We would like to thank: The David A Zegeer Coal-Railroad Museum and Eileen Williams Sanders… Without your help none of our work on the History of Jenkins would have been possible. And to Debbie Tuggle for letting us use the brochure she designed for the museum.
Situated just off US 23 on the KY VA border is the picturesque little town of Jenkins Ky
The town is unique for quite a few reasons; the largest of which is that in the spring of 1910 it did not exist… and yet within 15 years the Consolidation Coal Company would build a thriving modern city of 10,000 people.
The David a Zegeer Coal-Railroad Museum invites you to come and discover the history of this small eastern Kentucky town that in 1913, inspired a journalist with the Ashland Daily Independent to write: “Jenkins, a modern city in the Mountains and the Newly Found Capitol of an Inland Empire whose lakefront and clubhouse looks more like a resort than a mining camp.”
Located in downtown Jenkins The Museum is housed in a restored 1921 train depot and houses a fine collection of photographs, artifacts and script from the coal camp era, which Includes over 40 years of memorabilia collected by David A Zegeer, former manager of the Beth Elkhorn Corporation and assistant secretary of labor for the mine safety and health administration.
The museum is a perfect place to learn about the history of not only Jenkins but also the rest of Letcher County, During the Jenkins Homecoming festival in August which kicks off a series of festivals throughout the county that runs well into September culminating with the Mountain Heritage Festival in the county seat of Whitesburg Kentucky.
Like their page on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/DAZEEGER
The museum is open Tuesday – Saturday from 11-5 and from 1-5 on Sunday and is closed on Mondays.
For more information contact the Museum at (606) 832-4676
Or Write: David A Zegeer Coal-Railroad Museum
Po box 4 Jenkins, kentucky 41537
Photos & Brochure: Courtesy Eileen Williams Sanders and the David A Zegeer Coal and Railroad Museum.
Brochure © M.M. Debbie Tuggle Production used with permission.
Growing up I was taught to learn something new every day. Trying to live up to this axiom, I became a prolific and avid reader covering a wide range of topics and subjects. Although my personal studies have always been rather eclectic and included computer science, electricity, and electronics just to name a few. My favorite fields of study have always been Religion, Politics, and Economics, but my lifelong passion is the study of History and Anthropology.
I have also always been a bit of a dreamer and in the possession of a roving foot. As such my life has led me down paths not often traveled. My career has been long and varied and has included some strange ways to make a living, all legal by the way. But at last, all my passions and dreams have come together.
I have married the woman of my dreams. Together we have a wonderful home and we are both professional historians and spend our days in study.
