Benham School House State Resort Park
The school house was built in 1926 by Wisconsin Steel Corporation (later known as International Harvester) as a high school and elementary school for coal camp children. The last high school class graduated in 1961, but the building continued to be used as an elementary school until 1992. Today, the inn is considered one of the premier tourist stops in the region. Although elegant and comfortable, the inn has stayed true to its schoolhouse roots. The lockers - painted dark green - still exist. The room numbers each stand for a graduating class. Some of the rooms have the same wood floors on which students once learned their ABCs.
The Kentucky Coal Mining Museum collects and preserves the rich history of the coal mining and coal camps throughout Kentucky. Located in an historic company town, the museum is housed in the commissary (company store) built by International Harvester in the 1920s. Spanning 4 floors of exhibit space, the museum has a diverse collection of artifacts exploring the early years of industrial coal mining in Kentucky, the history of the towns of Benham and Lynch and the families who came here to support the mining operations. Continuous featured exhibits include the Loretta Lynn Exhibit and the Mock Mine Exhibit. Located across the street from the inn.
