Coal Creek Museum expands memorial walkway, event will be held Aug. 2

July 23, 2025 by G. Chambers Williams III

The Coal Creek Miners Museum will unveil the second phase of its Memorial Brick Walkway during a special ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, in front of the facility in downtown Rocky Top.

This follows the July 4, 2024, presentation of the first phase of the walkway, part of a fundraising campaign for the museum.

The walkway is made up of commemorative bricks bought by donors, with most of the bricks engraved with the names of former Coal Creek-area miners and family members.

They have been designed with one theme in mind: memorializing those who lost their lives in two major mining disasters in the area in the early 1900s.

Along with the unveiling of the newest section of the walkway, there will also be a book-signing by author Austin Sauerbrei, author of the graphic novel “Trouble! At Coal Creek.”

The book “brings to life the powerful and inspiring story of the Coal Creek labor uprising and the convict leasing system through vivid illustrations and compelling storytelling, connecting younger generations to the deep roots of our community’s history,” a museum announcement of the event said.

While the walkway unveiling will take place outside, the book signing will be inside the museum, at 201 S. Main St.

During last year’s unveiling of the first section of the walkway, a crowd of supporters and city officials turned out on Independence Day in front of the museum to participate in a ribbon-cutting event.

Rocky Top Mayor Kerry Templin was on hand to cut the ribbon as spectators looked on, including United Mine Workers officials and descendants of Coal Creek miners.

Construction of the walkway was the result of a fund-raising campaign the museum began in fall 2023 to pay for upgrades, including a new second floor of exhibits.

In December 2023, the museum was given a $50,000 grant from the state of Tennessee to help with the expansion.

The money from the state, awarded through a program of the Tennessee State Museum, allowed the museum to add heating and air conditioning, along with ADA-compliant restrooms, to the second floor.

That included installation of an elevator to give disabled people access to the second floor.

Located in a former bank building next to the Rocky Top City Hall, the museum is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of coal mining in the Coal Creek area, with emphasis on the industry’s impact on the region, and the tragedies that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of miners.

Volunteer curator Lisa Pebley said in 2023 that the second-floor exhibits would help chronicle the local coal industry from the 1940s until its end in the early 2000s.

The main floor, which has been open for several years, details the industry’s impact from its beginning in the 1800s when Henry Howard Wiley brought Welsh miners in to start mining in the area, through the war years in the 1940s, Pebley said.

The former bank vault on the main floor holds exhibits telling the story of the Fraterville mine explosion on May 19, 1902, which resulted in the deaths of 216 miners.

Bricks paid for by donors have been printed with information each one provided.

The bricks cost $100, $200, or $300 each, depending on the size and the amount of text the donor chose.

“By participating in this project, individuals and organizations have the opportunity to contribute to the museum’s financial sustainability while leaving a lasting legacy in honor of a coal miner, a community member and/or a business partner,” a campaign flyer read.

“By selling personalized bricks, the museum aims to engage the local community, former coal miners, their families, and individuals passionate about preserving the history of coal mining,” it added.