Singleton describes visit to 'Cave of the Winds' near Mt. Pleasant in southwest Monroe County

George Buster Singleton

(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere in Time.” The column below, which was titled “Cave of the Winds: One of Monroe’s hidden marvels” was originally published in the June 17, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala. This story, which was accompanied by photos made by Aaron White, was actually one of two Singleton stories published in this edition of The Journal.)

Southwest as a crow flies from the Mt. Pleasant community, one will find what I call Monroe County’s “Cave of the Winds.” Waiting for thousands of years, these caves and natural bridges have offered peace and solitude for many a wanderer over the decades.

One of the most scenic spots in the county, one can only marvel at the patience of Mother Nature as she molded together, piece by piece, these caves and archways. As I stood in awe beneath the twin arches and absorbed the raw primitive beauty of my surroundings, it was reaffirmed for me, as on other occasions, that only the Creator himself could have put together such splendor.

Standing ankle deep in the cool clear stream that flows down through the caverns and crevices, I could hear the echo of falling water somewhere beyond in the layers of lime rock placed so carefully by the Master of all Builders when the world was in its infancy.

While listening to the trickling water and the sighing winds make their way through the archways and crevices, I found myself wishing that I could separate myself from the mad rush of our civilization and remain here awhile within the realm of peace and solitude that dwelt here, deep inside these cool walls of limestone.

As I explored farther into the shadows, I was amazed to find that someone before me had sought solitude of another type here among the caves and arches. Rusting and rotting away were the remains of what is commonly known as a moonshine still. The owner of the supposed “white lighting distillery” had chosen an ideal spot in which to brew his stump juice. Discontinued for one reason or another, (the) apparatus’s proprietor had moved on to another venture, leaving behind the mark of man against the background of nature’s handiwork.

Climbing out of the cool caverns into the hot sun, again to face the problems of our society, I found myself wondering why man, with all his knowledge, was trying so hard to destroy these basic things which really mattered.

(The story above was accompanied by four photos taken by Aaron White. The captions to those photos read as follows. Photo One – “Entrance to Monroe County’s ‘Cave of the Winds.’ Photo Two – “Looking through the big natural bridge, toward the entrance to the big cave.” Photo Three – “Remains of an abandoned moonshine still collect dust between the big natural bridge and the cave entrance.” Photo Four – “The small natural bridge near the mouth of the cave. It is about four feet thick.”

(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born during a late-night thunderstorm on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served as a U.S. Marine in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand, lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964 and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled “Monroe County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column appeared in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)