mining museum

Such a great historical museum of Platteville's beginnings. Many neat artifacts and interesting for all ages!

One of the neatest things about the mining museum is descending into the underground. 90 steps down ( and up) take you 50 feet below the earth's surface. Just standing in the cool air ( you will want to take a light jacket or a sweater) of the rock tunnel is a fun experience. The admission price of $10 gets you into two different but adjoined museums. The mining museum is the more elaborate of the two but both are worth your time to fully explore. Our young guide did his best to tell of the process of lead mining, the work of the different miners and the equipment that was used. Also, how the experienced lead miners from Cornwall, England changed how the process was done. So for something out of the norm this is a very interesting place to visit. The attached Rollo Jamison museum has one man's life long collection of stuff. And quite interesting a lot of it is. When Rollo's girlfriend of 4 years said she wanted to get married he said "you may love me but eventually you will hate my collection so this is goodbye". Rollo was "married" to his collection and it was a life long love affair. Take your time to see all that he amassed and quite a bit of it can be touched and enjoyed. So for a small city, Platteville has something it can be proud of. When nearby take a few hours to absorb Southwest Wisconsin, both above ground and underground. Don't be afraid to take young children as our 7 and 9 year old grandchildren loved both museums. And be warned that if climbing 90 steps is an issue you will miss the best part of the complex. So take your time on the steps and don't miss the best part.

Very nice museum along with the mining museum. $10 for both museums and lots of cool collections and things. Highly recommended

Our guide for the mine tour was exceptional and we learned a lot we did not know. Be aware that you descend 90 steps into the mine and climb out the same way! The Rollo Jamison museum (attached) is one man's collection of local history and it is also well worth the visit. We especially enjoyed pumping the pedals of the player pianos.

This museum is wonderful. I especially liked the artifacts from the area and information about how life would have been lived in the time period. The tour of the mine is well done - old timey style, to be sure, but informative and intriguing. And riding the coal train was fun.

We toured the lead mine as part of the Rollo Jamison museum. You get to do both for one admission charge making this a must do when you're in the area. Inexpensive, informative and only takes a few hours. The lead mine is a lot of fun. It is cool down in the mine so a sweatshirt is helpful. There are also quite a few steps to go down and back up, so be prepared for that. Once in the mine, it's very interesting to see what those mine workers went through. They do have mannequins set up to illustrate all the different techniques that were used to mine for lead. They show how tunnels were dug and shored up to prevent collapse. There are many of the tools and equipment that were used in the mine so you get a total feel of what it was like working down there.Once you come back up, the tour continues to the elevator building where the lead, rocks and mining debris where lifted from the mine. They have a rock breaking platform where big rocks were smashed and separated and prepped for loading on train cars.In the warmer weather, you can finish off the tour with a fairly rough train ride around their property. This is to show what the mine workers had to endure to ride the 4 or 5 miles of tunnels to get to the days dig site. Definitely a very tough way to earn a living in those days.Great history, interesting displays and knowledgeable tour guides made for a fun stop for a few hours. Kids will love it for sure and adults who are history buffs will also get a kick out of it. Definitely recommended.

Very nice museum and mine; the price is very reasonable. We went 60 feet below ground to the 1824 lead mine.

The Rollo Jamison and the Mining museum are worth the visit if you are in Platteville. Go into the old Bevan's lead mine and the tour guides do a nice job of providing the history on the mine. Kids can ride the train in summer.

This is one of those stops for the history buff. Many authentic pieces are on display and knowledgeable people are there to answer your questions. It isn't a stop that will fill your day, but it shouldn't be skipped if you're in the area.

It's always a fun and informative trip when you go to the Mining museum. MAny interesting things to see and learn about,

The history of mining in SW Wisconsin was very interesting. Museum has a good collection mining equipment and information on the Driftless region and the lead and zinc mining in that area. Tour guides were knowledgeable.

My wife and I love visiting this museum and all of what Southwestern Wisconsin has to offer. This is a very historic museum and you actually get to go down into a mine. It's only $9 to visit both museums on the property plus a train ride is included. I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in Wisconsin History.

Bring a jacket because the mines are cold. So cool to go down and get to see what mining was like at the time. Everyone was knowledgeable and friendly, even suggesting other things to do. Great experience for the kids.

My young kids enjoyed the museum. A tad simple not a lot of exhibits.

We paid for admission to both the Rollo Jamison and the Mining Museum, both are very good. The Mining Museum includes a tour of an actual lead mine (Bevans) which includes an area they have set up to represent nearby zinc mines. Accessing the mine requires walking down 90 steps and the mine is realistic – slippery, cold and dark – so dress appropriately. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, and they have mannequins in period clothes to help show the scale of the mine and the working conditions. Above ground you get a ride in an ore car, a tour of the headframe, and some exhibits on the history of mining in the area, which are all very interesting and enlightening.Because the mine is dark and slippery, and the exhibits aren't hands-on, I think it is more appropriate for kids 6 years of age and older, although you can just pay $1 for the train ride, which younger kids would enjoy.