News
Historical Society Marks Mine Disaster Anniversary
By: Taylor Pool
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The anniversary of the Millfield Mine disaster is quickly approaching, and the Athens County Historical Society and Museum will present a commemoration of the event in early November.
That day in the year 1930 marked the loss of 82 lives in a mine explosion.
Historical Society Executive Director Ron Luce says the program will educate community members about what caused the disaster and why this event is important to the history of Athens.
“It was pretty amazing, I mean, there were many incidents like this across the country, not quite as large as this in many cases, but where people lost their lives. But in this case, the mine owners were in there as well, so it was quite a tragic event,” said Luce.
Luce says the Millfield Mine disaster is the worst coal mine disaster in Ohio.
“People came running from all over the countryside to find out what was going on of course, people were concerned about their loved ones. It was quite chaotic and you couldn’t get into Millfield because of the traffic and people everywhere,” said Luce.
The commemoration will take place Monday, November 5 from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Athens County Historical Society and Museum.
The event is free and open to the public.