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Abandoned mines › Illinois
Abandoned mine inventory

Abandoned mines in Franklin County, Illinois

Franklin County, Illinois has 47 mine and prospect features on USGS topographic maps published 1926–1998, including 17 mine openings (shafts, adits and air shafts); 8 of the features carry a name on the map. OSMRE's abandoned mine land inventory lists 112 problems in the county, 13 of them not yet reclaimed. MSHA's register carries 20 mines in the county with status Abandoned or Abandoned and Sealed.

Every mine and prospect feature the USGS digitized from historical topographic maps covering Franklin 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)
47
Mine openings
17
OSMRE problems unreclaimed
13
MSHA mines marked abandoned
20
8 features carry a name0 prospect pits8 quadrangle maps, published 1926–1998 112 OSMRE problems, 99 reclaimed 2 MSHA mines abandoned and sealed
What the features are
  1. Mine openings
    shafts, adits, air shafts, portals and vertical openings: the ways into underground workings
    46 28.9%
  2. Mines and surface workings
    labelled mines, open pits, strip mines, placer and hydraulic workings
    9 5.7%
  3. Quarries, gravel and borrow pits
    construction-material and industrial-mineral extraction
    5 3.1%
  4. Dumps, tailings, spoil and gob
    what mining left above ground
    33 20.8%
  5. Mills, tipples and facilities
    processing plants and hazardous structures
    25 15.7%
  6. Other reclamation problems
    highwalls, subsidence, polluted or clogged water, fires, slides and gases in OSMRE's inventory
    41 25.8%
Named features on the maps8 named · from the USGS compilation
Name on map Feature
Old Ben No 21 Mine Mine Shaft
Old Ben No 21 Mine Mine Shaft
Old Ben No 24 Mine Mine Shaft
Old Ben No 24 Mine Open Pit Mine area
Old Ben No 26 Mine Mine Shaft
Old Ben No 26 Mine Mine Shaft
Old Keller Mine Open Pit Mine
Orient No 5 Mine Mine Shaft

A name is the label printed beside the symbol on the map. "First mapped" is the earliest topographic edition that shows the symbol, which bounds the feature's age from above; it is not the date it was worked. Unnamed features (most prospect pits, adits and shafts carry no label) are in the counts above but not this list.

