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Tinker's Cave

One of the sections of Wayne National Forest steeped in local history and lore is Tinker’s Cave, a rockshelter between ridges. Its story goes like this:
In the mid-1800s, Shep Tinker was a horse thief, hooligan, and cattle rustler. He secreted stolen livestock in the region’s caves until he could move them to northern Ohio to sell. He was always up to some shenanigans. One time, Tinker was riding through the country on a Sunday morning. As he passed a church one morning, he was mistaken for the circuit-riding preacher who traveled from church to church to deliver sermons to remote parishioners in small communities with no ministers. He was given a warm welcome, brought into the church, preached, and was on his way soon after without anyone knowing the better!

Once, he stole a black horse belonging to a local doctor. Upon seeing Tinker sneak off with his horse, the doctor took off after the thief and nearly caught up. Realizing he would be overtaken, Tinker bound the horse’s muzzle with a white cloth and turned the horse around until he was heading toward the doctor. In the darkness, the man called out to Tinker and asked if he had seen a rider with a black horse. Tinker said, “Yes, I did! He went thataway!” He pointed the poor physician in the direction he had come. The doctor took off again after his horse, not realizing until later that the horse thief had tricked him!
Shepherd Tinker disappeared after the Civil War. Locals always said that Shep stole horses from the wrong farmer and ended up on the short end of a noose right in the cave where he hid most of his stolen animals and the large rock shelter that bears his name, Tinker’s Cave. Nowadays, some say Tinker and his stolen horses haunt it as you can hear voices and soft horse whinnies inside!

Parking/Trailhead: For parking, watch for the small gravel pull-of on Burton Hill
Road. Hikers take the rugged trail on the same side as the pull-off.
down the hillside to the cave.
Wayne National Forest
12318 Burton Hill Road
New Straitsville, Ohio 43766
39.545483, -82.226367