Touring a Coal Mine
in Beckley, West Virginia

Ride through the dark passages of an authentic vintage coal mine delved 500-feet beneath the hillsides of Beckley's New River Park.  Passengers are carried through the mine in authentic "man cars" of  the kind that carried miners from the mine entrance to section of  mine they were "working." Exhibits throughout explore the history of  low-seam coal mining from hand-loadin' days into the era of modern  mechanization.   Our guides are veteran miners and can provide detailed  answers and firsthand accounts. Listed on the National Register of Historic  Places, the mine was opened by the Phillips family in the late 1800s,  one of many small family-owned operations of that period. It was  donated to the City of Beckley for use as an exhibition mine in 1953. (From Beckley Coal Mine website.)

w55 Coal Mine guide.jpg (60442 bytes)
We're deep in the mine, and the guide has stopped to show us some equipment used by miners.		 w59 small light.jpg (30103 bytes)
How would you like to be in pitch dark, and this dinky little thing was all you had for light?		 w60 head light.jpg (7873 bytes)
But gosh, this more modern light is EVER so much better!  Hope these guys don't get scared of the dark, or for that matter, suffer from claustrophobia!

w65 bucket.jpg (34768 bytes)
Since there's not water fountains in the mines, the miners carried their own bucket of water.  But sometimes lazy miners swiped water from the more prepared guys... the solution?  Put your false teeth in the pail so no one else would want to drink the water.		 w63 coal.jpg (56284 bytes)
In this particular mine, the seam of coal varied from 24-40 inches.  And when it's being worked, that's all the taller the ceiling is folks!  Owners don't pay to mine rock after all!		 w66 bolt.jpg (81977 bytes)
Instead of a bunch of timbers, these bolts keep the roof from falling on your head.. most of the time.

w67 tunnel.jpg (74676 bytes)
We just came out of the mine.  Looking back, the tunnel entrance doesn't look so bad... but I wouldn't want to make my living as a coal miner!		 w70 blackboard.jpg (37062 bytes)
School at a coal miners camp.		 w64 Jess dunce.jpg (19988 bytes)
SOMEbody was bad and got put in the corner with the dunce cap on. J

Home Page          Chimney Rock          New River Gorge

  Visiting Family in West Virginia