Sinkhole Hill
Written by Justin Lamb

Almost everyone in Marshall County has heard of Sinkhole Hill and the mysterious landmark has had people guessing for hundreds of years. Located three miles south of Benton and surrounded by poplar, gum, and oak trees, Sinkhole Hill has been a popular place for site-seers, but its origin has remained a mystery. Some have claimed it is the crater of an ancient volcano while others have linked it to an earthquake, a meteorite, or an ancient glacier. One legend has it that the Chickasaw Indians dug the hole for a cave to hid valuables.

The lore of Sinkhole Hill became well-known in the 1880s throughout western Kentucky and Marshall County leaders used the oddity as a tourist attraction for those passing through the county. According to the History of Marshall County published in 1984, there were other lime “sinks” in the county besides Sinkhole Hill, one southwest of the junction of the two forks of Bear Creek, and second one north of there.

The depth of Sinkhole Hill has been a mystery as well. According to Marshall County legend, the hole is bottomless as many site-seers have said a bottom couldn’t be found when they tied a weight to a ball of string searching. The hole is filled with clear water, but the water neither lowers nor rises no matter how much rain falls.

It isn’t spring fed and the water freezes in the wintertime. Fish and other freshwater creatures live in the hole as well. The hole has shrunk with the passing of time and only measures around 30 yards across compared to 150 yards as reported in 1896 by the Mayfield Messenger. Sinkhole Hill has been keeping Marshall County residents guessing for generations, and most likely, it will continue doing so for many years to come.