Fun Memories & Shenanigans

Our Memories of THE CAVE

The Cold War

" ... when the cold war was on we had bomb drills where they would have PTA moms come up to the school and park we were assigned to different cars and the Mom's were to drive us out of town and away from the bomb. My mother instructed my brother if it was a real bomb to run and pick me up ignore all the adults and run to the cave. She felt it was the best bomb shelter around. She also felt that the Moms would never make it out of town in time. She was probably right. - Winifred Reser Bishop


Rescued, and wondering what the fuss was all about ...

31 January 1967 ... when the group of girls Martha Barker [and 3 friends] went down in the cave and got trapped; I was supposed to go also but chickened out. About 7pm that night Mrs. Barker called our house asking my Mom and later me if Martha was there or did I know where she might be. I remember distinctly telling her "Oh, they were going down in the cave."  Mrs Barker very calmly thanked me for my information and I hung up the phone. The next morning the front page was them being rescued. My Mom and Mrs. Barker never made a big deal about it. I guess it was a good thing I chickened out. Ha!  I cannot remember ....  it was just getting dark outside when Mrs. Barker called.       It would have been a morning addition of the paper so maybe the Express. I am not sure if the Light was a morning or afternoon paper. It was just "the cave" to us. ...... I do think there were 4 girls. - Winifred Reser Bishop


Feb 1, 1967, The Light - front page photo of cave rescue of 4 Alamo Heights girls.  click for large image


Taylor Sealy and Company - recollections by Robin Harris

Regarding the actual sinkhole cave on cave lane… I understood there were attempts back when we were kids to fill it, but some kids(un-named herewith) kept sneaking in and digging access to the cave entrance.  You should reach out to Taylor Sealy about going thru the cave, he was an ring leader in the story below!

When we were kids, Taylor and some other kids and I all sneaked through the fence at the lot where the sink hole was located (I recall it seemed to be an entire lot but the hole was  15-20 feet deep!).  The access to the cave was a small horizontal “crack” on one side of the sinkhole that might have been ten inches high if that!  I recall one kid was just too big to fit in the crack and stayed behind.  The access was  so small in height and went for what seemed 6-10 feet into the tunnel I had to almost completely exhale in order to squeeze through to get to the large tunnel inside; pulling with my fingers and pushing with only my toes!  I recall map codes scribbled on the walls of side tunnels (circles, dead ends, etc.).  How we did not get absolutely lost in there is beyond me! 

We were in there with others hiking for several hours as I recall (seemed forever, with no end to the numerous tunnels) and finally upon exiting (another almost panic attack experience, we had the AH fire/police waiting for us outside the access as the hole was too small for them to attempt to get in and find us!  We all thought we were going to jail!  I don’t recall the outcome except a vague memory of being grounded for a small eternity.

There were conspiracies that the tunnels went all the way to the Alamo and also some saying it went to the old TMI (remember that school?)!  I also recall someone saying when they had just built the first HEB there at new braunfels/Nacogdoches triangle they hit the cave when drilling piers ( possibly doing site work and hit another sinkhole; not sure that really happened as there was no reason for them to drill piers for that type of construction but we were kids, what did we know?!).

I tell you to contact Taylor because as I recall he had been in that cave a number of times before I joined the gang... and Taylor could tell some stories! :-)

If you make contact with Taylor, ask him if he remembers us collecting tarantulas  for “pets” on a lot over in the cave lane area (?) !  A story for another time. - Robin Harris


what are your MEMORIES of the CAVE?    send to Toni


The oldest known photo from Robber Baron
found on a hand colored postcard postmarked April 5, 1921