It may be known as the world's longest cave, but there is so much more to learn and explore than its underground passages.

This Black History Month, we highlight the work of African-Americans whose efforts led to the guided tours offered today at Mammoth Cave National Park.

Nick and Matt.

Matt to my great great grandfather, their borrowed from Nashville, Tennessee in 1838.

Jerry Branford's enslaved ancestors were among the first in modern times to rediscover and explore Man Cave.

And these slave boys were taught the tricks of the trade, and they seem to have done quite well.

They learned how to explore God.

These guys got really famous, and if anybody was going to, man, okay, I want I want Steven to be my guide.

I want Matt or Nick or Alfred.

Upon his retirement in 2004, Bransford chose to continue his family's legacy, becoming a Cade guide himself.

Sharing stories of historical importance.

You know, I read about some of the history, but there are some things I could never have known about until I came and walk in the footsteps.

And I can't imagine the get up and go that you had to have to want to go that far in rugged, uncleared cave.

With slavery legal thing in 1864.

Yes, it was.

It was slaves who did much of the difficult work of traversing uncharted territory, an underground maze of tunnels and passages.

But down under the earth, in that cave, they were magical guides.

And they were free escorting kings and queens to the cave.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, General George Custer.

The work brought the men much pride.

And even after Jerry's great, great Uncle Nick was able to buy his freedom papers.

Returning to Nashville, Tennessee, he would choose to come back to Mammoth Caves.

A year later.

He realizes that just because you have a paper that says you're free doesn't mean people treat you any different.

Oh, folks, he said.

If I'm to be a slave, I'd rather be a slave in a place where people recognize me as a god.

He created this hotel.

This is over on Flint Ridge.

And my great uncle, Madison Bradford, had a hotel and a summer resort right down there was as nice and think as he's ever seen.

I've got pictures to outfitters and so right was a right in 1924, which was a lot of money.

When the federal government decided to make Mammoth Cave a national park.

They declared eminent domain.

My grandfather received about $30 an acre for a 17 acre farm and he was given 16 months to be out of it.

Not only did they lose their homeland, but they were expelled as tour guides.

But I do wonder how would it have been to grow up in a cave working there 30 years?

Tour guide and people from all over the world and all at once.

You no longer qualified to do a job you've done all your life.

When Jerry discovered the Bransford Cemetery where many of his relatives are buried.

We took the hike through Brambles and thistles and finally got down here.

This cemetery was grown up.

You know, it made me feel a little overwhelmed and sad.

So I had it in my heart that I was going to clean this cemetery up.

And that's what he did.

With the help of volunteers and coworkers and received approval for a monument to commemorate the resting place.

History.

History.

But this memorial to me, sets the tone of the recreation of the Brantford cemetery.

It is his hope that the cemetery will serve as a reminder of the black history that laid the foundation for the national park.

It sits upon.

Keep the story alive.

That's what's most important to me, that so much was taken from them on their land, in some cases, their children, their job.

I can't go back and get anything, but I can speak on their behalf.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Laura Rogers.