The Miners Hall Museum in Franklin, Kansas stands as a testament to the resilience, heritage, and heart of a community shaped by coal mining and immigrant strength.
Located directly along the historic Jefferson Highway, Franklin was a quiet village of 217 families when, on May 4, 2003, a catastrophic F4 tornado devastated the area. One-third of the homes were destroyed, and the loss of the U.S. Post Office and Community Center—lifelines of daily life—left a deep impact. The tragedy also took one precious life, Josephine Maghe. In response, the community united to rebuild. The Franklin Community Council, Inc. (FCCI) was formed to secure funding and coordinate efforts. With the help of dedicated volunteers and the generous pro bono support of local attorney Kevin Mitchelson, a new community center and the Miners Hall Museum were born—restoring not just buildings, but a sense of home.’
ON BIG BLEND RADIO: Phyllis Bitner, Chair of the Miners Hall Museum Foundation, gives an overview of what you can experience at Miners Hall Museum and shares powerful insights into the region’s coal mining legacy, rich immigrant history, Jefferson Highway history, the iconic Amazon Army March, and creation of the soon to be Dragline Park. Watch here in the YouTube player or download the episode on Podbean.
Since opening in 2012 with the Smithsonian’s The Way We Worked exhibit, the Miners Hall Museum has continued to celebrate the labor, culture, and stories of Southeast Kansas. The museum is dedicated to preserving the region’s coal mining history and the diverse immigrant families who shaped it. Exhibits explore every facet of life—from early settlement and mining techniques to union activism, home life, education, and the legacy of the famed Amazon Army March of 1921, which began on museum grounds.
The museum offers rotating quarterly exhibits and monthly programs that attract visitors from across the country and around the world. The outdoor Coal Camp exhibit features a historic mining house, murals, mining equipment including an Insley dragline, a replica train station, and everyday items from coal camp life. It is also a Tourist Center for the historic Jefferson Highway.
Miners Hall Museum also owns Franklin Community Park, located on the former school site. The park includes a walking path, playground, exercise areas, a memorial garden, and a covered pavilion. It’s a space for both quiet reflection and lively community events.
Visitors are encouraged to “Walk the Walk” on the Arma–Franklin Sidewalk, a nationally recognized historic path that stretches 1.7 miles between the two mining towns. Built in 1936, it runs alongside the scenic Frontier Military Historic Byway.
Through the remarkable donation of Wendell and Lynda Wilkinson, Miners Hall Museum has received a one-of-a-kind Page 618 Walking Dragline. This unique piece of coal mining machinery is one of the eighteen Page 618 Walking Draglines built and is the largest walking dragline preserved in the US. It will soon be displayed at Highway 69 & 47 (5 blocks south of Miners Hall Museum) on the historic Jefferson Highway. This will be a free public tourist attraction known as “Dragline Park,” which will also be home to a Butterfly Garden and a Wildflower Meadow. The Page 618 Dragline Project is partly funded by Kansas Tourism, the Patterson Family Foundation, the John U. Parolo Education Trust, the Coleman Family Foundation, and the Mitchelson Family Foundation.
Miners Hall Museum invites you to experience the spirit of Franklin and Crawford County in Southeast Kansas – where history lives, community thrives, and every visitor becomes part of the story!
Miners Hall Museum is located at 701 S. Broadway St., Franklin, KS 66735. It is open from 10am-4pm, Monday – Saturday. Admission is FREE! For more information call
(620) 347-4220 or visit https://www.minershallmuseum.com/
For more stories and podcasts featuring Miners Hall Museum, visit
– BlendRadioandTV.com
– NationalParkTraveling.com
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.