Kentucky Coal Museum

Heritage center in Benham, Kentucky

Kentucky Coal Museum

Location within Kentucky

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Kentucky Coal Museum (the United States)

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Established| May 1994
Location| 231 Main Street, Benham, Kentucky 40807
Coordinates| 36°57′51″N 82°57′04″W﻿ / ﻿36.964081°N 82.951130°W﻿ / 36.964081; -82.951130
Type| Heritage center
Visitors| 30,000 (approx.)[1]
Director| Johnny Coppinger
Curator| Phyllis Sizemore
Website| Kentucky Coal Museum & Portal 31

United States historic place

Benham Company Store

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. Historic district
Contributing property

Built| 1923
Part of| Benham Historic District
NRHP reference No.| 83002785[2]
Added to NRHP| July 21, 1983

The Kentucky Coal Museum is a heritage center located in Benham, Kentucky. Its focus is the history of the coal industry in Eastern Kentucky, featuring specific exhibits on the company towns of Benham and neighboring Lynch. It is housed in a former company store that was built by International Harvester in 1923. In June 1990, the Tri-City Chamber of Commerce purchased the building for the future site of the museum. After receiving additional grants from the state of Kentucky, the museum opened in May 1994.[3]

## Building[edit]

Built in the 1920s by International Harvester, the museum features four stories of exhibits on the mining history and the coal miner's life. It is a contributing building to the Benham Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

In April 2017 the Kentucky Coal Museum added 80 solar panels which cut $8,000 off its annual electricity bill. The Southeastern Kentucky Community and Technical College own the Kentucky Coal Museum and thanks to them they paid for the installation of the solar panels. The solar panels for the museum now generate 60 kilowatts of power at maximum capacity.[4]

## Education[edit]

The museum provides education on the life of coal miners and the pressures they faced while working in dangerous underground mines. The museum has over 6,000 visitors each year.[5]

In early January, recent issues have caught the attention of residents of Benham and Lynch located in Harlan County about surface mining close to these historical towns. This could damage water sources and block the view of the city which helps tourism, which in turn could affect the Kentucky Coal Museum due to a decrease in tourism investments.[6]

## Exhibits[edit]

Museum visitors have access to exhibits and displays on four floors. Some include the Mock Mine, life of a coal miner and their family, community art mural of Benham, mining tools, Native American & early settler displays, coal camp displays, coal camp schools, coal camps as multicultural places, mine safety exhibits, and the Loretta Lynn Exhibit. Artifacts, antiques, photographs, and machinery make up more than 30 exhibits in the museum.

One of the most well known tours is the Portal 31 Underground Mine Tour. This tour allows visitors to ride a rail car through a coal mine that include sounds and animated exhibits.[7] Other activities for visitors include having their picture taken outside by the two-ton block of coal and learning about the formation of coal by looking at visuals and fossil displays.

## See also[edit]

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

## References[edit]

1. ^ Alford, Roger (October 21, 2009). "Kentucky Hopes For Big Haul From Coal Mine Tourism". USA Today. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
3. ^ History of the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum Archived 2010-10-09 at the Wayback Machine benhamky.org. Retrieved on November 10, 2010
4. ^ Geuss, Megan (April 10, 2017). "To save money, Kentucky Coal Museum turns to solar panels". Ars Technica. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
5. ^ Kentucky Farm Bureau (July 7, 2010), Kentucky Farm Bureau's Bluegrass & Backroads: Kentucky Coal Museum, retrieved April 25, 2019
6. ^ By. "Why some people in these historic coal towns now want to block nearby surface mining". kentucky. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
7. ^ "Harlan County, Kentucky - Official Web Site - Kentucky Coal Museum". harlancountytrails.com. Retrieved April 25, 2019.

## External links[edit]

* Kentucky Coal Museum & Portal 31
* Portal 31
* Kingdom Come State Park

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Museums in Kentucky

Art|

* Kentucky Folk Art Center
* KMAC Museum
* Museum of the American Quilter's Society
* Speed Art Museum
* University of Kentucky Art Museum

Aviation|

* Aviation Museum of Kentucky

Biographical|

* Bill Monroe Museum
* General George Patton Museum of Leadership
* Muhammad Ali Center
* Rosemary Clooney Museum
* U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum
* Whitney Young Birthplace and Museum

