Franklin GorinFranklin Gorin was born on May 3rd, 1798 and died on December 8th, 1877. He was a lawyer from Glasgow, Kentucky, and saw the cave's potential as a public attraction.
He bought the cave off of Fleming Gatewood for $5,000. He began to use guides to tour the Caves. He bought Stephen Bishop, a 17-year-old slave and brought him to the Caves for being a guide. Stephen was truly a wonderful guide and was very talented. However, Gorin only owned Stephen and the Caves for 1 year. Then he had to sell Stephen and the Caves to Dr. John Croghan, due to financial difficulties. |