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Abandoned mines › Kentucky
Abandoned mine inventory

Abandoned mines in Pulaski County, Kentucky

Pulaski County, Kentucky has 191 mine and prospect features on USGS topographic maps published 1952–1997, including 96 mine openings (shafts, adits and air shafts) and 32 prospect pits. OSMRE's abandoned mine land inventory lists 20 problems in the county, 19 of them not yet reclaimed. MSHA's register carries 57 mines in the county with status Abandoned or Abandoned and Sealed.

Every mine and prospect feature the USGS digitized from historical topographic maps covering Pulaski 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)
191
Mine openings
96
OSMRE problems unreclaimed
19
MSHA mines marked abandoned
57
0 features carry a name32 prospect pits11 quadrangle maps, published 1952–1997 20 OSMRE problems, 1 reclaimed 22 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
    97 46.0%
  2. Prospect pits and trenches
    shallow exploration diggings that never became a mine
    32 15.2%
  3. Mines and surface workings
    labelled mines, open pits, strip mines, placer and hydraulic workings
    45 21.3%
  4. Quarries, gravel and borrow pits
    construction-material and industrial-mineral extraction
    16 7.6%
  5. Dumps, tailings, spoil and gob
    what mining left above ground
    12 5.7%
  6. Mills, tipples and facilities
    processing plants and hazardous structures
    1 0.5%
  7. Other reclamation problems
    highwalls, subsidence, polluted or clogged water, fires, slides and gases in OSMRE's inventory
    8 3.8%
OSMRE abandoned mine land problems20 on inventory
Problem area Problem Status
Betty Heath P2 Dangerous Highwalls Reclamation Pending
Betty Heath P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments Reclamation Pending
Betty Heath P2 Hazardous Water Bodies Reclamation Pending
Betty Heath P3 Spoil Area Reclamation Pending
Cumberland Lake-wldct Br P2 Clogged Stream Lands Reclamation Pending
Cumberland Lake-wldct Br P2 Portals Reclamation Pending
Isidor Feldman P2 Dangerous Highwalls Reclamation Pending
Isidor Feldman P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments Reclamation Pending
Isidor Feldman P2 Industrial/Residential Waste Reclamation Pending
Isidor Feldman P3 Spoil Area Reclamation Pending
Mt. Victory Coal P2 Dangerous Highwalls Reclamation Pending
Mt. Victory Coal P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities Reclamation Pending
Mt. Victory Coal P3 Spoil Area Reclamation Pending
Oswalt And Cornele P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments Reclamation Pending
Oswalt And Cornele P3 Spoil Area Reclamation Pending
Pre 87 P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments Reclamation Completed
Ray Lewis Heirs P2 Dangerous Highwalls Reclamation Pending
Ray Lewis Heirs P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments Reclamation Pending
Ray Lewis Heirs P2 Dangerous Slides Reclamation Pending
Ray Lewis Heirs P3 Spoil Area 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 Abandoned57 on register
  1. #1 Strip
    Surface coal · Randy'S Enterprises · MSHA ID 1512258
    Abandoned
  2. #2
    Underground coal · Dark Diamond Inc · MSHA ID 1515298
    Abandoned and Sealed
  3. 10-Tucky Tipple
    Facility coal · 10-Tucky Farms & Stables Inc · MSHA ID 1509822
    Abandoned
  4. Ano #1
    Surface coal · Ikerd-Bandy Company Inc · MSHA ID 1503934
    Abandoned
  5. Arnold Kenney Surface
    Surface coal · Somerset Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1507773
    Abandoned
  6. Burnside Mine #1
    Surface coal · Jamieson Construction Company · MSHA ID 1519385
    Abandoned
  7. C 7 Mine
    Surface coal · Southland Contractors Inc · MSHA ID 1509392
    Abandoned
  8. C-5 Surface
    Underground coal · Southland Contractors Inc · MSHA ID 1508486
    Abandoned
  9. Chintown Quarry
    Surface metal/non-metal · Hinkle Contracting Corp · MSHA ID 1504600
    Abandoned
  10. Dean Stewart
    Surface coal · Mecklenburg Coal & Mining Inc · MSHA ID 1512877
    Abandoned and Sealed
  11. Dyche No 1
    Surface coal · Dover Coal Inc · MSHA ID 1515956
    Abandoned and Sealed
  12. Greenwood No 7 Mine
    Underground coal · Shamrock Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1513888
    Abandoned and Sealed
  13. Greenwood No 8 Strip
    Surface coal · Greenwood Land & Mining Company Inc · MSHA ID 1510181
    Abandoned
  14. Grove Prep Plant
    Facility coal · Ikerd-Bandy Company Inc · MSHA ID 1511462
    Abandoned
  15. Hail Job No 2
    Surface coal · Correll & Johnston Inc · MSHA ID 1510233
    Abandoned
  16. HAMILTON STONE
    Surface metal/non-metal · Hinkle Contracting Corp · MSHA ID 1518251
    Abandoned
  17. Ikerd Coal Company LLC
