How many abandoned mines are in Jackson County, Kentucky?

Abandoned mine inventory

Abandoned mines in Jackson County, Kentucky

Jackson County, Kentucky has 174 mine and prospect features on USGS topographic maps published 1952–1953, including 159 mine openings (shafts, adits and air shafts). OSMRE's abandoned mine land inventory lists 27 problems in the county, 17 of them not yet reclaimed. MSHA's register carries 109 mines in the county with status Abandoned or Abandoned and Sealed.

Every mine and prospect feature the USGS digitized from historical topographic maps covering Jackson 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): 174
Mine openings: 159
OSMRE problems unreclaimed: 17
MSHA mines marked abandoned: 109

0 features carry a name0 prospect pits5 quadrangle maps, published 1952–1953 27 OSMRE problems, 10 reclaimed 7 MSHA mines abandoned and sealed

What the features are

Mine openings

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

161 80.1%
Mines and surface workings

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

13 6.5%
Quarries, gravel and borrow pits

construction-material and industrial-mineral extraction

2 1.0%
Dumps, tailings, spoil and gob

what mining left above ground

9 4.5%
Mills, tipples and facilities

processing plants and hazardous structures

1 0.5%
Other reclamation problems

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

15 7.5%

OSMRE abandoned mine land problems27 on inventory

Problem area	Problem	Program	Status
Billy Ray Norris	P2 Dangerous Impoundments	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending
Billy Ray Norris	P3 Spoil Area	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending
Blackwater Creek-kimco	P2 Clogged Stream Lands	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Gabbard & Horn	P2 Hazardous Water Bodies	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending
Gabbard & Horn	P2 Industrial/Residential Waste	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending
Gabbard & Horn	P3 Spoil Area	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending
James Cooper Road Slide	P1 Dangerous Slides	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Pre 87	P1 Dangerous Piles & Embankments	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Completed
Pre 87	P1 Hazardous Equip & Facilities	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Completed
Pre 87	P1 Portals	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Completed
Pre 87	P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Completed
Sandgap Dump	P1 Dangerous Impoundments	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Sandgap Dump	P2 Industrial/Residential Waste	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Completed
Sandgap Dump	P3 Bench	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Pending
Sandgap Dump	P3 Spoil Area	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P1, P2, P3)	Reclamation Pending
Sexton Creek West Strip	P3 Bench	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P3 only)	Reclamation Completed
Sexton Creek West Strip	P3 Spoil Area	Pre-SMCRA Coal State/Tribe Program (P3 only)	Reclamation Completed
Ted Marcum	P2 Clogged Streams	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending
Ted Marcum	P2 Dangerous Highwalls	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending
Ted Marcum	P2 Hazardous Water Bodies	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending
Ted Marcum	P2 Industrial/Residential Waste	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending
Ted Marcum	P2 Portals	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending
Ted Marcum	P3 Spoil Area	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending
Walker Harrison	P2 Dangerous Slides	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending
Walker Harrison	P3 Spoil Area	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending
William P. Mckinney	P2 Dangerous Slides	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending
William P. Mckinney	P3 Spoil Area	Rural Abandoned Mine Program	Reclamation Pending

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 Abandoned109 on register

#1
Underground coal · Silver Creek Mining Inc · MSHA ID 1514264

Abandoned and Sealed 1983-12-29
#1
Surface coal · D & D Trucking Company · MSHA ID 1514874

Abandoned 1985-05-13
#1 Strip
Surface coal · Gray Hawk Energy · MSHA ID 1513156

Abandoned 1983-08-10
#1 Surface
Surface coal · Apex Mining Inc · MSHA ID 1512658

Abandoned 1985-05-17
#3
Surface coal · B G & M Inc · MSHA ID 1514345

Abandoned 1984-09-17
#4
Surface coal · W M N Coal Inc · MSHA ID 1516237

Abandoned 1988-06-06
Akemon Mine
Surface coal · Akemon Mining · MSHA ID 1517867

Abandoned 2002-01-10
B H B No 2 Mine
Underground coal · B H B Partnership Coal Company · MSHA ID 1509346

Abandoned and Sealed 1980-10-01
Bee Branch
Surface coal · Whymore Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1516605

