Ducktown Basin Museum facts for kids
 |
|
| Established | 1978 |
|---|---|
| Location | 212 Burra Burra Street Ducktown, Tennessee, United States |
| Type | History museum, heritage center |
| Owner | Ducktown Basin Museum |
The Ducktown Basin Museum is a history museum and heritage center in Ducktown, Tennessee. It tells the story of copper mining in the Copper Basin. This area is a special part of Polk County, Tennessee. The museum is right next to the Burra Burra Mine. This mine was the most active and important mine in the whole Copper Basin.
History of Copper Mining
The Copper Basin, also known as the Ducktown Basin, is an area in Polk County, Tennessee. It has huge amounts of copper ore and other minerals. People mined copper here for a long time, from 1847 until 1987.
Around the mid-1950s, copper mining started to slow down. In 1978, some local people wanted to save the history of mining in the area. So, they started the museum. At first, the museum was on Main Street in Ducktown. In 1982, it moved to where it is now. The Burra Burra Mine next door was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) the next year. This means it is a very important historical site.
What You Can See
The museum is located in a building that used to be the main office for the Tennessee Copper Company. This company ran many of the mines in the area. The museum and the Burra Burra Mine together are called the Ducktown Basin Museum & Burra Burra Mine State Historic Site.
The Tennessee Historical Commission owns this important site. It includes 10 buildings spread out over 17 acres of land. You can explore these buildings and learn about the history of copper mining.
Images for kids
-
Mining machine parts and tools scattered about the Burra Burra Mine site