    Facility coal · Ikerd Terminal Co LLC · MSHA ID 1505197
    Abandoned
  18. Kem
    Surface coal · Kem Corp · MSHA ID 1514445
    Abandoned and Sealed
  19. Mine # 3
    Surface coal · Gray's Excavating, Inc. · MSHA ID 1519349
    Abandoned
  20. Mine #1
    Surface coal · Reclamation Services Inc · MSHA ID 1512553
    Abandoned
  21. Mine #2
    Underground coal · Universal Minerals & Mining Corp · MSHA ID 1516631
    Abandoned and Sealed
  22. Mine No 1
    Underground coal · Universal Minerals & Mining Corp · MSHA ID 1515715
    Abandoned and Sealed
  23. Mine No 6
    Underground coal · Jasper Deep Mining Inc · MSHA ID 1512442
    Abandoned and Sealed
  24. No 1
    Underground coal · Hidden Hollow Energy Corp · MSHA ID 1515526
    Abandoned and Sealed
  25. No 1 Mine
    Underground coal · C & K Coal Company · MSHA ID 1507431
    Abandoned
  26. No 1 Mine
    Surface coal · Pulaski Mining & Processing Inc · MSHA ID 1514183
    Abandoned and Sealed
  27. No 1 Strip
    Surface coal · S & S Mining Corp · MSHA ID 1513850
    Abandoned and Sealed
  28. No 1 Strip
    Surface coal · B Perkins · MSHA ID 1514453
    Abandoned and Sealed
  29. No 1 Strip
    Surface coal · Brandywine Enterprises Inc · MSHA ID 1516300
    Abandoned and Sealed
  30. No 1 Surface
    Surface coal · Rockcastle Company · MSHA ID 1509905
    Abandoned
  31. No 1 Surface
    Surface coal · C & W Partners · MSHA ID 1514023
    Abandoned and Sealed
  32. No 1 Surface
    Surface coal · Wash Ridge Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1514323
    Abandoned
  33. No 1 Surface
    Surface coal · Rondo Coal Company · MSHA ID 1514603
    Abandoned and Sealed
  34. No 1 Surface
    Surface coal · Hail & Overton Mining · MSHA ID 1514914
    Abandoned and Sealed
  35. No 1 Surface
    Surface coal · Colo Mining Company Inc · MSHA ID 1515470
    Abandoned and Sealed
  36. No 1 Surface
    Surface coal · Dunlap Coal Company · MSHA ID 1515471
    Abandoned and Sealed
  37. No 1 Surface
    Surface coal · Pit Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1515923
    Abandoned and Sealed
  38. No 1 Tipple
    Facility coal · Big O Coal Company · MSHA ID 1505196
    Abandoned
  39. No 1 Tipple
    Facility coal · Bud Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1512451
    Abandoned
  40. No 2 Strip Mine
    Surface coal · Jasper & Jasper Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1504403
    Abandoned
  41. No 3 Mine
    Underground coal · C & K Coal Company · MSHA ID 1502485
    Abandoned
  42. No 4 (Surface)
    Underground coal · Greenwood Land & Mining Company Inc · MSHA ID 1508899
    Abandoned
  43. No 5 Mine
    Underground coal · Ikerd & Bandy Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1501897
    Abandoned
  44. No 7 Mine
    Underground coal · Ikerd-Bandy Company Inc · MSHA ID 1504305
    Abandoned
  45. No 8
    Underground coal · Shamrock Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1513889
    Abandoned and Sealed
  46. Pit #1
    Surface coal · Pit Coal Company Inc · MSHA ID 1514596
    Abandoned and Sealed
  47. Prep Plant
    Facility coal · Wayne County Coal Corp · MSHA ID 1509874
    Abandoned
  48. Prep Plant
    Facility coal · Weddle Enterprises Inc · MSHA ID 1509952
    Abandoned
  49. Processing Plant
    Facility coal · Coal Land Tipple Inc · MSHA ID 1515862
    Abandoned
  50. Pulaski Quarry
    Surface metal/non-metal · Hanson Aggregates Midwest Inc · MSHA ID 1510236
    Abandoned
  51. PULASKI STONE COMPANY
    Surface metal/non-metal · Hinkle Contracting Corporation · MSHA ID 1518079
    Abandoned
  52. Sinking Valley
    Surface metal/non-metal · Sinking Valley Stone · MSHA ID 1519373
    Abandoned
  53. SOUTHEAST KY STONE
    Surface metal/non-metal · Elmo Greer & Sons, LLC · MSHA ID 1518082
    Abandoned
  54. Sterling No 1 Mine
    Underground coal · Sterling Coal Company · MSHA ID 1510946
    Abandoned
  55. Surface Mine
    Surface coal · Burch & Son Company · MSHA ID 1512162
    Abandoned and Sealed
  56. Victory Mine
    Underground coal · Mt Victory Coal Company · MSHA ID 1505359
    Abandoned
  57. Wildcat No 1 Mine
    Underground coal · High Carbon Fossil Fuel Company Inc · MSHA ID 1502127
    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
Adit 96
Strip Mine 36
Prospect Pit 32
Gravel/Borrow Pit - Undifferentiated 8
Strip Mine 6
P3 Spoil Area 5
P2 Dangerous Piles & Embankments 5
Quarry 5
P2 Dangerous Highwalls 4
Disturbed Surface 3
Quarry 3
Tailings - Pond 2
P2 Portals 1
P2 Hazardous Equip & Facilities 1
P2 Dangerous Slides 1
P2 Clogged Stream Lands 1
P2 Industrial/Residential Waste 1
P2 Hazardous Water Bodies 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
  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.