Our second floor is now OPEN!

When the museum building was purchased to house the collection, the plan was always to use the second floor as well. Doing that meant meeting ADA requirements, including installing an elevator, so the board launched a capital campaign to make it happen.

The Coal Creek Miners Museum received a $75,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission for the project, and our community stepped up to help meet the grant’s match. Thanks to that generosity, the second floor opened in August 2026, doubling the museum’s exhibit space.

New on the second floor:

• A life-size mine, company store, and company house
• Videos about our local history in the Opera House
• Drone footage of historic locations throughout the valley
• Interactive coal mining quizzes
• Photographs from miners’ daily lives
• A seasonal exhibit that rotates every few months

Come see it for yourself Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Help us keep growing

If you would like to support the museum’s exhibits and upkeep, please mail donations to P.O. Box 223, Rocky Top, TN 37769, bring them by the museum at 201 South Main Street, or donate online with a credit or debit card.