Abandoned 1995-10-25
Belam #1
Underground coal · Belam Development Corp Inc · MSHA ID 1513733

Abandoned and Sealed 1985-11-07
Buncomb Job
Surface coal · Ikerd Mining LLC · MSHA ID 1519093

Abandoned 2008-07-24
Buncomb Job
Surface coal · D&L Mining Company,LLC · MSHA ID 1519767

Abandoned 2016-07-15
Clover Bottom Creek
Surface coal · Nolin Energy Inc · MSHA ID 1515873

Abandoned 1987-03-13
Clyda #1
Surface coal · Ridner Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1513833

Abandoned 1983-04-20
Devils Den Job
Surface coal · T & T Coal Inc. · MSHA ID 1518473

Abandoned 2006-03-22
Durham Ridge Mine
Surface coal · Daugherty Petroleum Inc · MSHA ID 1516798

Abandoned 1990-01-04
Eberle
Surface coal · W E & Jonah Warren Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1512268

Abandoned 1980-12-02
Falcon No 1
Underground coal · Falcon Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1502050

Abandoned 1976-12-13
Gray Hawk #1
Surface coal · L T J Coal Inc · MSHA ID 1513794

Abandoned 1984-03-01
Green Haul #1
Surface coal · Sandhill Processing Coal Co. · MSHA ID 1518981

Abandoned 2006-10-02
Greenhall Surface
Surface coal · Lee Co Consolidated Coal Company · MSHA ID 1508416

Abandoned 1975-01-01
Honey Hole
Surface coal · United Farming · MSHA ID 1518327

Abandoned 2007-10-02
Hornet Hollow
Surface coal · Snuffy Smith Coal, LLC · MSHA ID 1518919

Abandoned 2006-08-21
Indian Creek Underground
Underground metal/non-metal · Allen Company Inc · MSHA ID 1500111

Abandoned 2010-09-07
Jackson Co No 1
Surface coal · Denham & Lewis Corp · MSHA ID 1511862

Abandoned 1986-07-08
Jackson Co. No. 4
Surface coal · T&T Coal, Inc. · MSHA ID 1519062

Abandoned 2010-10-18
Margin Strip
Surface coal · Margin Coal Co Inc · MSHA ID 1513094

Abandoned 1983-08-29
Mc Kee No 1 Surface
Surface coal · Consolidated Coal Company · MSHA ID 1508903

Abandoned 1979-10-01
Mine #1
Underground coal · Christina Resources Inc · MSHA ID 1512791

Abandoned and Sealed 1994-02-28
No 1
Surface coal · Brooks & Sizemore Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1512332

Abandoned 1981-08-03
No 1
Surface coal · F & S Contractors · MSHA ID 1512783

Abandoned 1986-10-29
No 1
Surface coal · Mountain Mist Coal Inc · MSHA ID 1513581

Abandoned 1986-11-19
No 1
Surface coal · M & R Mining · MSHA ID 1513793

Abandoned 1984-07-02
No 1
Underground coal · Mc Kee Coal Mining Corp · MSHA ID 1513909

Abandoned and Sealed 1984-04-27
No 1
Surface coal · Farris & Hacker Coal Inc · MSHA ID 1513965

Abandoned 1991-04-15
No 1
Surface coal · Double Digit Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1514253

Abandoned 1988-02-22
No 1
Surface coal · Ted Carpenter Coal Company · MSHA ID 1514895

Abandoned 1984-11-29
No 1
Surface coal · Walker Mc Queen Coal Company · MSHA ID 1514922

Abandoned 1985-03-28
No 1
Surface coal · Howard Mc Queen Coal Company · MSHA ID 1514923

Abandoned 1985-03-28
No 1
Surface coal · Gravel Lick Mining · MSHA ID 1515227

Abandoned 1986-04-30
No 1
Surface coal · James S Smith Contractors · MSHA ID 1515799

Abandoned 1987-01-23
No 1
Surface coal · Sky High Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1516132

Abandoned 1987-11-10
No 1
Surface coal · Bill'S Construction Company · MSHA ID 1516148

Abandoned 1989-08-28
No 1 Mine
Underground coal · Henley-Lundgren Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1508298

Abandoned 1976-08-23
No 1 Mine
Surface coal · Jamieson Construction Company Inc · MSHA ID 1512966

