Cave in Rock
Hardin county Home
page
Cave in
Rock was used as a
haven for outlaws who would prey on those traveling on or along the
Ohio River.
One group being the Harpes, who were among the most notorious and most feared. Other than creating a fear in people,
they actually helped to hurry along a sense of community and bring about law and order in the settlement of the new country.
Samuel Mason was one of the more widely known of outlaws. He robbed along the roads and rivers solely for the money.
The Harpes robbed and killed because they enjoyed it. He was a soldier in the American Revolution . He was born in
Virginia around 1750. According to Draper, he may have been connected to the Mason family of Virginia, which would
connect him to George Mason. George Mason was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independance. There is no
solid proof of this though.
Samuel was a Captain in the American Revolution and had 3 other brothers. Thomas and Joseph were the more honest
and useful. They started with George Rogers Clark on his expedition to Vincennes but when Clark reached Louisville, he
scattered his men. A 3rd brother, Isaac married Catherine Harrison around 1770 and moved to Pennsylvania and became
a very wealthy and influential man of Fayette County.
More than a dozen documents signed by Mason are preserved in the Draper collection. After Mason had left the area other
outlaws came and went using the Cave as a stop off.
There was a suspicion of robbery connections to the James Ford Ferry. He was the owner of Ford's Ferry, a crossing of the
Ohio , 2 1/2 miles above the Cave. There were some written, verbal accounts but not hard found evidence of his involvements.
The suspicion began after his death because that's when most of the robberies ceased. He also was known to mingle w/both
outlaws and upright citizens. He also owned a number of good farms Old court records preserved at Smithland show that he
was a Justice of the Peace in 1815 and held office a few times He frequently served as appraiser and administrator of estates
and he encouraged improvement to the roads. So even if there was a suspicion , his past reputation suggested otherwise.
One group being the Harpes, who were among the most notorious and most feared. Other than creating a fear in people,
they actually helped to hurry along a sense of community and bring about law and order in the settlement of the new country.
Samuel Mason was one of the more widely known of outlaws. He robbed along the roads and rivers solely for the money.
The Harpes robbed and killed because they enjoyed it. He was a soldier in the American Revolution . He was born in
Virginia around 1750. According to Draper, he may have been connected to the Mason family of Virginia, which would
connect him to George Mason. George Mason was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independance. There is no
solid proof of this though.
Samuel was a Captain in the American Revolution and had 3 other brothers. Thomas and Joseph were the more honest
and useful. They started with George Rogers Clark on his expedition to Vincennes but when Clark reached Louisville, he
scattered his men. A 3rd brother, Isaac married Catherine Harrison around 1770 and moved to Pennsylvania and became
a very wealthy and influential man of Fayette County.
More than a dozen documents signed by Mason are preserved in the Draper collection. After Mason had left the area other
outlaws came and went using the Cave as a stop off.
There was a suspicion of robbery connections to the James Ford Ferry. He was the owner of Ford's Ferry, a crossing of the
Ohio , 2 1/2 miles above the Cave. There were some written, verbal accounts but not hard found evidence of his involvements.
The suspicion began after his death because that's when most of the robberies ceased. He also was known to mingle w/both
outlaws and upright citizens. He also owned a number of good farms Old court records preserved at Smithland show that he
was a Justice of the Peace in 1815 and held office a few times He frequently served as appraiser and administrator of estates
and he encouraged improvement to the roads. So even if there was a suspicion , his past reputation suggested otherwise.
Source: Cave in Rock by Otto A. Rothert,Secretary of the Filson Club, 1924