‘Setting the stage’ - Floyd Hammitt helped develop Bridal Cave and Stark Caverns as popular tour destination

Floyd Hammitt was a native of Illinois and moved to Colorado after marrying Fernelle Ford in 1914. During World War I, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served with the Signal Corps. For several years, he worked engineering jobs in Colorado and Kansas before moving to Camden County, where he became involved with the development of Bridal Cave as a tourist attraction. He is pictured in front of Stark Caverns south of Eldon, another show cave he helped develop and where he later served as the manager for 11 years. Courtesy of Stark Caverns

The northern region of the Ozark Plateau in Missouri is defined by unique geological features and stunning landscapes. Many areas in this region have subterranean networks of caves and caverns that have helped earn Missouri the designation as the “Cave State.” Throughout the years, business-minded individuals such as Floyd Hammitt have found ways to share such natural beauty by helping establish show caves like Bridal Cave and Stark Caverns.

Floyd Hammitt, a native of Baylis, Illinois, was born on April 30, 1894, and raised an only child. He attended the local school in his community and, following his graduation from high school, enrolled in college. He went on to complete his education at Illinois State Normal University, entering the professional field as a civil engineer.

“In 1914, he was married to Fernelle Ford, also of Baylis, and they were the parents of three boys and one girl,” reported The Miller County Autogram on June 12, 1952.”

Seeking opportunities to use his education, Hammitt moved his family to Colorado and, for a while, engaged in farming. However, his agricultural pursuits were suspended during World War I since he had to register for the military draft. Like many in his age group, he was drafted into service during the war, serving with the Signal Corps.

In the years following his discharge, he worked in the engineering field and specialized in sewage systems and subdivision development while living in Colorado. He also worked as a city and county engineer in addition to applying his skills in another fashion.

“During this time, he made the original survey and design for what is claimed to be the ‘Highest Bridge in the World’ across the Royal Gorge,” explained an article in the Iberia Sentinel on June 19, 1952.

Records indicate Hammitt was employed as a federal land bank appraiser and eventually moved to Kansas, where he spent time as a civil engineer for Beech Aircraft. Later, he went to work for Boeing while living in the vicinity of Wichita, Kansas, during the Second World War. Then, around 1947, he relocated his family to Camden County, Missouri.

 “Bridal Cave Sold to Company of Four” was the bold headline appearing in the Lake Sun Leader on April 23, 1948. The article further noted, “Bridal Cave, owned by the Sunder Estate, has been sold to a company of four men, F.L. Hammitt, R.L. Wilkerson, Jim Banner and B.F. Krehbiel….”

Several weeks later, Hammitt’s father, who was living with him and his wife, passed away. Shortly thereafter, in October 1948, Bridal Cave opened at the Lake of Ozarks, and Hammitt and his Bridal Cave partners soon chose to invest in another cave property.

On February 24, 1950, the Lake Sun Leader reported, “According to information from the office of the Bridal Cave Organization, they are now opening a new cave near Eldon, Missouri, which will be known as the Stark Caverns. The new cave is about three and a half miles south of Eldon.”

Stark Caverns opened to the public on May 12, 1950, as a partnership between Hammitt, Banner and Wilkerson. Hammitt and his family moved to the property, and he soon bought out his partners, becoming sole owner and manager of the tourist attraction. Additionally, Hammitt used part of the property as a livestock farm.

But all the progress and subsequent celebrations were tempered when his son, Harmon Jack Hammitt, died unexpectedly on August 31, 1950. The 34-year-old was the co-pilot on a Trans World Airlines commercial aircraft that crashed in Egypt on August 31, 1950, killing all 55 aboard.

Yet life went on as Floyd Hammitt continued to immerse himself in projects to remain busy. To add to his already extensive list of experiences, in 1952 he chose to run as a Republican candidate for state representative in Miller County. He lost in the primaries but continued to commit his efforts to the management of Stark Caverns. He reached the point in early 1961, after turning 66 years old, when he decided it was time to move on to other pursuits.

“Stark Caverns, tourist attraction and widely known landmark off Hwy. 54 four miles south of Eldon, has been sold by the F.L. Hammitts to the Harvey Frys of Eldon,” share the Eldon Advertiser on March 16, 1961.

Eventually, Hammitt and his wife moved to the state of California to be closer to their children, where he died at 75 years of age in January 1970. After a funeral service in San Luis Obispo, California, his body was returned to his hometown of Baylis, Illinois, where a second funeral service occurred and his remains were interred in the local cemetery.

The author Williams James wrote, “The greatest purpose of life is to live for something that will last longer than you.”

Bridal Cave and Stark Caverns have for nearly eight decades provided the public with guided tours deep into the underground Ozark countryside. The visionary insight of individuals like Hammitt made it all possible, setting the foundation to provide an exceptional historical experience for generations of visitors to come.
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Jeremy P. Ämick is author of the historical compilations “Moments on the Moreau” and “Beyond the Moreau.”       

While working as manager of Stark Caverns in 1952, Hammitt ran for state representative of Miller County but lost in the the Republican primary. He was 75 years old when he died in 1970 while living in the state of California. Courtesy of Jeremy P. Ämick