Abandoned 2003-01-30
No 1 Mine
Surface coal · Arnold Wyatt · MSHA ID 1516046

Abandoned 1987-09-18
No 1 Prep Plant
Facility coal · Sand Gap Coal Sales · MSHA ID 1504406

Abandoned 1979-10-01
No 1 Prep Plant
Facility coal · Omega Energy Inc · MSHA ID 1512007

Abandoned 1984-08-20
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Pack Fast Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1500690

Abandoned 1978-04-25
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Commercial Coal Company · MSHA ID 1508790

Abandoned 1977-04-11
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · D & O Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1510207

Abandoned 1979-10-01
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · P & R Coal Company · MSHA ID 1512764

Abandoned 1983-02-01
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Aelco Inc · MSHA ID 1512959

Abandoned 1982-11-29
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Ramco Construction · MSHA ID 1513110

Abandoned 1984-05-04
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Sturgeon Mining Inc · MSHA ID 1513346

Abandoned 1984-10-24
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Laurel Lady Mining Inc · MSHA ID 1513383

Abandoned 1983-01-26
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · L C Bowman Construction Inc · MSHA ID 1513671

Abandoned 1982-12-09
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Triple A Coal Company · MSHA ID 1513852

Abandoned 1983-04-28
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · H & W Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1513853

Abandoned 1984-05-04
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · D & C Coal Company · MSHA ID 1513864

Abandoned 1983-11-09
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Sullivan & Girdler Company Inc · MSHA ID 1514007

Abandoned 1983-12-01
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Southern National Coal Company · MSHA ID 1514256

Abandoned 1984-11-29
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Allen Construction · MSHA ID 1514472

Abandoned 1984-06-04
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · Mid South Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1514494

Abandoned 1984-11-26
No 1 Strip
Surface coal · George Caldwell Coal Company · MSHA ID 1514582

Abandoned 1984-07-19
No 1 Strip Mine
Surface coal · Apex Coal Co · MSHA ID 1504397

Abandoned 1972-07-05
No 1 Surface
Surface coal · Omega Energy Inc · MSHA ID 1507145

Abandoned 1981-10-19
No 1 Surface
Surface coal · Mako Mining Inc · MSHA ID 1508188

Abandoned 1976-11-02
No 1 Surface
Surface coal · Kimco Mining Company Inc · MSHA ID 1508309

Abandoned 1977-04-11
No 1 Surface
Surface coal · Farris Bowlin & Association · MSHA ID 1508687

Abandoned 1976-06-03
No 1 Surface
Surface coal · Corona Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1508694

Abandoned 1977-03-15
No 1 Surface
Surface coal · Tattlers Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1508695

Abandoned 1977-04-11
No 1 Surface
Surface coal · Smith & Saylor Construction Company · MSHA ID 1508949

Abandoned 1977-08-22
No 1 Surface
Surface coal · Sturgeon Creek Coal Company · MSHA ID 1509359

Abandoned 1979-10-01
No 1 Surface
Surface coal · Carbon Glow · MSHA ID 1510611

Abandoned 1978-07-31
No 1 Surface
Surface coal · Horizon Coal Inc · MSHA ID 1510617

Abandoned 1981-04-28
No 1 Surface
Surface coal · Daugherty Construction Ltd · MSHA ID 1510623

Abandoned 1978-08-01
No 1 Surface
Surface coal · North Fork Mining Company Inc · MSHA ID 1511346

Abandoned 1980-12-03
No 1 Surface
Surface coal · H M Ross Coal Company · MSHA ID 1512402

Abandoned 1981-09-22
No 1 Surface
Surface coal · George'S Branch Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1516242

Abandoned 1988-09-08
No 1 Surface Mine
Surface coal · Roy G Hall Construction Co Inc · MSHA ID 1508920

Abandoned 1979-10-01
No 15 Surface
Surface coal · Leeco Inc · MSHA ID 1508021

Abandoned 1977-08-25
No 2 Mine
Underground coal · Couch Coal Company · MSHA ID 1502804

Abandoned 1979-10-01
No 2 Mine
Underground coal · Bowles Coal Company · MSHA ID 1510621

Abandoned 1979-10-01
No 2 Strip
Surface coal · Cornett & Walden Coal Company · MSHA ID 1512449

