Eureka No. 4 Mine

The Eureka No. 4 Mine was a coal mine operated by the Eureka Coal Company in the Cahaba Coal Fields in Helena. The mine was opened in 1917.

The mining village surrounding the entrance was once called the Roebuck community, with several thousand residents. C. I. Hinds was the mine's fireboss. Miners M. C. Martin and William Mimms died in a rock fall in the mine on October 25, 1918. Another miner, J. T. Banks, died in a scaffold collapse in the mine on February 5, 1920.

Eureka No. 4 was closed in 1925 and sealed up some time later, with large boulders placed over the opening.

In 2012 the site was leveled to accommodate a new building for Helena High School. The inscribed concrete head slab from the former mine portal was removed and donated to the Helena History Museum. The nearby hoist tower was also dismantled and stones from its foundation saved for use on the school campus.

References

• "Eureka, they found it!" (November 2011) No Sleep in Helena
• Brookhart, Laura (December 13, 2011) "Exploring Helena’s Eureka mine shaft." Shelby County Reporter
• Alabama Coal Mine Fatalities, 1898-1938. Birmingham Public Library Local Databases - accessed December 13, 2011