It's Your Time To Sparkle

Every family has stories to share. My husband’s has shared this story many a time, and each time it seems to get even better.

My husband’s great-uncle Ben Ballinger grew up in Tennessee and joined the Navy at 19. After returning home, a broken engagement, and considering suicide, he decided to “escape” for a while and with the owner’s permission, he decided to stay in a cave for a while.

He stayed from the mid 30’s until he passed away in the 60’s. A total of 29 years. He was not a hermit, he just felt it was a waste of money to live in town. He had a river across from the cave to catch food, he had a gun to shoot a rabbit or whatever ventured pass. He hauled water up from the river to drink and wash. When the weather was good, he would bath in the river. Each day, the cave was swept and kept clean.

My father-in-law sitting on the rock where he and Ben sat waiting for dinner to walk by. Ben usually only had one or two bullets, which meant patience and good aim were essential.

If he needed something the surroundings could not provide, he went to town and worked as a carpenter to either earn money or barter for goods.  He was not a hermit. He enjoyed being with people and built many a home in the area. Another opportunity to earn money was to provide hair cuts for the citizens in town. Of course, being the Christian man he was, he would cut hair on Sunday’s when asked, but refused to take money on the Sabbath. Eventually, the customers started lining up on Sunday, so they could get their hair cut for free. Ben was frugal, but not dumb. He quit cutting hair on Sunday all together.

Ben had a sign hanging over the entrance to the cave. Live Better For Less

The cave became a landmark, known as Ben’s Cave. He would catch a bus sometimes and visit his sisters who lived in Florida, but always went home to his cave. My father-in-law had the opportunity to visit Ben in the summers and stay awhile. Ben was adamant about being clean and expected everyone to bathe daily. Bernie remembers the walk down to the cold river on cool mornings, dreading the upcoming bath, but did as he was told.

Ben’s living in a cave caught the attention of the old TV series, I’ve Got a Secret and was asked to be on the program. He declined the offer. He also had many women wanting to marry him. He never found one that met his approval.

This small ledge was used to store the supplies, like his plates, cups, razor and soap. Stories have been told about a mouse that would come in and try to eat Ben’s soap. There is a groove in the rock where the silverware could be inserted to keep it clean. There is an opening in the back of the cave. When Bernie was little, he crawled through the opening and found a hidden lake.

Below is an excerpt from a book that mentions Ben and his cave.  The Live Better For Less sign is still in the family. I would love to hang it up in my home. However, I feel I would be doing Ben a dis-service if I hung it up before learning to live better for less.