishops tombstone…in the sunshine burning bright.
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