ABOUT ROCK HOUSE STATE PARK

Rock House is one of Ohio’s most popular natural history attractions and is unique to the area because it’s the only true cave in Hocking Hills State Park. The cave is named for its close resemblance of a house, and has been used as such for centuries. It sits halfway up a 150 foot Black Hand sandstone cliff and is approximately 25 feet high, 200 feet long, and 20-30 feet wide. Visitors to Rock House will notice 7 window-like openings that allow sunlight to travel into the cave, along with several large sandstone columns that support the cave’s roof.

State Parks

The History

Rock House has long been a local attraction, dating well before the establishment of Hocking Hills State Park. A number of dated carvings exist in the cave, confirming this long-standing popularity. Archeological evidence suggests that various groups of people have used the cave as shelter.

Native Americans inhabited the cave and constructed small ovens in the rock walls and dug water troughs in the cave’s floor. During the 1800s, robbers, bandits, and bootleggers hid in the cave, leading many local residents to refer to it as “Robber’s Roost”. In 1835, Logan, Ohio businessman F.F. Rempel built a 16-room hotel near Rock House attempting to capitalize on the popularity of the cave.