Visit the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum on your Kentucky Vacation

Taking a Kentucky vacation should include a visit to the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum. This part of the country is where the industrial revolution got the power to move forward, just as the coal we mine today assists in all the needs of the people for heat, lights and power. The trip to Benham on your Kentucky tourism adventure will include a visit to the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum where you will learn about the mines and the miners. The building the museum is housed in was built in 1923 after the original building burned to the ground. The original function of the building was as a company commissary.

You will be able to view a huge selection of artifacts on display on the four floors of the museum. Some the exhibits will show how the company actually owned everything from the houses that the miners lived in to the hospital they went to when they were injured or sick. They also owned the store (commissary) where the miners and their families had to buy their supplies. The miners used the company script to pay their way and in order to get silver money a miner got 85 cents in silver for every dollar in script. Life was hard for the miner and his family.

A short trip away is Portal 31 in Lynch where you will be able to walk around one of the largest coal loading facilities in the world. Along with seeing all of this you will be able to take an actual tour of a mine. You will get dressed in the clothing worn by the miners and descend into the mine. See if this is something you think you would want to do every day of your working life.