Kentucky Coal Museum facts for kids
 |
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | May 1994 |
|---|---|
| Location | 231 Main Street, Benham, Kentucky 40807 |
| Type | Heritage center |
| Visitors | 30,000 (approx.) |
|
Benham Company Store
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
| Built | 1923 |
|---|---|
| Part of | Benham Historic District |
| NRHP reference No. | 83002785 |
| Added to NRHP | July 21, 1983 |
The Kentucky Coal Museum is a special place in Benham, Kentucky. It is a heritage center, which means it focuses on history and culture. This museum teaches visitors all about the history of the coal industry. You can learn about the lives of coal miners in Eastern Kentucky. It also shows how coal mining shaped towns like Benham and Lynch. The museum is located in an old building that used to be a store for miners. This store was built in 1923 by a company called International Harvester. The museum opened its doors in May 1994.
Contents
The Museum Building
The building where the museum is located is quite old. It was built in the 1920s by International Harvester. This building has four floors filled with interesting exhibits. These exhibits show the history of mining and what life was like for coal miners. The building is also part of the Benham Historic District. This district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it is an important historical site.
Solar Power at the Museum
In April 2017, the Kentucky Coal Museum became more eco-friendly. They added 80 solar panels to their building. These panels help the museum save money on electricity. They cut about $8,000 off the yearly electricity bill! The Southeastern Kentucky Community and Technical College owns the museum. They paid for the installation of these solar panels. Now, the solar panels can create up to 60 kilowatts of power.
What You Can Learn
The museum helps people understand the lives of coal miners. It teaches about the challenges they faced. Miners often worked in dangerous underground mines. The museum helps visitors learn about these tough conditions. About 6,000 people visit the museum every year to learn these important lessons.
Fun Exhibits and Tours
Visitors to the museum can explore many different exhibits. There are displays on all four floors. You can see a "Mock Mine," which is like a pretend mine. You can also learn about the daily life of a coal miner and their family.
Popular Displays
Some of the cool exhibits include:
- A community art mural showing Benham
- Old mining tools
- Displays about Native Americans and early settlers
- Exhibits about coal camps, which were towns built for miners
- Information about coal camp schools
- How coal camps were multicultural places
- Displays on mine safety
- The Loretta Lynn Exhibit, about the famous singer whose father was a coal miner
The museum has more than 30 exhibits in total. They use old tools, antiques, photographs, and machinery to tell the stories.
The Portal 31 Underground Mine Tour
One of the most popular activities is the Portal 31 Underground Mine Tour. On this tour, you get to ride a rail car. It takes you through a real coal mine! Inside the mine, you will hear sounds and see animated exhibits. It feels like you are really there.
Other Activities
Outside the museum, you can take your picture with a huge two-ton block of coal. You can also learn how coal was formed. The museum has visuals and fossil displays to help you understand this process.
See also
- Coal Miners' Museum
- David A. Zegeer Coal-Railroad Museum
