Dead Man's Hole

This cavernous 7-foot wide, 155-feet deep hole- likely caused by a buildup of natural gas pressure- was first discovered in 1821 by entomologist Ferdinand Leuders while researching night-flying insects in the Burnet County area. The scientist barely made note of the unremarkable sinkhole in his journals.

Decades later, however, the hole would become renowned for its connection to secessionist vigilante violence during the Civil War and Reconstruction Era. When the Secession Convention was held in Austin, Texas in January of 1861, Thomas Moore- Burnet County's representative- voted in favor of secession. However, this vote was overruled by Burnet County voters later that year by a margin of 248 votes to 159. This decision led many Union sympathizers moving to the South to believe Burnet County might be a safe haven for them. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Groups of men with strong Confederate beliefs banded together in Burnet County- among other places across the South- with the intent to terrorize, rob, harass, and even murder Union supporters. These groups nicknamed themselves Fire-Eaters or Bushwhackers.

The group of Fire-Eaters based around Burnet County has a particularly violent history. Throughout the 1860's and 1870's, an estimated 17 people were murdered by Fire-Eaters and then dumped into this hole discovered by Leuders years earlier. An oak tree which formerly stood near the hole was used for hangings. The tree limbs allegedly bore scars from the ropes for years. The spot became known as Dead Man's Hole during that time period and was an effective symbol of terror and menace towards Union sympathizers in the region.

Very little about Dead Man's Hole and what occurred there was documented in any way, and only five deaths have been confirmed by historians. One of these known victims was John R. Scott, the first judge of Burnet County. Although the New York-born judge had four sons serving in the Confederate Army at the time, Scott was accused anonymously of having pro-Union beliefs. After being tipped off that Fire-Eaters were on their way to kill him, Scott stuffed $2,000 around his waist and attempted to flee to Mexico. He was joined by James McMasters, another Union supporter who was being threatened. On May 16, 1863, the two men were apprehended by Fire-Eaters in Smithwick, where Scott was shot and killed. They then performed a mock trial and hanged McMasters. After stripping Scott's body of the $2,000, they dumped both Scott and McMasters into Dead Man's Hole.

Another well-recorded murder at Dead Man's Hole is that of Adolphe Hoppe- also in 1863. A German immigrant, Hoppe had voted against the secession and was a known Union sympathizer. When Fire-Eaters took a ranger with them to Hoppe to confront him about rumors that he had hosted illegal anti-Confederate meetings, Hoppe denied all allegations. Hoppe was allowed to walk free and Fire-Eaters told rangers that they would take Henry Flaugher, a pro-Union rancher who was with Hoppe at the time, to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio for trial. After the ranger left, the Fire-Eaters hanged Flaugher and chased after Hoppe, whom they shot and killed. Both bodies were thrown down Dead Man's Hole.

The last known murder connected to Dead Man's Hole occurred in September of 1871, and was actually not committed by the Fire-Eaters, but by freedmen. While riding through an area which had been settled by Black families, a barking dog startled the horse of a young white man named Benjamin McKeever. McKeever then fired several shots at the dog, angering the dog's owner, Ben Shelby- a former slave. McKeever, infuriated by being confronted by a Black man, shot at Shelby but missed. When he heard that McKeever would be riding through the area again a week later, Shelby gathered three other freedmen to take revenge. The four ambushed McKeever at night, shooting him and cutting his throat. They dumped his body in Dead Man's Hole, leaving behind a shoe. A few days later, McKeever's body was found at the bottom of the hole. In January of 1873, all four freedmen were found guilty of the murder and were executed by hanging on January 15th, making them the only men brought to justice for a crime committed at Dead Man's Hole.

Natural gas prevented full exploration of Dead Man's Hole until 1951, when two University of Texas at Austin staffers successfully made a descent to the hole's bottom. This exploration project led to the creation of the University Speleological Society at the University of Texas months later. The Society would later map the hole in its entirety in 1968.

In 1998, a historical marker was placed at the site after former Texas State Senator Walter Richter researched and wrote a history of the location for the Texas Historical Commission. Richter's grandfather, a descendant of Adolphe Hoppe, was one of the men who had gone into the hole decades prior to retrieve the bones which sat at the bottom. One year after the historical marker was placed, Ona Lou Roper, who owned the land on which Dead Man's Hole is located, donated the 6 and a half acre property to Burnet County. Today, the area is a public park and Dead Man's Hole- which has been covered for safety reasons- is accessible by a short gravel road.

Burnet Bulletin. "A Bloody Murder In Central Texas." Fredericksburg Standard (Fredericksburg) July 13th 1937. , 8-8.

Clifton, Daniel. Dead Man’s Hole is dark spot in Burnet County history, 101 Highland Lakes. October 10th 2014. Accessed October 9th 2020. https://www.101highlandlakes.com/news/dead-mans-hole-in-marble-falls.

Clifton, Daniel . Down in Dead Man's Hole, 101 Highland Lakes. October 13th 2020. Accessed December 2nd 2020. https://www.101highlandlakes.com/dead-mans-hole-marble-falls.

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