BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) – A Beckley museum is recognized by USA Today for being one of the top ten history museums in the country.
The Exhibition Coal Mine was ranked 8th this year by the newspaper’s readers.
Dorsel Turner has been operating the trolley at the mine for the last several years. A former miner, he takes pride in being able to offer outsiders a look in.
“My favorite part is talking to the people. I couldn’t describe it. It’s just very enjoyable.”
Touring a mine just about anywhere else is nearly impossible without extensive training. But the Exhibition Coal Mine affords people that opportunity. It was once a real mine operated by the New River Company and donated to the City of Beckley in 1962.
“People come in here, they don’t know about energy policies and where it comes from. They just know coal and gas have gotten a bad name because they’re fossil fuels. But they don’t know about the depth and breadth of what they do,” explained Leslie Gray Baker, Beckley’s Dir. of Parks and Recreation.
Baker said the mine gives people a glimpse of the work that went into building the United States, from the role of coal in developing steel to the country’s biggest sky scrapers.
“Once they leave here, they leave with the knowledge they didn’t have before and they’re really astounded sometimes.”
While some people leave with a greater understanding, she said others leave with a renewed sense of pride.
“Even our local people, when they get it told to them again, they leave with a sense of pride because everybody here knows somebody who had something to do with the coal industry.”
The Exhibition Coal Mine is open every day, including Sunday, from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
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