Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine

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Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine at Beckley, W.Va.

Historically known as the Sprague-Phillips Mine, the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, a national historic landmark at New River Park, in Beckley, West Virginia, is the only preserved example of the many coal mines that dotted mining districts throughout West Virginia. The mine was opened about 1889 and began producing coal in 1906. It closed in 1953 after the seam in Raleigh County was largely mined out, and the surface property was sold to the City of Beckley for use as a park.

Beckley officials decided to reopen the mine as a tourist attraction, which soon became one of the chief historical attractions in West Virginia. Since 1962, mine cars have carried passengers through mine tunnels and past exhibits that demonstrate early mining methods in the region.

The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine appears as a landmark in the Fallout 76 video game.

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