Coal Museum

The W. G. Duncan Coal Company Museum is a wonderful place for students and visitors to come and learn about the history of coal in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.

The Coal museum located here at the Center is a draw not only to Muhlenberg Countians but to all Kentuckians as well as others who have ties with the coal industry. The museum contains a wealth of coal history in equipment, pictures, books, documents, ledgers and much more. Probably the most cherished item to the Center is a Hand Car restored by Lat Raymer in memory of his father William Raymer Sr.. The hand car was originally used by the W. G. Duncan Coal Company and is a unique item to have in coal museum at the Duncan Center.

Muhlenberg County is composed of about 400 square miles of land, all of which is underlaid with coal. Muhlenberg County earned the place of being the largest coal producer in the United States in 1964, 1969, and 1970. In the early days, coal wasn’t paid much attention in the area until David Dale Owen published a report of the Geological Survey of Kentucky in 1854. Owen reported that coals No. 12, No. 11, and No. 9 were found in twenty-five different areas in the county—most of which were along the Green River. The Green River offered a convenient location for transportation facilities. Many mining companies were established along the two lines of the Elizabethtown and Paducah and the Owensboro and Russelville Railroads upon their completion in the late 1800’s. Coal Mining in the early days was a dangerous job with very little pay, on average $3 -5 dollars a day. Over 7,000 miners have lost their lives in Kentucky mines since 1890. In 1969, Federal Mine Safety Laws were established resulting in a major decline of deaths in the field. Today on average a miner will bring home about $800 dollars a week.

Among the first commercial mines opened along the Green River in Muhlenberg County were the McLean Bank, Williams Shaft, Vanlandingham Ledge, Pain’s Mine, Kincheloe’s Bluff Bank, and Rothrock Mine. Mud River Mine, sometimes considered the oldest in the county, was located along the Mud River. William Graham Duncan, “the Coal King of Muhlenberg County”, operated one of the most successful coal mines in the county. After operating many mines in Ohio County and other areas, W. G. Duncan opened the Luzerne Mine in 1900 and the Graham-Skibo Mine in 1903. The Graham Skibo mine was the most well equipped mine in Western Kentucky in its day. Both mines were owned by the W. G. Duncan Coal Company. Mr. Duncan was an invaluable asset to the development of the Muhlenberg County coal industry.

* Information for this article was obtained from Otto A. Rothert's A History of Muhlenberg County

The W. G. Duncan Coal Museum

Muhlenberg County's Coal History