Coal Miners' Museum

The Coal Miners' Museum spans four floors with exhibits showing mining tools, safety gear, and how coal extraction worked day to day. The displays demonstrate the equipment miners used and the conditions they faced underground.

The museum opened in 1984 inside a former company store built in 1923. The building itself reflects the industrial story of Eastern Kentucky and the coal industry that shaped the region.

The collection displays photographs, personal items, and documents that reveal how mining families lived in company towns. You can see how they used their homes and how the work shaped their daily routines and relationships.

Visitors can go on the Portal 31 Underground Mine Tour, where rail cars take you through tunnels with real mining scenes and educational displays. The tour gives you a genuine sense of what working underground felt like in an organized and safe setting.

In 2017, the museum installed 80 solar panels on its roof, creating an unusual contrast with its mining heritage mission. This surprising choice shows how a place dedicated to coal history is also looking toward cleaner energy solutions.

Location: Kentucky

Inception: 1984

Website: http://vanlear.org/coalminersmuseum.html

GPS coordinates: 37.77120,-82.75840

Latest update: December 11, 2025 18:01