Macon County Historical Society
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Macon County – Coal Capital of  Missouri
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Ever since an eight-foot coal seam  was documented in 1855 by a state survey expedition, Macon County has been  recognized as the leader in Missouri coal mining.   

Over 350 commercial underground  mines have been identified.  Some of these were large company-owned mines with  one, No. 68, still holding the state daily underground production record. 

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Not only was underground mining  important, but between 1936 and 1979, thousands of acres were strip-mined by Binkley, Sinclair and Peabody coal companies.  During this time, Bee-Veer mine  was the home of Big David, a colossal 65 cubic yard machine that was the largest  shovel ever to operate in Missouri.  

The Mine Room at the Macon County  Historical Society Museum is dedicated to locating as many underground mines as  possible, collecting pertinent information on each underground mine, and  determining when each surface area was stripped and by which machine.   

Come join us in our efforts to  gather this information, solve the many mysteries still unresolved, and help  preserve one of our county’s most important and treasured  legacies.

Copyright@ Macon County Historical Society