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Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area

MUSEUMS

Blue Heron Mining Community

Open
Open All Year

Phone
606-376-3787

Location
Blue Heron Mining Community is located 9 miles west of Stearns, Kentucky, on Hwy 742.

Exhibits
Blue Heron, or Mine 18, is an abandoned coal mining town. It was a part of the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company's past operation in what today is the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service. Most of what we know about life at Blue Heron, and the other Stearns coal towns, has been handed down by oral history. Blue Heron mine operated from 1937 until December, 1962, when it closed. During that time, hundreds of people lived and worked in the isolated community on the banks of the Big South Fork River. Their story is the focus of this interpretive tour of the Blue Heron Community.

Available Facilities
Restrooms and vending machines are on site. Food service is available during hours of operation of the Big South Fork Scenic Railway. Blue Heron Campground is located 3 miles east of Blue Heron Mining Community.


VISITOR CENTERS

Bandy Creek

Open
Open All Year 8 am - 4:00 pm

Phone
(423) 286-7275

Location
Bandy Creek Visitor Center is located 2 miles off Hwy 297. The center is approximately 15 miles west of Oneida, Tennessee and 25 miles east of Jamestown, Tennessee.

Closures
Bandy Creek Visitor Center is closed Christmas Day.

Special Programs
Summer evening programs on Saturday night from Memorial Day through September. Special events throughout the year including Pioneer Encampments, Astronomy Programs and the "Haunting in the Hills" Storytelling Festival.

Exhibits
Exhibits located in the center serve to orient visitors to the park's recreational opportunities as well as opportunities existing in neighboring counties.

Available Facilities
Eastern National maintains a bookstore in the Bandy Creek Visitor Center.


Stearns Depot Vistor Center

Open
Open From 04/01/2004 To 10/31/2004 9:15 am - 4:30 pm

Phone
(606) 376-5073

Location
Located in downtown Stearns Kentucky, 1 1/2 mile west off Hwy 27 in the Big South Fork Scenic Railway Depot.

Closures
Open only on weekends from November through March. Calling ahead is suggested.

Available Facilities
Eastern National maintains a bookstore at the Stearns Visitor Center.