Missouri Mines State Historic Site — Attraction in Park Hills

I’ve lived in this area, my entire life. I’ve been to this museum many times. When friends are visiting my area and learning about the lead mining that was done here, I usually start with this museum so that they can get a great idea of the history. that said, the museum definitely could use some improving. It is interesting to see the facility, most of the facility is not open to tours and can be seen from the parking lot. When you pay the five dollar entrance fee, you are allowed to view a short historical black-and-white video about the mining industry. Is very informative, but at one time it was on YouTube and may still be. Also, with paid entry, you can tour a large room full of equipment that has been used in the mine and the walls are lined with large historical photos taken during the period this museum is actually in. The museum allows you to walk through a shower/locker room where the men would clean the lead dust from themselves before going home after work. The other interesting thing to see is a rock/gym display. Not only are there plenty of lead/Galena samples, but different interesting rocks that have been placed on display from all over the world. This is not necessarily related to our area, but a bonus to get to view. Every time I am there, the place seems to have several employees that aren’t doing much. I’ve asked for a narrated tour, hoping to learn more, and impress my out of town visitors, but they aren’t set up to give such a thing. When you ask questions, some of them aren’t sure of the answers as most are young and there is no official “tour“ that has been rehearsed. I have heard that they want to improve upon this, so you might ask if they are doing a guided tour if you visit in the future. I would reserve one to two hours for this, depending on how interested you are in looking at the rock specimens, and the old mine...

Visited on purpose as part of my objective of going to all the Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites and, while I don't really have much interest in mining, I found the museum and the staff's explanations interesting. As a Missouri Historical Society member, I was aware of Missouri's mining role over the years, but never got this deep into it. I'm glad I visited. It would be great, though, for the entire grounds to be open for viewing and not just the small part closest to the museum. Safety issues maybe? I also think that the museum exhibits aren't up to the standards of most of the State Parks. The whole place has an amateur private collector vibe without oversight by professional museum curators. If you plan to visit, you might want to make a reservation using the State Parks online system. I didn't have a problem on a summer day with school out, but I imagine this place is popular for field trips when school...

Missouri Mines State Historical Site is a very interesting location. The museum tells the story of over 300 years of lead mining in Missouri. The staff is very friendly and willing to answer any question you might have about the location or the mining. The exhibits are genuine. The mineral exhibit shows you exactly what the minerals look like coming out of the ground; not only from Missouri but other locations around the world. Unfortunately I'm unable to give a higher rating as there is no video presentation of the history and the gift items are limited to the actual minerals. The entrance fee is reasonable, however considering you are paying the same amount as other state historic locations in Missouri, this has less to offer. But hopefully over time, with better funding and investment from the state this museum will be brought up to the standards of...