As June approaches the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum in Marion, Ky., is gearing up for its third annual mineral show and dig.
If you haven't taken the time to visit the museum, you're missing out on a real treat.
The museum, located next to Fohs Hall in downtown Marion, is home to the world's largest collection of fluorite samples. Now that might not sound too interesting to the average Reality TV Show fan, but in fact it's quite intriguing. The museum displays its collection in gripping fashion with the use of fascinating lighting schemes. The region's storied mining history is also on display at the museum, which is named for the late Ben E. Clement, one of the country's foremost geologists in the early 20th century.
The county's rich fluorspar mining history is traced through documents, journals, displays and old machinery exhibited inside and outside the museum. Crittenden County is believed to be the first place in Kentucky where fluorspar was mined.
Tina Walker, manager of the museum, sent us a copy of a letter to the editor that a couple of visitors submitted to the Madisonville Messenger newspaper recently. Don and June Greenfield of Madisonville wrote, "there is a rare treasure in Marion in nearby Crittenden County. Rock formations more beautiful than I have ever seen anywhere are on display."
Walker was proud of the reaction from those visitors, but not surprised. Virtually everyone who views the collection of crystals and rocks is amazed at their beauty.
Later this summer, on June 7-8, the museum will host its big show and dig. The digs are especially attractive to rock hounds who come in from all across the country to scratch and scrape around on area farms in search of interesting specimens. They find dozens of beautiful rocks because this part of the country is known for its abundance of unique crystals and minerals.
For more online about the mineral museum go to MarionKentucky.US/ClementMineralMuseum.
Or check out this brief video footage at The Crittenden Press' YouTube Channel.