OSMRE abandoned mine land problems112 on inventory
Problem area Problem Status
Bell And Zoller No 2 P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments Reclamation Completed
Bell And Zoller No 2 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Bell And Zoller No 2 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Bell And Zoller No 2 P2 Surface Burning Reclamation Completed
Bell And Zoller No 2 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Bell And Zoller No 2 P3 Slurry In Reclamation
Bell And Zoller No 2 P3 Slurry Reclamation Completed
Benton Gas Leak P1 Gases: Hazardous/Explosive Reclamation Completed
Black Star Logan Mine P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Black Star Logan Mine P3 Gobs Reclamation Completed
Dunston Mine Refuse Fire P1 Surface Burning Reclamation Completed
Frankli County Coal Company No.11 P3 Equipment Facility Reclamation Pending
Franklin County C.c. #15 P2 Industrial/Residential Waste Reclamation Completed
Franklin County C.c. #15 P2 Portals Reclamation Completed
Franklin County C.c. #15 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Franklin County C.c. #7 P1 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Franklin County C.c. #7 P1 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Franklin County C.c. #7 P2 Clogged Stream Lands Reclamation Completed
Franklin County C.c. #7 P2 Clogged Streams Reclamation Completed
Franklin County C.c. #7 P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments Reclamation Completed
Franklin County C.c. #7 P2 Surface Burning Reclamation Completed
Franklin County C.c. #7 P2 Surface Burning Reclamation Completed
Franklin County C.c. #7 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Freeman C.c. Orient No.1 P1 Surface Burning Reclamation Completed
Freeman C.c. Orient No.1 P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments Reclamation Completed
Freeman C.c. Orient No.1 P2 Gases: Hazardous/Explosive Reclamation Completed
Freeman C.c. Orient No.1 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Freeman C.c. Orient No.1 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Freeman C.c. Orient No.1 P3 Gobs Reclamation Completed
Freeman C.c. Orient No.1 P3 Water Problems Reclamation Completed
Freeman C.c. Portal No.4 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Pending
Freeman C.c. Portal No.4 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Pending
Freeman Orient #5 P2 Gases: Hazardous/Explosive Reclamation Completed
Freeman Orient #5 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Freeman Orient #5 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Freeman Orient #5 P3 Gobs Reclamation Completed
Freeman Orient #5 P3 Slurry Reclamation Completed
Freeman Orient #5 P3 Water Problems Reclamation Completed
Freeman Orient No. 2 P2 Gases: Hazardous/Explosive Reclamation Completed
Freeman Orient No. 2 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Freeman Orient No. 2 P3 Gobs Reclamation Completed
Freeman Orient No. 2 P3 Other Reclamation Completed
Freeman Orient No. 2 P3 Slurry Reclamation Completed
Interstate C.c. P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Interstate C.c. P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Lenich Mine Refuse Fire P1 Surface Burning Reclamation Completed
Old Ben C. - 14 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Old Ben C. - 14 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Old Ben C.c. #11 P2 Gases: Hazardous/Explosive Reclamation Completed
Old Ben C.c. #11 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Old Ben C.c. #11 P3 Mine Opening Reclamation Completed
Old Ben C.c. No. 12 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Old Ben C.c. No. 12 P3 Mine Opening Reclamation Completed
Old Ben C.c. No. 8 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Old Ben C.c. No. 8 P3 Equipment Facility Reclamation Completed
Old Ben C.c. No.19 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Old Ben C.c. No.19 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Old Ben C.c. No.8 Mainsite P1 Surface Burning Reclamation Completed
Old Ben C.c. No.8 Mainsite P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Old Ben C.c. No.8 Mainsite P2 Surface Burning Reclamation Pending
Old Ben C.c. No.8 Mainsite P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Old Ben Cc #15 P1 Surface Burning Reclamation Completed
Old Ben Cc #15 P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments Reclamation Completed
Old Ben Cc #15 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Old Ben Cc #15 P2 Surface Burning Reclamation Completed
Old Ben Cc #15 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Old Ben Cc #22 P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments Reclamation Pending
Old Ben Cc #22 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Old Ben Cc #22 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Old Ben Cc #22 P3 Gobs Reclamation Completed
Old Ben Coal Company No.9 P1 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Old Ben Coal Company No.9 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Pending
Old Ben Coal Company No.9 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Pending
Old Ben Coal Company No.9 P3 Gobs Reclamation Pending
Old Ben Coal Company No.9 P3 Pits Reclamation Pending
Old Ben No.10 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Pending
