Blue Heron, Kentucky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Blue Heron, Kentucky
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Coal town
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 Blue Heron, Kentucky
Location in Kentucky
Blue Heron, Kentucky
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | McCreary |
| Founded | 1937 |
| Elevation | 1,030 ft (314 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 510799 |
Blue Heron, also known as Mine 18, was once a town where people mined coal. It is located by the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River in McCreary County, Kentucky. Today, it is a special place where visitors can learn about its history. It is part of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
Contents
What Was Blue Heron?
Blue Heron was a "company town." This means the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company owned most of it. The company opened coal mines here in 1937. People worked in these mines until December 1962. The mines closed because they were not making enough money.
Life in a Company Town
In a company town like Blue Heron, the company owned the houses, the store, and even the school. Workers often got paid in "scrip," which could only be used at the company store. This system meant that the company had a lot of control over the lives of its workers and their families.
The Mines and Their Closure
The mines at Blue Heron were underground mines. Miners dug deep into the earth to find coal. This was hard and often dangerous work. When the mines closed in 1962, the town was abandoned. Its buildings slowly fell apart or were taken away.
Blue Heron Today: A Living Museum
In the 1980s, Blue Heron was brought back to life as an outdoor museum. Some of the old buildings were rebuilt. They look like metal outlines, called "ghost structures." These ghost structures show where the original buildings stood.
Exploring the Ghost Structures
You can see a railroad depot (train station), a model of the coal tipple (where coal was loaded), a school, and homes. Inside these ghost buildings, photos and audio stories share what life was like in this faraway mining town. It helps visitors imagine what it was like to live and work there many years ago.
Related Places to Explore
- Barthell, Kentucky: Another company town built by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company in Kentucky.
- McCreary County Museum: This museum was once the main office for the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company.
- Stearns, Kentucky: This was the main town for the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company.
Images for kids
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The depot (right), company store (left)
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Entrance to Mine 18
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Mine 18 display
