Kentucky Coal Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kentucky Coal Museum

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Established	May 1994
Location	231 Main Street, Benham, Kentucky 40807
Type	Heritage center
Visitors	30,000 (approx.)

The Kentucky Coal Museum is a special place called a heritage center. It is located in Benham, Kentucky. This museum teaches visitors all about the history of coal mining in Eastern Kentucky.

You can see exhibits that show what life was like in "company towns" such as Benham and Lynch. A company town was a place where a mining company owned most of the homes and stores. The museum building itself used to be a company store. It was built by a company called International Harvester in 1923. In June 1990, a local business group bought the building. With help from the state of Kentucky, the museum officially opened its doors in May 1994.

About the Museum Building

The museum building was constructed in the 1920s by International Harvester. It has four floors filled with exhibits. These exhibits show the history of coal mining and what life was like for coal miners. The building is an important part of the Benham Historic District. This district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it is a special historical site.

In April 2017, the Kentucky Coal Museum added 80 solar panels to its roof. These panels helped the museum save about $8,000 on its electricity bill each year! The Southeastern Kentucky Community and Technical College owns the museum. They paid for the installation of these solar panels. The solar panels can now create up to 60 kilowatts of power.

Learning at the Museum

The museum helps people understand the lives of coal miners. It shows the challenges they faced working in dangerous underground mines. More than 6,000 people visit the museum every year to learn about this important history.

Recently, some people in Benham and Lynch have been concerned about surface mining happening near their historic towns. Surface mining is when coal is dug up from the ground's surface. This activity could affect local water sources. It might also block the beautiful views of the city. These views are important for tourism, which helps the Kentucky Coal Museum. Less tourism could mean fewer visitors and less money for the museum.

What You Can See: Museum Exhibits

Visitors to the museum can explore many exhibits and displays across four floors. Here are some of the cool things you can see:

• The Mock Mine: This exhibit lets you experience what a mine might have been like.
• Life of a Coal Miner and Their Family: Learn about daily life for miners and their families.
• Community Art Mural of Benham: See a large artwork showing the town's history.
• Mining Tools: Discover the tools miners used for their work.
• Native American & Early Settler Displays: Learn about the first people in the area.
• Coal Camp Displays: See how coal camps, or company towns, were set up.
• Coal Camp Schools: Find out about schools in these mining communities.
• Coal Camps as Multicultural Places: Learn how people from many different backgrounds lived and worked together.
• Mine Safety Exhibits: Understand how mine safety has changed over time.
• The Loretta Lynn Exhibit: This exhibit is about the famous country music singer Loretta Lynn, whose father was a coal miner.

The museum has more than 30 exhibits. They include old tools, photographs, and machinery.

One of the most popular activities is the Portal 31 Underground Mine Tour. On this tour, you get to ride a rail car through a real coal mine! The tour includes sounds and animated exhibits that make it feel very real. Other fun activities for visitors include taking a picture outside next to a two-ton block of coal. You can also learn how coal was formed by looking at visuals and fossil displays.

See also

• Coal Miners' Museum
• David A. Zegeer Coal-Railroad Museum