Millfield in Athens County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Millfield Coal Mine Disaster
November 5, 1930
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., January 4, 2009
1. Millfield Coal Mine Disaster Marker
Ohio's worst mine disaster occurred in this Sunday Creek Coal Company mine when an explosion killed 82 persons. Among the dead were the company's top executives who were in the mine inspecting new safety equipment. Nine hours after the explosion, rescuers discovered 19 miners alive underground, three miles from the main shaft. The disaster attracted national press coverage and international attention, and it prompted improvement of Ohio's mine safety laws in 1931.
Erected 1980 by the Ohio Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is November 5, 1930.
Location. 39° 25.987′ N, 82° 4.649′ W. Marker is in Millfield, Ohio, in Athens County. It is on Millfield-Jacksonville Road (County Route 27), on the right when traveling east. Marker is about one mile east of the village of Millfield. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Millfield OH 45761, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Hocking Hills. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Ohio River Valley, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Millfield Mine No. 6 - 1205 Disaster (approx. one mile away); Todd and Tony Carr Memorial (approx. 2.8 miles away); The Clean Energy Generated By Our Solar Panels Will Save Both Money & The Planet
this page online
More about this marker. The marker is painted a unique black with silver lettering instead of the typical Ohio Historical Marker scheme of brown with gold lettering, probably to depict both the color of coal and the tragedy of the loss in the mine explosion.
Regarding Millfield Coal Mine Disaster. Sigmund Kozma, who was sixteen years of age and the last of the nineteen mine explosion survivors, died in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, 3 January 2009, at the age of 97.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., January 4, 2009
2. Millfield Coal Mine Disaster Marker
The smoke stack is one of the few remaining ruins of the mine complex.
The Mine Site Today (2010)
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The Mine Site Today (2010)
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Credits. This page was last revised on January 5, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 25, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 5,166 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 25, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
