No Destination: Bell County Coal Mining Museum

Bell County Coal Mining Museum, Middlesboro, Ky.

A small outdoor museum showcase in Middlesboro displays deep coal mine equipment from the 1960s. It is not a particularly informative display, but the dust covering every surface does seem to give you a more accurate portrayal. If you’ve ever seen Harlan County, USA or read King Coal by Upton Sinclair, you have discovered some of the horrors of coal mining. This display spoke to me of that story and not (its intended story) of the jobs and investment that the coal companies have brought to the people of Appalachia.