Learn about the Caves of Fall Creek Falls March 9

The Caves of Fall Creek Falls will be discussed by Larry E. Matthews, geologist and cave explorer, on Thursday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the Bledsoe County Library. In a program, jointly sponsored by the library and the Bledsoe County Historical Society, Matthews will discuss the greater Fall Creek Falls area which has the largest number of caves of any public land in Tennessee. The roughly 15 miles wide by 16 miles long area covered by his book Caves of Fall Creek Falls contains 1,184 known caves, 12 of which are over a mile long.

He will also share tales of secrecy and mistrust as rival groups of cavers sought to hide their discoveries in this stunning wilderness area from others. Matthews was raised in Nashville and attended Vanderbilt University where he received a BA and MS in Geology. He worked as a geologist for the Tennessee Division of Environment and Conservation until retiring in 2012. He is the author of several books including Big Bone Cave, Caves of Chattanooga, Caves of Grassy Cove and Cumberland Caverns.