Monroe County Marble Superdome
The Monroe County Marble SuperDome isn’t like any SuperDome or sports complex you’ve ever seen. To say it’s nothing fancy is an understatement; it’s more of a barn than an arena. One thing is certain, though - it’s magical. Just a stone’s throw from the breathtaking Cumberland River, at the end of Armory Drive in the town of Tompkinsville, sits the wooden, barn-like structure that locals call “The Marble Dome”. The structure is home of the Monroe County Marble Club, whose members gather there regularly to play. When you step inside you see a wood burning stove, a menagerie of chairs, a pile of red clay dirt, cedar shavings and a yard for playing “Rolley-Hole”. (You know, it’s a basketball court, a football field and a marble yard!). People have been playing marbles in Monroe County since before the first settlers followed Daniel Boone through the Cumberland Gap. They played with marbles fashioned out of rock. Available daylight hours and weather conditions determined when they could play. While they still play with marbles made from flint, the Marble Dome, built in 1988, allows play to continue well after dark and through any type of weather. The building has served as the home yard for State, National and World Champion marble players. While you could play a game of “Keepers” or “Outs” there, the local favorite is Rolley-Hole. Other yards have been included in the building from time to time as other games were tried but the Rolley-Hole yard has been a standard since day one! Stop in to see if there’s a game going on whenever you’re in the area! You never know when you’ll catch a game. Don’t worry if you’d like to join the fun and don’t have a marble… someone will loan you one! If you’re interested in owning your own, just ask. Someone is liable to pull one out of their pocket they would be happy to sell – but be prepared - it will cost you! Turning a rock into a marble isn’t easy… most of them start at about $20.00. Flint marbles come in a variety of sizes. Some are as big as a jawbreaker, but the ones for playing Rolley-Hole must be one of two regulation sizes; child or adult. Colors vary but are almost always earth tones. To see in person demonstrations of marble-making attend the annual Knap-in & Artifact Show at Old Mulkey Meetinghouse State Historic Site held in May.