How many abandoned mines are in DeKalb County, Alabama?

Abandoned mine inventory

Abandoned mines in DeKalb County, Alabama

DeKalb County, Alabama has 106 mine and prospect features on USGS topographic maps published 1936–1984. OSMRE's abandoned mine land inventory lists 54 problems in the county, 26 of them not yet reclaimed. MSHA's register carries 74 mines in the county with status Abandoned or Abandoned and Sealed.

Every mine and prospect feature the USGS digitized from historical topographic maps covering DeKalb County, every OSMRE abandoned mine land problem in the county, and every MSHA-registered mine here with status Abandoned. Named features are listed below; unnamed ones are counted by type. Locations are deliberately not shown: this page says what abandoned workings are in the county, not where to find them. They are dangerous and should not be entered.

Mapped mine features (USGS): 106
Mine openings: 0
OSMRE problems unreclaimed: 26
MSHA mines marked abandoned: 74

0 features carry a name0 prospect pits15 quadrangle maps, published 1936–1984 54 OSMRE problems, 28 reclaimed 1 MSHA mines abandoned and sealed

What the features are

Mine openings

shafts, adits, air shafts, portals and vertical openings: the ways into underground workings

2 1.2%
Mines and surface workings

labelled mines, open pits, strip mines, placer and hydraulic workings

89 55.6%
Quarries, gravel and borrow pits

construction-material and industrial-mineral extraction

17 10.6%
Dumps, tailings, spoil and gob

what mining left above ground

13 8.1%
Other reclamation problems

highwalls, subsidence, polluted or clogged water, fires, slides and gases in OSMRE's inventory

39 24.4%

OSMRE abandoned mine land problems54 on inventory

Problem area	Problem	Program	Status
Adamsburg	P1 Dangerous Highwalls	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Adamsburg	P2 Dangerous Highwalls	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Adamsburg	P2 Industrial/Residential Waste	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	In Reclamation
Adamsburg	P3 Industrial/Residential Waste	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	In Reclamation
Adamsburg	P3 Spoil Area	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Dogtown Road	P1 Polluted Water: Agricultural & Industrial	Coal Interim Site Funding	Reclamation Completed
Hammond Gap	P2 Dangerous Highwalls	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Hammond Gap	P2 Hazardous Water Bodies	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Hammond Gap	P3 Spoil Area	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Hawkins Chapel	P2 Dangerous Highwalls	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	In Reclamation
Hawkins Chapel	P3 High Wall	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Pending
High Point	P3 High Wall	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P3 only)	Reclamation Pending
Lahusage West	P2 Dangerous Highwalls	Coal Interim Site Funding	Reclamation Completed
Lahusage West	P2 Hazardous Water Bodies	Coal Interim Site Funding	In Reclamation
Lahusage West	P2 Industrial/Residential Waste	Coal Interim Site Funding	In Reclamation
Lahusage West	P3 Spoil Area	Coal Interim Site Funding	Reclamation Completed
Mahan Crossroads	P1 Hazardous Water Bodies	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Pending
Mahan Crossroads	P2 Dangerous Highwalls	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Pending
Mahan Crossroads	P3 High Wall	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Pending
Mahan Crossroads	P3 Spoil Area	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Mentone	P1 Dangerous Highwalls	Federal Reclamation Program	Reclamation Completed
Mentone	P1 Polluted Water: Human Consumption	Federal Reclamation Program	Reclamation Completed
Mentone	P1 Portals	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Mentone	P2 Portals	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Mentone	P3 Other	Federal Reclamation Program	Reclamation Completed
Mentone	P3 Spoil Area	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Mentone, South	P1 Dangerous Highwalls	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Pending
Mentone, South	P3 Other	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	In Reclamation
Mentone, South	P3 Spoil Area	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	In Reclamation
Miller Creek	P3 High Wall	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P3 only)	Reclamation Pending
Miller Creek	P3 Spoil Area	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P3 only)	Reclamation Pending
Peeks Corner	P1 Dangerous Highwalls	Coal Interim Site Funding	Reclamation Pending
Peeks Corner	P2 Dangerous Highwalls	Coal Interim Site Funding	Reclamation Pending
Pumpkin Center	P1 Dangerous Highwalls	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Pumpkin Center	P1 Hazardous Water Bodies	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Pumpkin Center	P2 Dangerous Highwalls	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	In Reclamation
Pumpkin Center	P2 Hazardous Water Bodies	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	In Reclamation
Pumpkin Center	P2 Industrial/Residential Waste	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Pumpkin Center	P3 High Wall	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Pumpkin Center	P3 Other	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	In Reclamation
Pumpkin Center	P3 Spoil Area	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	In Reclamation
Smith Gap	P2 Dangerous Highwalls	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Smith Gap	P3 Industrial/Residential Waste	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Smith Gap	P3 Spoil Area	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Sylvania East	P1 Dangerous Highwalls	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Sylvania East	P3 Spoil Area	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Union Hill	P1 Dangerous Piles & Embankments	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Pending
Union Hill	P1 Hazardous Water Bodies	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Pending
Union Hill	P2 Dangerous Highwalls	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Union Hill	P3 High Wall	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Pending
Union Hill	P3 Other	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Union Hill	P3 Pits	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	In Reclamation
Union Hill	P3 Spoil Area	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Pending
Union Hill	P3 Spoil Area	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed

