The only natural entrance to Mammoth Cave was used more than 2,000 years ago by Indians for shelter, for burials, and as an avenue to farther reaches of the cave. According to legend, this entrance was discovered in 1799 by a man named Houchins while pursuing a wounded bear. The grave of John D. Houchin, born Feb 17, 1788, and died April 27, 1873, the man who discovered Mammoth Cave, is located in the old Brownsville Cemetery at the east end of Green Street behind the Patton Funeral Home.