Amazon Army
In 1921, thousands of wives, daughters, mothers, sisters and sweethearts of striking coal miners in Southeast Kansas marched in protest against unfair labor practices in the local coal mines.
Read More →
Franklin’s Rich History
Franklin began as a mining community in the early 1900s. It is located just off Highway 69 Bypass which is a major corridor between Kansas City and Pittsburg, KS/Joplin, MO.
Read More →Mining & Immigration
Crawford County Kansas is known for its coal mining heritage and the settlement of many different ethnic groups who came to the United States in search of work in the coal fields.
Read More →
About Us
We are an exhibition located within the Franklin Community Center & Heritage Museum in Franklin, Kansas. The public is invited to visit and view the mining artifacts as well as other historic items.
701 S. Broadway
Franklin, KS 66735
(620) 347-4220
Hours of Operation:
Mon-Sat 10am-4pm
Please call to schedule tours.
Social
Today is your last chance to see the Arma special exhibit "Little Balkans Coal Camp - Arma” . Open today 10-4. Free admission. ![]()
![]()
This amazing exhibit features the fascinating history of the coal camp now known as Arma. Join us as we celebrate the unique and interesting history and growth of Arma, KS. ![]()
![]()
Once again we send a special thank you to an amazing group of ladies who spent countless hours (and had a lot of fun!) creating this exhibit. We look forward to working with them on future projects. Thanks to Christie (Nicoletti) Parrish and her team consisting of Joan (Pistotnik) Barbieri, Emma Louise (Lancelotti) Ales, and Pat (Tassi) McKee. ![]()
![]()
Don't miss this exhibit. Stop in today!! Photos are just a tiny sampling of the exhibit.
Thanks to Hometown Girard for the coverage of our program "A Winning Team". Great story and we are so grateful to have hometown news covered in such detail. Thanks to Leslie Montee for the beautiful story.
Happy birthday, David!! Wishing our SER Trainee a very happy day today. If you're out and about, stop in and say hi and wish him a happy birthday. David is always a great resource and is very knowledgeable about the museum and the Research Center. We are very fortunate to have him at the museum.
Thanks to Christie (Nicoletti) Parrish for taking and sharing these pics of the Coach and his boys!!
Another amazing program (A Winning Team) at Miners Hall Museum this past Sunday. This was one of the most well attended programs and it was standing room only. We apologize to those who did stand but the memories and laughter were well worth the effort. Thanks to the host of the quarterly exhibit “Little Balkans Coal Camp - Arma” Christie (Nicoletti) Parrish and her team consisting of Joan (Pistotnik) Barbieri, Emma Louise (Lancelotti) Ales, and Pat (Tassi) McKee. They created an exhibit that has been enjoyed by countless visitors. ![]()
![]()
Thanks to Coach Tony Fornelli for sharing such wonderful memories of the sports teams and athletes. And what a wonderful site to see those "boys" back with their coach. We appreciate them all for attending and supporting him as he shared many great stories with the audience. ![]()
![]()
Thanks to Gene Wayenberg who shared his stories which brought the crowd to laughter several times. We appreciate his sharing of such great memories and also for the many photos, clippings, trophies, and mementos that he brought to share in the exhibit. ![]()
![]()
And thanks to all those who travelled great distances (St. Louis, Kansas City, etc). Several large groups of family members were in attendance and we were happy to have them. We love being able to share this great history with everyone. If we were unable to personally visit with you, please consider this our "thank you" for attending and for sharing stories, photos, and memories. ![]()
![]()
We know that all the stories were not told and that many coaches, teachers, players and others were not mentioned or not mentioned enough. It wasn't because they were forgotten. Time was a factor and everyone did the best they could. They are remembered in the exhibit and we are happy to continue to share their stories and photos. So if you have items to share, we are more than happy to continue to share those in our Research Center long after the exhibit is removed. ![]()
![]()
If you have photos from the event, please post them to our page and feel free to tag anyone you know. ![]()
![]()
Attached are a few photos from the program as well as an overview of just a part of the Quarterly Special Exhibit. Saturday, September 24 is the last day of the exhibit. Many of the photos and paper items will be in the Research Center in the future so please stop in anytime. We are open Mon-Sat 10am-4pm and there is no admittance fee. ![]()
![]()
Thanks again to everyone involved in making this event a memorable day for everyone. We'll be sad to see the exhibit end but will look forward to our next Quarterly Exhibit opening October 1 and we hope you'll follow along and join us for that exhibit along with the monthly programs. ![]()
![]()
And a special thank you to all the volunteers who helped in any way to set up, tear down, serve, clean, and prepare the museum for the event. We couldn't do it without our dedicated volunteers. We appreciate you all very much.
Recent Gallery Items
