Keeping the past alive in the presence of the dead:
The Kentucky Coal Mining Museum does a remarkable job of presenting a snapshot of what life was like in the mid-20th century in the coal camps of Eastern Kentucky. Some exhibits include technical information about coal mining but most portray the culture of the families who lived in the camps. The recreations of scenes from camp houses, schools, hospitals, and more include personal items gathered from donors. The museum is housed in the original company store, adding to the historical impact of the stories it tells.
Historical Context: The Little Town That International Harvester Built
Benham was built in 1911 as a company town where coal miners worked to mine the coal that International Harvester needed in steel production. By World War I, 1,000 miners and their families were working and living in Benham. The town remained privately owned, along with all of the amenities within the town, until 1961 when the company transferred Benham to the people living there. Today, Benham is a small community of 481 residents. The Kentucky Coal Museum and the Benham Schoolhouse Inn are the community’s largest draws and a tremendous example of repurposing historic buildings for modern purposes.
Paranormal Activity: Strong Attachments
With so many personal items in the collection, it’s no surprise that some of them have strong attachments with their previous owners. Employees have experienced motion alarms going off even when the building is empty as well as objects being moved or disturbed. They have also seen apparitions of a woman and man. Visitors to the museum have encountered a young boy as well.
A Fatal Fall
Most of the paranormal activity is attributed to the personal items that are in the collection. There is one ghost whose presence is tied to the building and not the contents. Early in the existence of the company store, a woman was moving from the mezzanine level to the street level when she lost her footing and fell down the staircase. She was rushed to the hospital across the street but she was dead on arrival. Some visitors have reported a smell of vanilla near the staircase. At the time of the fatal fall, vanilla was often used by women as a perfume. Is the scent of vanilla a warning from beyond the grave to move carefully in the building?
——Evidence—–
A pair of paranormal investigators were inside the mock mine while a recorder was left outside of the mine. The tools nearby it began moving on their own, making sounds captured on the recording.
A story from a visitor who may not have been as alone as he thought he was in the mock mine.
An employee describes some of the spirits she has encountered.
A staff describes an interaction she had with a spirit that indicates the haunting may be intelligent instead of residual.
See for yourself by visiting the museum. Make time to ask the staff about their own stories.
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