Problem types carry OSMRE's priority prefix: P1 and P2 are threats to health, safety and property, P3 is environmental. A problem area is a cluster of problems reclaimed as one project; several rows can share one location.

MSHA-registered mines with status Abandoned74 on register

Adkins Pit
Surface coal · Slimp Construction Company · MSHA ID 0101902

Abandoned 1979-10-01
Armstrong No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Leesburg Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 0101510

Abandoned 1976-09-20
B S K No 1 Strip
Surface coal · B S K Mining Company Inc · MSHA ID 0101031

Abandoned 1977-07-21
Blackstone No 1
Facility coal · Blackstone Coal Company · MSHA ID 0101543

Abandoned 1980-11-03
Brenda No 2 Strip
Surface coal · Brenda Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 0101664

Abandoned 1977-11-24
Brown Pit
Surface coal · Kay Fabe Coal Co · MSHA ID 0101409

Abandoned 1977-07-21
Brush Creek No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Dixie Energy Inc · MSHA ID 0101942

Abandoned 1979-10-01
Burton Mine No 1
Surface coal · Burton Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 0102316

Abandoned 1982-08-20
Byrum #1
Surface coal · David Byrum · MSHA ID 0102584

Abandoned 1984-07-18
Casgar Pit
Surface coal · Hal Cook Enterprises Inc · MSHA ID 0102266

Abandoned 1981-11-30
Chambers Mine
Surface coal · Moccasin Bend Docks · MSHA ID 0102692

Abandoned 1986-08-21
Cherokee No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Cherokee Mining Company Inc · MSHA ID 0101771

Abandoned 1979-10-01
Cherokee No 4
Surface coal · Tennessee Highlands Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 0101896

Abandoned 1979-09-04
De Kalb No 3 Strip
Surface coal · De Kalb Highlands Mining Company Inc · MSHA ID 0101955

Abandoned 1979-09-04
Debter
Surface coal · Rainsville Energy Inc · MSHA ID 0102492

Abandoned 1984-05-04
Dekalb No 2
Surface coal · Yancey & Yancey Inc · MSHA ID 0102245

Abandoned 1983-07-25
Dekalb No 3
Surface coal · Yancey & Yancey Inc · MSHA ID 0102543

Abandoned 1984-04-12
Dixie Strip Mine
Surface coal · Dixie Mining Company Inc · MSHA ID 0100601

Abandoned 1972-11-06
Dixs Mine
Surface coal · C & G Excavating Inc · MSHA ID 0102098

Abandoned 1981-10-08
Durango No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Durango Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 0101947

Abandoned 1979-08-15
Durham No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Durham Mining Co Inc · MSHA ID 0101273

Abandoned 1975-09-02
Eubanks Pit
Surface coal · Met Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 0102348

Abandoned 1981-10-23
Fort Norman Development No 5 Strip
Surface coal · Fort Norman Development Inc · MSHA ID 0101775

Abandoned 1979-10-01
Fort Payne Strip Mine
Surface coal · Natural Energy Resources Inc · MSHA ID 0101331

Abandoned 1976-12-21
Ft. Payne Quarry - underground
Underground metal/non-metal · Vulcan Construction Materials L.P. · MSHA ID 0103409

Abandoned 2009-07-29
Gibbs No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Sand Mountain Mineral Company · MSHA ID 0101682

Abandoned 1979-10-01
Henagar Strip Pit No 1
Surface coal · Thomas Duckett Construction Company Inc · MSHA ID 0101321

Abandoned 1978-01-09
Henegar #4
Surface coal · Thomas Duckett Construction Company Inc · MSHA ID 0102175

Abandoned 1980-05-19
Highpoint Pit No 1
Surface coal · Brown Brothers Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 0102335

Abandoned 1982-04-01
Invesco No 2 Strip
Surface coal · Invesco International Corp Of Alabama · MSHA ID 0101032

Abandoned 1978-01-09
Invesco No 4 Strip
Surface coal · Invesco International Corp Of Alabama · MSHA ID 0101697

Abandoned 1978-05-09
Jocol No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Jocol Inc · MSHA ID 0101470

