Barthell, Kentucky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barthell, Kentucky
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Coal town
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 Barthell, Kentucky
Location in Kentucky
Barthell, Kentucky
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | McCreary |
| Established | 1902 |
| Elevation | 1,106 ft (337 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 510422 |
| Website | barthellcoalcamp.com |
Barthell is a place in McCreary County, Kentucky, in the United States. It used to be a coal town, which means it was built around a coal mine. Barthell was started in 1902. It was the very first of 18 mining towns created by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company.
Today, Barthell is an open-air museum. This means you can visit and see what life was like in a coal town long ago. The museum is open from April until Thanksgiving.
Contents
The Story of Barthell
How Barthell Began
In the late 1800s, a man named L.E. Bryant bought a lot of land near the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. He started looking for coal there. In 1901, Bryant convinced a rich lumber businessman, Justus S. Stearns, to invest in the coal in this area.
By 1902, the town of Barthell was officially created. Work quickly began at Mine No. 1, digging for coal. The first train full of coal left Barthell in 1903. This happened after the Kentucky and Tennessee Railroad was finished, connecting Barthell to Stearns. A few years later, in 1905 and 1906, another mine called Mine No. 2 opened, making Barthell even busier.
Busy Times in the Coal Town
Between 1923 and 1927, the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company bought all the land from L.E. Bryant. The coal business in Barthell grew a lot. Even during the Great Depression in the 1930s, when many people struggled, Barthell was doing well. In January 1930, the town produced a record amount of coal: over 100,000 tons in just one month!
When World War II started, the demand for coal increased even more. Barthell had to add a second railway line to help ship out all the coal needed for the war effort.
The End of Mining
Barthell's busy mining days began to slow down in 1943. A building called a "tipple" at Mine No. 1 caught fire and was destroyed. A tipple is where coal is sorted and loaded onto trains. After the fire, Mine No. 1 closed down.
Coal from Mine No. 2 then had to be sent to a different tipple at Mine No. 18, located in the Blue Heron Mining complex. Over time, the coal camp started to be taken apart. This process began in 1952 and was finished by 1961.
Barthell Today: A Living Museum
In 1984, the Koger family bought the old Barthell coal camp. They spent a lot of money to bring the community back to life. Many of the original buildings have been fixed up. You can now visit the old company store, the doctor's office, and the school house.
Fifteen of the former coal miners' homes have also been renovated. Visitors can even rent these homes for overnight stays. It's a great way to experience what life was like in a historic coal town.
See also
- Blue Heron, Kentucky: Another coal town built by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company.
- McCreary County Museum: This museum used to be the main office for the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company.
- Stearns, Kentucky: Another town created by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company.
