Kelley (Texas)
New member
This is another interesting story that I have always enjoyed reading because many years ago we looked for this haunted hole, but did not find it. It is located about fifteen miles from Debbie's Aunt Lahoma's home. A cousin of mine had seen the hole, but would not take us to see it. He said that the hair stood up on the back of his head and the place reeked of death...it was best to avoid the area. Kelley (Texas) 
Dead Man's Hole
by Mike Cox
In 1999, land owner Ona Lou Roper deeded Burnet County 6.5 acres around the hole for use as a park. A year earlier, a state historical market had been put up at the site.
The expression "he just dropped out of sight" had both figurative and literal meaning in Burnet County during and after the Civil War.
Common belief held that folks who disappeared in that area often ended up at the bottom of a 150-plus-deep foot limestone fissure south of Marble Falls aptly named "Dead Man's Hole." Local lore has it that the bodies of as many as 17 men were tossed down the hole. Some hapless souls may have been thrown in while they were still alive, but legend is silent on that point.
The first person of European descent to the see the hole up close had better luck than many subsequent visitors -- he lived to tell the tale. Ferdinand Lueders, a German naturalist, noted his discovery of the feature in 1821 while passing through the area looking for unusual inspects. Nearly a quarter of a century would go by before settlers began building cabins in the area and rediscovered the hole.
During the Civil War, Central Texas proved a dangerous place for those who didn't cotton to secession. Unionists, as they came to be called, found themselves on the open season list. Some of them, according to once-whispered stories, ended up at the bottom of Dead Man's Hole.
Despite the claim that the hole proved to be the final destination of as many as 17 men, local historians have come up with only five names, and two of those are speculative.
The best-known Dead Man's Hole disappearee is Benjamin McKeever. Described as a "dashing
Dead Man's Hole
by Mike Cox
In 1999, land owner Ona Lou Roper deeded Burnet County 6.5 acres around the hole for use as a park. A year earlier, a state historical market had been put up at the site.
The expression "he just dropped out of sight" had both figurative and literal meaning in Burnet County during and after the Civil War.
Common belief held that folks who disappeared in that area often ended up at the bottom of a 150-plus-deep foot limestone fissure south of Marble Falls aptly named "Dead Man's Hole." Local lore has it that the bodies of as many as 17 men were tossed down the hole. Some hapless souls may have been thrown in while they were still alive, but legend is silent on that point.
The first person of European descent to the see the hole up close had better luck than many subsequent visitors -- he lived to tell the tale. Ferdinand Lueders, a German naturalist, noted his discovery of the feature in 1821 while passing through the area looking for unusual inspects. Nearly a quarter of a century would go by before settlers began building cabins in the area and rediscovered the hole.
During the Civil War, Central Texas proved a dangerous place for those who didn't cotton to secession. Unionists, as they came to be called, found themselves on the open season list. Some of them, according to once-whispered stories, ended up at the bottom of Dead Man's Hole.
Despite the claim that the hole proved to be the final destination of as many as 17 men, local historians have come up with only five names, and two of those are speculative.
The best-known Dead Man's Hole disappearee is Benjamin McKeever. Described as a "dashing