Abandoned 1977-08-08
John Poe Mine
Surface coal · Kennedy Brothers Construction LLC · MSHA ID 0103489

Abandoned 2026-05-21
John Poe Mine
Surface coal · Ridgeholm Energy Partners LLC · MSHA ID 0103504

Abandoned 2024-01-26
Lookout Mountain Strip
Surface coal · Kay Fabe Coal Co · MSHA ID 0101502

Abandoned 1978-07-06
Love Mine
Surface coal · Glen Kilgore · MSHA ID 0102589

Abandoned 1984-12-17
Love Pit
Surface coal · Yancey & Yancey Inc · MSHA ID 0102259

Abandoned 1981-10-13
Lusk Chapel Mine
Surface coal · Rogers Heavy Equipment · MSHA ID 0102336

Abandoned 1981-10-20
M E No 7
Surface coal · Mineral Extractors Inc · MSHA ID 0102092

Abandoned 1980-03-26
Me No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Mineral Extractors Inc · MSHA ID 0101491

Abandoned 1980-03-24
Me-9
Surface coal · Mineral Extractors Inc · MSHA ID 0102233

Abandoned 1981-03-30
Miller Creek Mine
Surface coal · W R White Contracting Company Inc · MSHA ID 0102370

Abandoned 1984-03-26
Mine #1
Surface coal · Upper Cliff Mining Company Inc · MSHA ID 0102393

Abandoned 1989-03-30
Mine No 1
Surface coal · East Texas Energy Company Inc · MSHA ID 0102170

Abandoned 1985-09-26
Mitchell No 1
Surface coal · Energy Enterprises Inc · MSHA ID 0102049

Abandoned 1980-01-24
No 1
Underground coal · Reba Coal Company · MSHA ID 0102418

Abandoned and Sealed 1983-08-01
No 1 Pit
Surface coal · C Ang G Excavation Company · MSHA ID 0100967

Abandoned 1976-03-23
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Black Construction Co · MSHA ID 0101272

Abandoned 1975-06-03
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Vulcan Energy Resources Corp · MSHA ID 0101275

Abandoned 1976-04-15
No 2 Strip
Surface coal · Oliver Coal Company · MSHA ID 0101750

Abandoned 1977-11-14
No 4 Pit
Surface coal · Vulcan Energy Resources Corp · MSHA ID 0101033

Abandoned 1976-04-15
Peeks Corner No 2
Surface coal · Kinpar Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 0102165

Abandoned 1980-08-04
Peeks Corner Strip
Surface coal · Saco Mining Company · MSHA ID 0102069

Abandoned 1981-03-25
Peeks Pit #1
Surface coal · L W L Company Inc · MSHA ID 0102189

Abandoned 1981-02-19
Pit 2
Surface coal · Mobile Fuel Shipping Inc · MSHA ID 0101808

Abandoned 1981-07-14
Pit 3
Surface coal · Mobile Fuel Shipping Inc · MSHA ID 0101809

Abandoned 1978-07-17
Pit No 1
Surface coal · Yancey & Yancey Inc · MSHA ID 0101329

Abandoned 1979-10-01
Pit No 1
Surface coal · Coal Brokers Of Alabama Inc · MSHA ID 0101349

Abandoned 1976-04-15
Pit No 1
Surface coal · Drum Corp Inc · MSHA ID 0101941

Abandoned 1979-10-01
Pit No 4
Surface coal · Mobile Fuel Shipping Inc · MSHA ID 0101854

Abandoned 1978-07-17
Poore Mine
Surface coal · Alabama Carbon LLC · MSHA ID 0103394

Abandoned 2025-03-27
Rock Castle No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Rockcastle Company · MSHA ID 0101405

Abandoned 1982-03-10
Slimp No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Slimp Construction Company · MSHA ID 0101464

Abandoned 1976-04-15
Stephen Black #1
Surface coal · Stephen Black · MSHA ID 0102702

Abandoned 1988-12-07
Strip Mine No 702
Surface coal · Hoover Inc · MSHA ID 0101326

Abandoned 1979-02-05
Swader Mine
Surface coal · Rainsville Energy Inc · MSHA ID 0102425

Abandoned 1983-02-24
Sylvania
Surface coal · Upper Cliff Mining Company Inc · MSHA ID 0102622

Abandoned 1988-03-22
Teresa Strip
Surface coal · Southeastern Metallurgical Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 0101686

Abandoned 1977-11-24
Thunder Oaks Mine
Surface coal · Carbon Oak, Inc. · MSHA ID 0103460

Abandoned 2024-01-26
Town Creek Quarry
Surface metal/non-metal · Town Creek Quarry · MSHA ID 0103536

Abandoned 2021-08-11
Tri-State Energy No 1
Surface coal · Tri State Energy Inc · MSHA ID 0102249

Abandoned 1981-10-15
W & C No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Woodward & Clark · MSHA ID 0101560

Abandoned 1977-06-30
West Pit
Surface coal · L & R Mining Inc · MSHA ID 0101968

Abandoned 1979-07-11
Wooten Pit
Surface coal · Alabama-Georgia Mining Company Inc · MSHA ID 0101960

Abandoned 1981-03-25

Status and date are as reported to MSHA by the operator. Each mine's own page carries its accident, citation and inspection record.

