| WHO: |
Descendants of miners who
died or were rescued after the 1911 Cross Mountain Mine explosion and those
interested in preserving Tennessee mining history (Cross Mountain miners
--see list of miners) |
| WHAT: |
Participate in the
dedication of Cross Mountain Miners’ Circle in Briceville being listed on
the National Register of Historic Places with students from Briceville
Elementary School. Also, as a special feature,
Tony Thomas and friends will perform, singing about the Cross Mountain Mine
and the Coal Creek miners for us. |
| WHEN: |
9:00 am until noon on
Friday, 9 December 2011
(i.e. 100th Anniversary of the Cross
Mountain Mine Explosion and Rescue) |
| WHERE: |
Park at Briceville
Elementary School, 103
Slatestone Road, Briceville, TN 37710. After a memorial service at the
adjacent Briceville Church at 9:00 am, buses will transport you to Cross
Mountain Miners’ Circle Cemetery where the National Register plaque will be
installed. Buses will then transport you to the abandoned Cross Mountain
Mine portal and/or back to vehicles at Briceville School. |
| HOW: |
Reserve a seat on the bus by
contacting Carol Moore at (865) 584-0344 Ext. 102 or
clmoore@geoe.com. It’s free, provided you RSVP in advance. |
| Miners of Coal Creek and
their families rebuilt from the ashes of the
Coal Creek War (1891 to 1892) and the
Fraterville Mine explosion (1902), but disaster struck again on 9
December 1911 when the
Cross Mountain Mine exploded. Although 84 miners perished, five were
rescued by engineers and apparatus crews from the U.S. Bureau of Mines. As
one of the first successful mine rescues in the United States,
lessons-learned at Cross Mountain led to safer working conditions for miners
today. NOTE: Visit the web page of rescuer Philip Francis'
great grandson Bailey Francis to learn more about the Cross Mountain miners
and their families at
www.seventyyearsinthecoalmines.org/crossmtn.html |
Engineers and apparatus crews from the
Bureau of Mines during the
Cross Mountain Mine rescue efforts |
|
Monument at
Cross Mountain Miners'
Circle
in Briceville, Tennessee
|
Thirty-one of the 84 miners
who perished are buried in concentric circles around a monument. The
circular arrangement of headstones may be rooted in the Welsh ancestry of
early miners to the area and the stone circle monuments in their native
land. Their headstones say they are “gone but not forgotten”, claims which
are validated by listing of the site on the National Register of Historic
Places. For questions and to
reserve a seat on the bus, please contact Carol Moore at (865) 584-0344 Ext.
102 or
clmoore@geoe.com.
TOUR TAKES PLACE RAIN OR SHINE! |
|
Farewell message of miner Eugene Ault
carved on his headstone
SEARCH FOR DESCENDANTS:
If you are a descendant of a
Cross
Mountain miner,
please contact us
at
clmoore@geoe.com
or
865-584-0344 Ext. 102
|
Plaque to be mounted at
Cross Mountain Miners Circle |
|
Directions to Briceville School from Knoxville:
 | Take I-75 to exit 128 Lake City |
| From Exit 128 ramp, turn right on Norris Freeway |
| Go to first traffic light and turn left on Highway 25W |
| See traffic light past Lake City Library and Community Center.
(ShopRite grocery store is on right at light) Turn right onto Hwy 116 at
light. Briceville is 3.5 miles down Hwy 116. You will come out at
intersection right in front of school |
|
|
For details and to RSVP, contact Carol Moore at (865)
584-0344 Ext. 102 or
clmoore@geoe.com. Information on the history of Coal Creek, and
the sites to be visited on the tour, can be found at
www.coalcreekaml.com. |
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