Alabama Mining Museum

ocated in Dora, Alabama, northwest of Birmingham, the Alabama Mining Museum is a local history museum created in 1982 to preserve the legacy of coal mining in the region from 1890 to 1940. In 1984, the Alabama State Senate designated the museum as the "Official State Coal Mining Museum of Alabama." The museum is housed in the former Dora High School gymnasium and features artifacts, tools, and machinery used in mineral mining. A large mural depicts scenes typical of a coal-mining operation, and a geology display interprets the rock formations and structures that produce coal. Outside, a relocated depot and former Alabama Central Railroad steamer #29 anchor a railroad display with a hopper and caboose.