Miners Hall Museum

09/05/2026

🥂 CAN YOU GUESS WHO? 🥂

Six Celebrity Bartenders.
Six familiar faces.
One unforgettable night! 🍸✨

We’ve lined up an AMAZING group of Celebrity Bartenders for this year’s Making Spirits Bright – Raise a Glass to Victory… but we’re keeping their identities under wraps just a little longer! 🤫

Any guesses who might be stepping behind the bar this year? 👀

🥁 The BIG REVEAL is coming September 9!

Stay tuned…you won’t want to miss this lineup!

09/05/2026

🛣️ THE CROSSROADS 2026 CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION IS COMING! Special Free Event!!

September 19–22, Jefferson Highway and Route 66 enthusiasts from across the country will gather in Joplin for The Crossroads 2026 Centennial Celebration, marking 100 years of these two historic highways.

As an Official Tourist Information Center for the Jefferson Highway, Miners Hall Museum is excited to be part of this special celebration—and we’re looking forward to welcoming travelers who will be making their way along the Jefferson Highway and stopping to visit us in Franklin!

While registration is required for many of the Crossroads activities, there is one special event that is FREE and open to the public, and everyone is invited to attend!
📅 Monday, September 21
📍 Roxy Event Center, 201 S. Joplin Ave., Joplin, Missouri
⏰ Conference Seminars begin at 9:00 a.m.

Featured speakers include:
Cheryl Eichar Jett – Edwardsville, Illinois
Author of Women of Early Highways. Following her presentation, she will hold a book signing for her new book, Aprons Away, published by Reedy Press and released in 2026.
Daniel Hershberger – Plymouth, Michigan
Author of Stopping for the Night – The Development of Roadside Lodging from Motor Camping to Motel Chains.
Anthony Arno – Flemington, New Jersey
Author of 100 Years of Route 66 at the Crossroads of America.

Additional speakers will be announced, displays will be on-site, and Jefferson Highway merchandise will be available for purchase.
If you enjoy local history, historic highways, Route 66, or the Jefferson Highway, this is a wonderful opportunity to be part of the Centennial Celebration—no conference registration required for these seminars!

And while the Crossroads celebration is headquartered in Joplin, we hope some of those travelers will follow the historic Jefferson Highway north to Franklin and pay us a visit at Miners Hall Museum!

09/05/2026

📰 LOVE LOCAL HISTORY? SUPPORT LOCAL NEWS!

If you love learning about the Little Balkans and the people, places and stories that shaped Southeast Kansas, you’ll want to pick up today’s edition of The Morning Sun!

And with special (and very low prices) Labor Day weekend offers available for both print and online subscriptions, this might be the perfect time to become a subscriber and give it a try.

Today’s edition includes a fascinating front-page article, “The DeGrusons and Life in the Little Balkans,” written by our own Miners Hall Museum Trustee Linda O’Nelio Knoll. Just look at some of the stories waiting inside:

Roots Across the Atlantic • A Coal Camp Childhood • Camp 50 Grocery Store • The Amazon Army • A Dancer and a Coal Miner • Sons of the Coal Camp • Little Mama • Fifty Years Underground • A Legacy Written in Southeast Kansas

And there’s more! J.T. Knoll, in his True Stories column, shares “The History of Little Balkans Days” — especially appropriate reading as we celebrate Little Balkans Days this weekend.

We often hear people say, “I didn’t know that was happening!” One of the best ways to stay informed is to support the people who are out there telling our local stories every day.

The Morning Sun covers local news, community events, history, people, obituaries and the issues that matter right here at home.

☕ Pick up a copy, enjoy it with your morning coffee, or visit morningsun.net and take advantage of their Labor Day subscription specials. You won't believe the special prices!

We’ll share more from these stories down the road — but for now, we encourage you to go straight to the source and support local journalism! 📰

09/05/2026

Think moving a dragline is easy? Take a look at these photos!

Work continues on the Page 618, and sometimes what sounds like a simple task—“remove a pin”—turns into anything but simple. After decades in place, this massive pin holding the dragline to its base has no intention of giving up without a fight!

When challenges like this arise, the crew brings in professionals with the experience and equipment needed for the job. Progress was made, but the pin hasn't surrendered just yet.

We know everyone is anxious to see the Page 618 make its way to its new home at Dragline Park. Believe us, we are too! But this isn't a piece of equipment you simply load on a trailer and haul down the road. It is a massive, complicated machine, and unforeseen challenges are part of a project of this size.

So, when you wonder, “What's taking so long?” take another look at these pictures and ask yourself: How would you tackle this one? 😊

The crew continues to work hard, solve problems as they arise, and call in the right professionals when specialized help is needed. Every stubborn pin, every difficult piece, and every problem solved gets us one step closer.

The Dragline IS coming—and we appreciate everyone who is working so hard to make it happen!

A special thank you to Ted Pryor for coming out and offering his advice and expertise to try to save the pin.

09/04/2026

🥂 ARE YOU READY? 🥂

The countdown to Making Spirits Bright – Raise a Glass to Victory has begun!

This year, we have SIX amazing Celebrity Bartenders ready to shake things up—and we can’t wait to tell you who they are!

⭐ Celebrity Bartender Reveal — September 9
🎟️ Members-Only Ticket Sales — September 28
🎟️ General Public Ticket Sales — October 5

Mark those calendars… Making Spirits Bright is coming! 🍸✨

09/04/2026

Be sure to get out and enjoy one of these beverages as you listen to some great music and celebrate Little Balkans Days!

THE LITTLE BALKAN coffee trailer is setup and ready with a special event menu tonight at the Little Balkans Celebration!

Open 5-9p
2nd & Broadway

09/04/2026

Oh my goodness. Look at all this delicious food!! Hurry down to get yours at the Pritchett Pavillion celebrating Little Balkans Days.

09/04/2026

Celebrating Little Balkans Days this weekend? Be sure to include a visit to Miners Hall Museum!
We’ll be open Friday and Saturday and invite you to stop in and see our special Pittsburg 150 exhibit “Blueprints of American Grit: McNally and 150 Years of Pittsburg Progress”. Free admission.
The museum will be closed Sunday and Monday, but we hope you’ll get out and enjoy the many wonderful Little Balkans Days activities happening throughout the area.
Have a safe and fun Little Balkans weekend!

09/04/2026

Another great investment in Franklin Community Park! 🌳🛝

Miners Hall Museum Foundation Vice-Chair Joshua McCloud and Secretary & Development Coordinator Kathryn Richard were pleased to accept a grant from Frances Mitchelson and the Pritchett Foundation to help complete our playground revitalization project at Franklin Community Park.

The grant will allow us to replace the existing wood mulch with recycled rubber mulch, creating a safer and more welcoming environment for children and families who enjoy the park.

We are incredibly grateful to the Pritchett Foundation for investing in our community and helping us continue to improve Franklin Community Park for generations to come. Thank you for helping us make a difference!