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The Dante Coal and Railroad Museum is home to an extensive collection of
artifacts, photographs, and audio recordings which document the history of
the town and its two primary industries from the settlement period through
today. The museum is currently open by appointment. Please call:
276-495-1903
The museum is staffed and operated entirely by volunteers; former miners and
railroaders share their stories during scheduled group tours of the museum.
Weekly musical performances which present local styles and repertoires are
planned and staffed by volunteers. The museum and the nearby
Coal Miners' Memorial are available for guided
group tours by schools, which in the past have incorporated the tour into
curriculum about the past and present state of the coal industry and energy
production in the United States.
Plans for the future include a scale model
of the downtown area and an education area where the public can access
genealogical and historical records and listen to the recorded voices of
people who were interviewed for the Dante History Project. A simulated mine
entrance will be built in the old bank vault. If you have an item to donate
or loan, please call the Museum at 276-495-1903.
The History
Built in 1919, the Dante branch of the Dickenson-Russell Bank, went "bust"
in 1931. It reopened as the Beer Garden restaurant in the 1940s, was later
turned into a teen center, and finally became the Clinchfield Coal Company
repair shop.
Dickenson-Russell Coal Company, a subsidiary of Alpha Natural Resources,
donated the former bank building. It was in rough shape when we inherited
it, but we saw possibilities! Volunteers pitched in to remove debris from
the old building in the spring and summer of 2004 and make plans for its
rebirth as a museum to showcase the pictures, stories, and artifacts of coal
mining and railroad life and work. To view photos of all the hard work that
went into the transformation, visit our photo gallery.
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Privacy Policy
Web Design, graphics and maintenance by
Michelle Potter.
Graphics, including banners and buttons, are not to be copied, or
reproduced in any manner, without written permission.
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