Abandoned 1981-04-09
No 2 Strip
Surface coal · Triple R Coal · MSHA ID 1514300

Abandoned 1985-01-10
No 2 Surface
Surface coal · R B S Inc · MSHA ID 1510618

Abandoned 1978-02-28
No 2 Surface
Surface coal · Phil Young Mining Company · MSHA ID 1510656

Abandoned 1978-07-31
No 2 Surface
Underground coal · Silver Diamond Energy Inc · MSHA ID 1512448

Abandoned 1980-12-03
No 24
Surface coal · Lewis Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1514805

Abandoned 1987-06-30
No 5 Strip
Surface coal · Lewis Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1505524

Abandoned 1977-12-05
No1
Surface coal · Conley Young Construction Inc · MSHA ID 1514153

Abandoned 1987-12-07
No1
Surface coal · Jerry Rookard Coal · MSHA ID 1514664

Abandoned 1986-01-24
No1
Surface coal · M & S Coal · MSHA ID 1514713

Abandoned 1986-09-18
Noble Mine # 2
Surface coal · Noble Const. & Logging · MSHA ID 1518683

Abandoned 2004-08-05
Pond Lick
Surface coal · G & G Coal & Energy Company · MSHA ID 1512701

Abandoned 1985-07-30
Pond Lick Branch #1
Surface coal · Charles Blalock & Sons Inc · MSHA ID 1512935

Abandoned 1981-12-09
Robinson Coal Job #5
Surface coal · Robinson Coal Company · MSHA ID 1512119

Abandoned 1979-11-01
Scoville Pete Fry
Surface coal · T & T Coal Inc · MSHA ID 1517319

Abandoned 2006-11-17
Strip No 1
Surface coal · Maybe Two Coal Company · MSHA ID 1513598

Abandoned 1983-10-03
Sturgeon/Buncum
Surface coal · Sturgeon Mining Co. · MSHA ID 1518847

Abandoned 2009-08-17
Surface Mine 1 Jackson County
Surface coal · Cumberland Resources Inc · MSHA ID 1513012

Abandoned 1982-08-06
Surface No 1
Surface coal · Jamieson Construction Company Inc · MSHA ID 1508946

Abandoned 1975-10-01
Travis Creek
Surface coal · Ruby Coal Company · MSHA ID 1514481

Abandoned 1994-03-30
Travis Creek #1 Mine
Surface coal · Hunter Excavating Inc · MSHA ID 1517956

Abandoned 2002-03-20
Travis Creek Mine No 2
Surface coal · Tripple E Construction · MSHA ID 1512944

Abandoned 1982-03-15
Travis Creek No 1
Underground coal · K & A Coals Inc · MSHA ID 1512720

Abandoned and Sealed 1985-02-05
Turkey Foot Job
Surface coal · J R Mining, Inc. · MSHA ID 1518540

Abandoned 2004-12-14
Universal Minerals & Mining
Underground coal · Universal Minerals & Mining Corp · MSHA ID 1516929

Abandoned and Sealed 1992-06-02

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
Adit	Mine openings	USGS topo symbol (point)	159
Open Pit Mine or Quarry	Mines and surface workings	USGS topo symbol (point)	12
P3 Spoil Area	Dumps, tailings, spoil and gob	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	7
P2 Industrial/Residential Waste	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	3
P2 Hazardous Water Bodies	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	2
Quarry	Quarries, gravel and borrow pits	USGS topo symbol (point)	2
P3 Bench	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	2
P2 Dangerous Slides	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	2
P2 Clogged Stream Lands	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
P2 Clogged Streams	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
P1 Portals	Mine openings	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
P1 Dangerous Impoundments	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
P2 Dangerous Highwalls	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
P1 Dangerous Slides	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
P1 Hazardous Equip & Facilities	Mills, tipples and facilities	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
P1 Dangerous Piles & Embankments	Dumps, tailings, spoil and gob	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments	Dumps, tailings, spoil and gob	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
P2 Portals	Mine openings	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1
Strip Mine	Mines and surface workings	USGS topo symbol (area)	1
P2 Dangerous Impoundments	Other reclamation problems	OSMRE e-AMLIS problem	1

Other counties in KentuckyAll 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.