Miners Museum starts ‘brick’ fundraiser for second-floor addition
The museum “aims to raise funds through the sale of personalized bricks that will be used to construct a commemorative pathway at the museum,” according to a flyer explaining the campaign.
Located in a former bank building next to City Hall in downtown Rocky Top, the museum is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of coal mining in the Coal Creek area, with emphasis on the industry’s impact on the region, and the tragedies that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of miners.
Volunteer curator Lisa Pebley said most of the money raised by the brick campaign will go toward finishing the second floor of the museum, which will concentrate on the coal industry from the 1940s until its end in the early 2000s.
The main floor, which has been open several years, chronicles the industry’s impact from its beginning in the 1800s when Henry Howard Wiley brought Welsh miners in to start mining in the area, through the war years in the 1940s, Pebley said.
The former bank vault on the main floor holds exhibits telling the story of the Fraterville mine explosion on May 19, 1902, which resulted in the deaths of 216 miners.
“We have already installed the elevator needed to meet ADA requirements [for the second floor},” she said. “We will open the second-floor exhibits when we get enough money to finish it.”
Bricks will be printed with information each donor provides, and cost $100, $200, or $300 each, depending on the size (four by eight inches, or eight by eight inches) and the amount of text the donor chooses.
The most expensive ones -- $300 – will be able to have custom logos on them, according to the campaign flyer.
“By participating in this project, individuals and organizations have the opportunity to contribute to the museum’s financial sustainability while leaving a lasting legacy in honor of a coal miner, a community member and/or a business partner,” the flyer reads.
“By selling personalized bricks, the museum aims to engage the local community, former coal miners, their families, and individuals passionate about preserving the history of coal mining.
“The funds raised will be used for museum infrastructure, exhibits, educational programs, and maintaining the museum’s collection,” it says.
No addresses, phone numbers or websites will be allowed on the bricks, and any messages proposed for the bricks must be approved by the museum.
