Ducktown Basin Museum

The Copper Basin, also known as the Ducktown Basin, is a geological located mostly within Polk County, Tennessee which contains extensive deposits of copper ore, as well as many other minerals. Copper from the basin was extensively mined between 1847 and 1987.[1] Mining activities began to decline in the mid-1950s, and in 1978, the museum was established by a group of local citizens intent on preserving the heritage of the mining activities in the basin. Initially, the museum was located on Main Street in Ducktown. In 1982, the museum was moved to its present location.[2] The adjacent Burra Burra Mine was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) the following year.[3]

The museum is located in a building that formerly served as the headquarters of the Tennessee Copper Company, one of the major entities that operated mines in the basin. This site, jointly known as the Ducktown Basin Museum & Burra Burra Mine State Historic Site, is owned by the Tennessee Historical Commission, and consists of 10 buildings on 17 acres.[4] The first exhibit in the museum is a geological history of the Copper Basin. This is followed by several exhibits about the history of the mining and sulfuric acid production activities in the basin, as well as the lives of the miners and residents of the mining towns in the basin. Many artifacts from the mining activities are included in the exhibits. The museum also includes an exhibit about the environmental problems that resulted from the mining activities in the basin, and the subsequent cleanup and restoration efforts.[5]

• Copper Basin (Tennessee)
• Burra Burra Mine (Tennessee)
• Copper mining in the United States