Old Ben No.10 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Old West Mine Shafts P1 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Old West Mine Shafts P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Old West Mine Shafts P3 Equipment Facility Reclamation Completed
Peabody C.c. #18 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Peabody C.c. #18 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Peabody C.c. #18 P3 Equipment Facility Reclamation Completed
Peabody C.c. #18 P3 Gobs Reclamation Completed
Peabody C.c. #18 P3 Other Reclamation Completed
Peabody C.c. #18 P3 Pits Reclamation Completed
Peabody C.c. #18 P3 Slurry Reclamation Completed
Peabody Coal Co #19 P2 Gases: Hazardous/Explosive Reclamation Completed
Peabody Coal Co #19 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Peabody Coal Co #19 P3 Gobs Reclamation Completed
Pre 87 P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments Reclamation Completed
Pre 87 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Pre 87 P2 Portals Reclamation Completed
Sesser Mine Shafts P1 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Sesser Mine Shafts P1 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Sesser Mine Shafts P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Sesser Mine Shafts P3 Equipment Facility Reclamation Completed
Sesser Mine Shafts P3 Gobs Reclamation Completed
Taylor Coal Co. No.5 P2 Clogged Stream Lands Reclamation Completed
Taylor Coal Co. No.5 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Taylor Coal Co. No.5 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
U.s. Fuel Middle Fork P3 Equipment Facility Reclamation Completed
U.s. Fuel Middle Fork P3 Gobs Reclamation Completed
U.s. Fuel Middle Fork P3 Mine Opening Reclamation Completed
U.s. Fuel Middle Fork P3 Other Reclamation Completed
Ward Mine P1 Vertical Openings In Reclamation
Western Coal & Mng. No.2 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Western Coal & Mng. No.2 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Zeigler Coal Co. #1 P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Completed
Zeigler Coal Co. #1 P2 Vertical Openings In Reclamation
Zeigler Coal Co. #1 P2 Vertical Openings Reclamation Completed
Zeigler Coal Co. #1 P3 Gobs 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 Abandoned20 on register
  1. Buckner Sand Co
    Surface metal/non-metal · Buckner Sand Co · MSHA ID 1103173
    Abandoned
  2. Central Shop
    Facility coal · Old Ben Coal Company · MSHA ID 1101814
    Abandoned
  3. Energy Salvage Culm
    Surface coal · Energy Salvage Company · MSHA ID 1102593
    Abandoned
  4. Freedom Material Resources
    Facility metal/non-metal · Freedom Material Resources · MSHA ID 1103191
    Abandoned
  5. Jet Fuel Culm Bank
    Surface coal · Jet Fuel Inc · MSHA ID 1102567
    Abandoned
  6. John Ross Preparation Plant
    Facility coal · Old Ben Coal Company · MSHA ID 1102416
    Abandoned
  7. Mine 24
    Facility coal · Old Ben Coal Company · MSHA ID 1100589
    Abandoned
  8. Mine 25
    Facility coal · Old Ben Coal Company · MSHA ID 1102392
    Abandoned
  9. Mine 26
    Facility coal · Old Ben Coal Company · MSHA ID 1100590
    Abandoned
  10. Mine 27
    Underground coal · Old Ben Coal Company · MSHA ID 1102544
    Abandoned and Sealed
  11. Mine No 1 (West Frankfort)
    Facility coal · Guaranty Resources Inc · MSHA ID 1102802
    Abandoned
  12. Mine No 2 (Valier)
    Facility coal · Guaranty Resources Inc · MSHA ID 1102803
    Abandoned
  13. Old Ben #25
    Surface coal · S.I. Energy LLC · MSHA ID 1103207
    Abandoned
  14. Orient Mine No 5
    Underground coal · Freeman United Coal Mining Company · MSHA ID 1100587
    Abandoned and Sealed
  15. Orient No 1
    Facility coal · Enreco Inc · MSHA ID 1102661
    Abandoned
  16. Orient No 5 Surface Facility
    Facility coal · Freeman United Coal Mining Company · MSHA ID 1102796
    Abandoned
  17. Russell Minerals W Frankfort Inc
    Facility coal · Russell Minerals West Frankfort Inc · MSHA ID 1102801
    Abandoned
  18. Simco Mine No 1
    Surface coal · Southern Illinois Mining Company · MSHA ID 1102577
    Abandoned
  19. Sugar Camp 1
    Underground coal · Sugar Camp Energy, LLC · MSHA ID 1103157
    Abandoned
  20. Tiger Tipple # 1 Mine
    Facility coal · S. Coal Company · MSHA ID 1102872
    Abandoned

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 Features
P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities 24
P2 Vertical Openings 21
Mine Shaft 14
P3 Gobs 11
Tailings - Undifferentiated 7
P1 Vertical Openings 6
P3 Equipment Facility 6
P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments 6
P3 Slurry 5
P2 Surface Burning 5
Open Pit Mine or Quarry 5
P1 Surface Burning 5
Sand Pit 5
P2 Gases: Hazardous/Explosive 5
Mine Dump 4
Tailings - Pond 4
P3 Mine Opening 3
P3 Other 3
Air Shaft 3
P3 Water Problems 2
P3 Pits 2
P2 Portals 2
Open Pit Mine 2
P2 Clogged Stream Lands 2
P1 Hazardous Equip & Facilities 1
P2 Industrial/Residential Waste 1
Mine Dump 1
Open Pit Mine 1
P2 Clogged Streams 1
Disturbed Surface 1
P1 Gases: Hazardous/Explosive 1
Other counties in IllinoisAll 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
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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).
  8. 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.