Tour-Ed Mine and Museum- Tarentum, PA

As part of our trip to Pittsburgh we decided to check out the Tour-Ed mine and museum  tour!

When arriving you will get a briefing in the “classroom” about some facts about coal mining, showing what they used in the older days versus what they use now. You will then head down about 1/2 mile into the mine in the coal car which you will then get out and do a walking tour around the mine showing old-time mining up till now. We were here for about 30 minutes, but there was a good amount of facts learned in this time period.

The earliest record of mining activity at the site of Tour-Ed Mine was in 1850. Known later as the Avenue Mine, it was operated by Allegheny Steel and mined by the Leechburg Mining Company. The coal extracted during this period was used locally at the Allegheny Steel plant in Brackenridge and shipped by rail throughout the nation.

This tour was very informative and Nick was a really great guide knowing his facts and being able to answer questions from the group with no problem. Once you are done with your tour you can walk around upstairs viewing all the memorabilia in the gift shop, along with some of the equipment they have sitting outside on the grounds.

If you are into mining or just history, I recommend checking this place out! The tickets are $12 a person and they only take cash or check.