Few People Realize How Much Mining History Is Preserved In The Small Town Of Blue Heron, Kentucky
By Sarah McCosham|Published April 12, 2023
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
Kentucky history is on proud display all across the state. Whether you head to Rabbit Hash to visit the oldest general store in the state, wander the cobblestone streets of historic Bardstown, or learn about the state’s ties to the American Civil War at Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site, history is alive and well in Kentucky. However, no place is the past more hauntingly fascinating than Blue Heron, an old Kentucky mining hub and bonafide Bluegrass ghost town.
Kentucky is an immensely historic state that's long played a critical role in the development of America as we know it today. While the Bluegrass State was not part of the legendary Gold Rush, there was another epic event here that sent prospectors and hopeful folks flocking to Kentucky: the mining boom. Though precious metals are most associated with the mining boom, coal was an equally profitable treasure hiding underground — and Kentucky had it, in spades.
You can get a dose of this unexplored history in Blue Heron, Kentucky, an abandoned mining community along the Big South Fork River that's teeming with history.
Big South Fork is an area where the imagination can easily run wild. Encompassing 125,000 acres of the Cumberland Plateau, it's a place of deep beauty -- and deep mystery.
Blue Heron, also known as Mine 18, is an abandoned coal mining town and was a part of the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company's historic operation. The Blue Heron mines ran from 1937 until 1962, when operations ceased being profitable. While the Stearns Company was busy changing the landscape and selling the earth by the pound, the seclusion of this place undoubtedly colored the lives of the people who called this place home.
Today, this mining ghost town is run by the National Park Service, and they offer guided tours along it abandoned railroad. The mine features historically accurate replicas of those originally found on-site. There is an audio tour here that takes visitors through an aural adventure of the Blue Heron's mining camp, making this ghost town a popular day trip destination for history buffs.
Once upon a time, this railroad was a sign of hope and prosperity; a golden carrot offering the promise of a better, richer life. And the mines were literally the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Hundreds of people lived and worked in this little community on the banks of the Big South Fork River in Kentucky. Theirs is the story of Blue Heron, and it's one you ought to hear.
