A stone monument was erected in 1842 to commemorate William Hewitt, a hermit who lived for 14 years in a cave just south of the crest of what is now known as Divide Hill, located nine miles south of Chillicothe on US 23. Hewitt died in 1834 at the age of 70, but only after becoming a local legend.
The Columbus and Portsmouth turnpike (now U.S. Route 23) was built past the mouth of Hewitt's cave in 1840, and in 1842 the turnpike company erected the monument on the shelving rock forming the roof of the cave. When the cave was destroyed by highway development, the monument was relocated to the intersection of US 23 and state route 372. It has since been again relocated to a spot beside the log church at the Scioto Trail State Park campground at Caldwell Lake.
The cave was located approximately 1,000 feet (300 meters) south of the intersection of US 23 and state route 372 in the space now used by the northbound lanes of US 23. It was destroyed in the early 1950's when the highway width was increased to four lanes.