LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A former tour guide celebrated his family’s connections with Mammoth Cave National Park at the Roots 101 Museum on Monday.
“As a tour guide, I’m able to walk through the footsteps of my ancestors, which Is four generations behind me,” Jerry Bransford said.
He is the fifth generation of his family to serve as a guide at Mammoth Cave, dating back to before it was even a national park.
He shared those stories with a captive audience in the downtown museum.
Bransford said his ancestors once escorted influential people through the caves as slaves.
“Some of the story of my family is quite sad, but it’s a true American story,” he said. “Before the last of my family, before the last generation passed away, I promised some old folks that if I became a tour guide at the cave, I would tell their stories.”
A monument honoring the Bransford family members who worked at the cave was unveiled at the national park in 2022.
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