By source vocabularythe publishers' own terms

Feature type	Class	Source	Features
Open Pit Mine or Quarry	Mines and surface workings	USGS topo symbol (point)	45
Disturbed Surface	Mines and surface workings	USGS topo symbol (area)	25
P3 Spoil Area	Dumps, tailings, spoil and gob	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	12
Open Pit Mine or Quarry	Mines and surface workings	USGS topo symbol (area)	10
P2 Dangerous Highwalls	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	9
Strip Mine	Mines and surface workings	USGS topo symbol (area)	8
Gravel Pit	Quarries, gravel and borrow pits	USGS topo symbol (point)	7
P1 Dangerous Highwalls	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	6
P3 High Wall	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	6
Gravel Pit	Quarries, gravel and borrow pits	USGS topo symbol (area)	6
P3 Other	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	4
P2 Industrial/Residential Waste	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	3
P1 Hazardous Water Bodies	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	3
P2 Hazardous Water Bodies	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	3
P3 Industrial/Residential Waste	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	2
Quarry	Quarries, gravel and borrow pits	USGS topo symbol (point)	2
Quarry	Quarries, gravel and borrow pits	USGS topo symbol (area)	1
P1 Polluted Water: Human Consumption	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
P1 Polluted Water: Agricultural & Industrial	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
P2 Portals	Mine openings	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
Open Pit Mine	Mines and surface workings	USGS topo symbol (point)	1
P3 Pits	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
P1 Portals	Mine openings	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
P1 Dangerous Piles & Embankments	Dumps, tailings, spoil and gob	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
Gravel/Borrow Pit - Undifferentiated	Quarries, gravel and borrow pits	USGS topo symbol (point)	1

Other counties in AlabamaAll counties →

How to read these numbers

A USGS feature is a symbol on a historical topographic map, there when the map was surveyed; it may since have been sealed, reclaimed, built over or reopened as a working mine, and the map does not say which. An OSMRE row is a problem the abandoned mine land program tracks, not a mine. An MSHA mine is a registered operation whose operator reported abandonment, a record that starts in the 1970s. The three overlap and are never added together. The county is assigned from each feature's coordinates against the Census 2023 county boundaries. The full method is on the national page.

Sources

USGS, Consolidated Prospect- and Mine-Related Features from 7.5- and 15-Minute Topographic Quadrangle Maps of the United States (USMIN)
597,612 point and area features digitized from about 106,350 historical topographic maps published 1886–2006; public domain (CC0). A feature is a map symbol, not a field-verified site, and the map does not say whether it was still worked.
USGS Fact Sheet 2025–3003, The Abandoned Mine Inventory of the United States
States that as of 2025 there is no comprehensive national inventory of abandoned mine features, and that the detailed national database now being built will not be published.
OSMRE, Abandoned Mine Land Inventory System (e-AMLIS), public Problems layer
One row per abandoned mine land problem in a problem area, with its type, funding program and reclamation status; mostly coal mined before the 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Coordinates are the problem area's.
MSHA, Mines dataset (Mine Data Retrieval System)
Every mine registered with MSHA since the 1970s; a mine reads Abandoned or Abandoned and Sealed when its operator reported that status. Refreshed weekly.
US Census Bureau, 2023 cartographic county boundaries (1:500,000)
Each feature's county is assigned by its coordinates against these boundaries, not copied from the source file.
GAO-20-238, Abandoned Hardrock Mines (March 2020)
Federal agencies had identified at least 140,000 abandoned hardrock mine features on federal land and estimated more than 390,000 more not yet captured in their databases.
Abandoned Hardrock Mine Reclamation (AHMR) Program, US Department of the Interior
The program the USGS inventory is compiled for. Its appropriations and the 674,000 field-confirmed feature count on this page were provided by the program manager, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance, and are cited with permission (2026-09-08).
IMCC-NAAMLP Hardrock AML Report
Page 48 carries the two figures this page leans on: USGS estimates 633,181 of the 725,690 mine features it recorded from historic topographic maps, 87 percent, are hardrock; and state and federal agencies have submitted more than 724,000 AML features to the national database being built, already more than the historic maps hold. Year-by-year AHMR funding is on page 35.