A Kentucky cave's ties to the Underground Railroad have helped save it from becoming a coal-ash dumping site -- €”at least so far. Locals have successfully campaigned to preserve the Wentworth Lime Cave, which lies on Louisville Gas and Electric Company (LG&E) property in Trimble County, citing both health concerns and its historical importance. Alicestyne Turley, an expert hired by LG&E, first documented that the cave was likely a hideout for runaway slaves. Names and initials carved on the cave’s walls, possibly dating back to 1817, match those of notable area abolitionists.

"I was 95 percent certain that the cave had been used as an escape or at least as a holding location, based on how close it was to the river and to docks where you could board a boat, based on the diaries I found and on the fact that there are no other caves like that in the region," said Turley, an African and African American studies professor at Berea College.

Sierra Club member and activist Sonia McElroy asked a friend with a plane to fly over the remote cave to keep tabs on it. This spring, state legislators unanimously passed a resolution encouraging v to find somewhere else for its coal waste. Then Kentucky'€™s Division of Waste Management denied LG&E’s permit based on a state law that protects natural organisms that live in caves. McElroy hopes to ultimately see the cave protected as a nationally historic place. "It's very difficult to find treasures like this," Turley said.