Sunday Creek Coal Company Mine No. 6

A few walls are still standing at the base of the chimney. The mine ceased operations in May, 1945. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

This chimney is the most prominent feature of the mine complex ruins. It was part of a power house and blacksmith shop. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

A close up of the crumbling chimney. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

This chimney stands 150 feet tall and measures 17 feet by 12 feet at its base. It went into service in 1912. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

This plaque marks the site of the Sunday Creek Coal Company mine disaster. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

This memorial lists the names of the 82 men who died in the Mine #6 explosion. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

A large steam boiler fed its smoke into this opening. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

Other ruined buildings, function unknown, dot the landscape. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

This wall was part of miner’s shower facility, where they cleaned up after work. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

This medallion marked the completion of the project to seal the collapsed main shaft into Mine #6. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

This concrete pad marks the shaft entrance to Mine #6 where 82 men died in 1930. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

On November 5, 1930, a Wednesday morning tour by Sunday Creek Coal Company officials and customer reps was cut short by a massive underground explosion. Eighty-two men lost their lives in what remains the worst mining disaster in Ohio history. Company officials had wanted to display the safety improvements made to the recently acquired mine.

Before the disaster, Mine Number 6 was said to be the Sunday Creek Coal Company’s best and safest mine in the Hocking Valley. The explosion took place around 11:45 a.m., about 10,200 feet away from the mine’s main shaft. There were about 250 people at the mine when the explosion occurred, many of whom were able to escape using ventilation shafts to exit the mine.

Investigations later revealed that a fallen wire had produced an electric arc in an unused part of the mine. The electricity ignited methane gas, causing a massive explosion. Investigators faulted poor ventilation and an accumulation of coal dust as contributing factors in the severity of the explosion. After the gas had been cleared and repairs made, production resumed a month later.

The mine was permanently closed in May 1945. The Sunday Creek Coal Company cited increased labor costs and strikes coupled with stagnant coal prices as justification to shutter the mining operation.

The tipple and various buildings fell victim to the ravages of time and now only the chimney and a few building walls remain standing. A memorial plaque stands at the entrance to the former mine property on Millfield Road.

The main entrance into the mine collapsed in 2012, creating a sinkhole. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources undertook a major project to seal the shaft in 2013, and now no trace of the tipple remains. A Historic American Engineering Survey of the remaining ruins was conducted by the U.S. Government in December, 2013, updating the condition of the mine site.

Know Before You Go

The village of Millfield is four miles north of Chauncey on Ohio Route 13. A large sign directs travelers to the Millfield Mine Disaster Memorial in town.

Those interested in viewing the mine site itself will turn onto Millfield Road from Main Street and go one mile. The black roadside plaque is right beside the road entrance to the former mine property.

Winter would be the best time to visit as the trees and brush will be dormant and the ruins will be readily visible. Caution is advised as the old (1912) chimney is shedding bricks! Stumbling hazards abound with bricks and blocks strewn across the property. The mine site is private property! Despite the lack of security guards or a locked gate, it is not open to the public. Please view from a safe distance.

Logging operations are taking place on the hillside above the mine, so be watchful of large trucks traversing the property.