I just finished the day at my customer's here in West Virginia when I discovered that this state has an old coal mine which you can tour. I was incredibly surprised, but I figured it was worth checking out. The mine is located in Beckley, WV. Adult admission is $20 and includes a tour of the underground mine (by rail), as well as a chance to view buildings from an old coal community which have been shipped to the site. There is a church, one-room school house, shanty, miner's house, outhouse, and a number of other buildings. The entire display is meant to recreate an old coal-town. Even the gift shop looks like a company store.

I had previously been inside a coal mine when I was in Wales, but this was a bit different. West Virginians take a lot of pride in their history and their culture, and mining is a big part of that. These mining communities were located all over the state and are a big part of West Virginia heritage, so the locals feel that these displays are incredibly important.

Our tour guide's name was Marvin. Marvin was an actual coal miner for 24 years before he left the profession 3 years ago to answer questions for tourists. Unlike the tour in Wales, I didn't have to walk this time. Marvin drives a little train you can ride on. The engine runs off of two 96 VDC batteries in series which get recharged every evening. (cool stuff) This particular mine was in operation from 1890 until 1910. The exhibit includes more modern tools that were used during the 1930's, 40's and even the 60's, but none of these were ever used in this mine. According to Marvin, even the train was pulled by a donkey instead of a motor.

One of the best parts of the tour was actually seeing a real vein of coal. It was clearly distinguised from the rock surrounding it. In all honesty, the work required to extract this stuff is absolutely fascinating. The goal of the exhibit is to force you to see the viewpoint of the people who worked in these communities and it succeeds beautifully. The shanty in the above photo on the right is for an unmarried worker. It is only one room and includes a table, bed, and a cook stove. That's it. I can't imagine living such a Spartan lifestyle.

For anyone who is interested, the exhibit is in Beckley, WV and there are many hotels/campgrounds nearby. The Greenbriar resort is also located about an hour due East by car. You can tour the entire mine and various buildings in about an hour and it will be time well spent.