The Horrifying Mine Explosion That Haunts Tennesseans To This Day
The heart of Tennessee runs deep, but it’s not without scars. Our mountains hold stories that will never see the light of day. It’s a beautiful thing, to live in a place exists as a reservoir for history, but there’s an eerie edge that hangs over the heartache of a past tragedy. Briceville, Tennessee has its own stories to tell, and we’ve recorded it simply, cleanly, in a way that’s easily digestible and holds to the core of this sad story. Have you heard of the Cross Mountain Mine disaster?
The mountains of Tennessee look calm and stunning on a normal day, but it hides a history that's as jagged as its peaks.
The Cross Mountain Mine disaster has put December 9th, 1911 solidly in our history books. It occurred just outside of Briceville, Tennessee, and cost the lives of 84 miners as a result. The cause of the ill-fated explosion? Many believe it was caused by a simple roof fall, that ignited a mix of dust and gas.
This photo is a little blurry due to age, but you can make out the men standing at the main mine entrance right after the explosion. We can only imagine the heavy atmosphere of heartache. The Cross Mountain Mine operation is actually recorded as one of the first major rescue efforts in the industry, carried out by the Bureau of Mines. The rescue mission only saved five men but informed future rescue efforts for decades.
At least 22 of the miners who lost their lives that day are buried in the Cross Mountain Miners' Circle. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a circular memorial that sits snug in the heart of the mountains.
Below, you can hear the story straight from the heart of Tennessee:
What a heartache, what a strange thing. Let’s lighten the mood a bit with this DELICIOUS Tennessee festival.