History|

* Adsmore
* Ashland
* Bardstown Historical Museum
* Barthell Coal Mining Camp
* Big Sandy Heritage Center
* Blue Heron Coal Mining Camp
* Bluegrass Heritage Museum
* Civil War Museum
* Coal Miners' Museum
* David A. Zegeer Coal-Railroad Museum
* Don F. Pratt Memorial Museum
* Federal Hill
* The Filson Historical Society
* F.M. Stafford House
* Frazier History Museum
* Harland Sanders Café and Museum
* Highlands Museum and Discovery Center
* Historic Locust Grove
* Hunt–Morgan House
* Jeffersontown Historical Museum
* Kentucky Coal Museum
* Lexington History Center
* Magoffin County Pioneer Village and Museum
* Mary Todd Lincoln House
* McCreary County Museum
* Mountain Homeplace
* Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History
* Portland Museum
* Riverside, The Farnsley–Moremen Landing
* Samuel May House
* Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History
* Thomas Edison House

Rail|

* Bluegrass Railroad and Museum
* Elkhorn City Railroad Museum
* Historic Railpark and Train Museum
* Kentucky Railway Museum
* Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati

Religious|

* Creation Museum
* Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill
* Shaker Museum at South Union

Science & technology|

* East Kentucky Science Center
* Kentucky Science Center
* Kentucky River Museum
* National Corvette Museum

Sports|

* Kentucky Derby Museum
* Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory

Miscellaneous|

* Callahan Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind
* Cumberland Inn & Museum
* International Bluegrass Music Museum
* Garrard County Jail Museum
* Vent Haven Museum

Kentucky portal

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Visitor attractions of the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield

Parks|

| State|

* Buckhorn Lake
* Carr Creek
* Carter Caves
* Cumberland Falls
* Dawkins Line Rail Trail
* Dr. Thomas Walker
* Fishtrap Lake
* Grayson Lake
* Greenbo Lake
* Jenny Wiley
* Kingdom Come
* Levi Jackson Wilderness Road
* Natural Bridge
* Paintsville Lake
* Pine Mountain
* Pine Mountain Trail
* Yatesville Lake

|

Federal|

* Big South Fork
* Cumberland Gap

Interstate|

* Breaks Interstate

Red River GorgeCumberland MountainsMartins Fork LakeCumberland FallsU.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum

Museums|

* Barthell Coal Mining Camp
* Bell County Coal House & Museum
* Bell County Historical Society Museum
* Big Sandy Heritage Center
* Blue Heron Coal Mining Camp
* Bobby Davis Museum and Park
* Breathitt County Museum
* C.B. Caudill Store & History Center
* Cloverfork Museum
* Coal Miners' Museum
* Cumberland Inn Museum
* David A. Zegeer Coal-Railroad Museum
* East Kentucky Science Center
* Elkhorn City Railroad Museum
* F.M. Stafford House
* Harland Sanders Café & Museum
* Hensley Settlement
* Highlands Museum and Discovery Center
* Kentucky Coal Mining Museum
* Kentucky Folk Art Center
* Knox Historical Museum
* Magoffin County Pioneer Village and Museum
* Marie Stewart Museum & Craft Shop
* McCreary County Museum
* Morgan County History Museum
* Mountain Homeplace
* Mountain Life Museum
* Northeastern Kentucky Museum
* Samuel May House
* Swamp Valley Museum
* U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum
* Wolfe County History Museum

Forests|

* Daniel Boone
* Dewey Lake
* Jefferson
* Kentenia
* Kentucky Ridge
* Robinson
* Tygarts

Reservoirs|

* Buckhorn Lake
* Carr Creek Lake
* Cave Run Lake
* Cranks Creek Lake
* Lake Cumberland
* Dewey Lake
* Fishtrap Lake
* Grayson Lake
* Greenbo Lake
* Laurel River Lake
* Martins Fork Lake
* Paintsville Lake
* Yatesville Lake

Natural features|

* Black Mountain
* Cumberland Falls
* Cumberland Gap
* Dog Slaughter Falls
* Eagle Falls
* Middlesboro crater
* Pine Mountain
* Pound Gap
* Raven Rock
* Red River Gorge
* Tri-State Peak
* Yahoo Arch
* Yahoo Falls

Miscellaneous|

* Bad Branch Falls State Nature Preserve
* Bat Cave and Cascade Caverns State Nature Preserves
* Big South Fork Scenic Railway
* Black Mountain Off-Road Adventure Area
* Cumberland Gap Tunnel
* Furnace Mountain
* Kentucky Reptile Zoo
* Mayo Mansion
* Middle Creek Battlefield
* Nada Tunnel
* Pikeville Cut-Through
* Pilot Knob State Nature Preserve
* Sheltowee Trace Trail

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