Fieldtrip Report:

Marion Kentucky
Ben E. Clement Museum
September 14th-16th, 2007

By Steve Barr

Photos by Mark Randle, Sandi Hill, Steve Bonney, Shirley Green, Becky Rodgers, and Linda Wooten

On both Friday and Saturday nights, Tina graciously opened the museum so our members could take a tour without distracting them from their digging. Ed Clement, Ben Clement's son, gave a riveting talk about the area's history, his father's life and the museum. We couldn't have asked for a better host.

That's Ed in the center of this photo, giving one of his entertaining talks to the group before we head out to dig.

Here are just a few of the thousands of specimens that are on display at the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum. The tour is awesome. You cannot possibly hope to really see each piece they have, you just have to kind of adjust to walking around with your mouth gaping open and your chin resting on your chest.

I'd post more photos of the things they have in the museum, but I think it would be better if you just went out to Kentucky and saw the rest of them for yourself!

Although the Eureka Mine and the Columbia Mine yielded the best specimens by far, some of the other sites were also interesting to see. Many still have old buildings standing on their property, and volunteers from the museum greeted us at various sites and told us spell-binding stories about past cave-ins, discoveries and the rich mining history of southern Kentucky.

To wrap things up, I've got to say that a visit to the museum and the dig sites is something that EVERY rockhound needs to do sometime in their life. Although I am sure the group will sponsor more trips to Marion in the future, you can also arrange to go there on your own.

For more information about the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum, the trips they sponsor for rockhounds and their annual gathering and gem show, you can go to their web site at the following address:

http://www.marionkentucky.us/clementmineralmuseum/index.htm

Donations to help the museum can be mailed to:
The Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum
205 North Walker Street
Marion, Kentucky 42064

More pics!

 

 

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