I brought a school group here while on a mission trip to Redbird Mission. Interesting exhibits, made much more interesting with a very knowledgeable tour guide. The demonstration mine was excellent, but be sure to include a visit to Portal 31.
This museum in Benham, Kentucky was set up neat. The museum is worth the visit. It tells about the way people lived and worked. Be sure to visit the Portal 31 Mine and do the tour.
A great staff makes a great museum. The very patient and very knowledgeable folks here are top notich.
Learn about the history of coal!! Do you enjoy your electricity? Thank a KY Coal Miner!! This historical site will give you a wealth of knowledge and an appreciation of coal mining history.
This museum summarizes well the coal mining process and the life of the coal miners. It showcases models of coal seams and layers of the mountain where coal is obtained from. It also depicts the life of miners, there households , daily life, work and how they had to watch out for their safety in the mines, actually safety observation was probably the most looked after qualification for a miner. There is a section of the museum on the popular musician, the coal miner’s daughter, Loretta Lynn. In the basement of the museum is a sample mining tunnel.
The hard working town of Benham, KY display their history in a great collection of coal mining tools and other interesting items. There are 4 floors with items from the early years of Kentucky Coal Mining. This is a great lesson in history. I have a much better understanding of the coal mining industry.
Interesting as my father, husband and brother worked in the mines. The lower level has a simulated mine, very interesting.
I did not expect the scale of museum that we found once there. We had intentions to visit portal 31, but it was closed. Since you pass right by the museum, we felt it worth the stop and I will say its was worth the time. It could easily be several hours taking in the displays, experiencing the simulated mine in the basement, or looking at the recreation or Lorretta Lynn's homeplace.
An impressive collection of the items from the coal mining era capable of taking you through the times is exhibited at the Hyden Coal Museum. There are traditional museum stands with items and their descriptions lined up under the glass; there are models of the coal mining and transportation process, of the mountains and the old wooden houses. There are also different rooms of the miners' houses and from their everyday lives recreated, like bedrooms, dining rooms, different shops and more scenes that immerse you into the time period.
I found the photos and the many notebooks of letters very informative. My grandfather was a miner in Harlan (Yancy) in the early part of the 20th century, so this made his hard work come alive for me.