Black Diamond Museum

05/30/2026

Get your costumes ready! As part of the upcoming America 250 Celebration & Heritage Day, we are thrilled to host a Costume Contest! 🇺🇸✨

In addition to all the other fun activities planned for the day, this is your chance to show off your creativity and celebrate our shared community history.

We can't wait to see your fantastic creations!

05/27/2026

While digging in the archives, we stumbled across a really curious report detailing the full closure of the Franklin Airshaft. If you've ever enjoyed looking into the depths, just know those fancy rails weren't always there!

This project was done by the Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission Engineering Section and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in 1984. Their mission was to close multiple mines in the area, none more well known then this one! The shaft is originally the Franklin #2 vertical shaft, which cut through various coal seams below as a way help with expansion, help get material down there and help with airflow. It's rather unique since most of our mines are dug on a slope!

This is also the part where we have to remind you that this area has coal mines going back to the 1880's and you never know if something like this still hidden in the brush out there! So do be super careful as you enjoy the woods.

05/22/2026

05/18/2026

Black Diamond is making history on June 6th! We are taking over Railroad Avenue and bringing three massive milestones together for one unforgettable day:

🇺🇸 Celebrate America’s 250th
🏛️ The Museum’s 50th Anniversary
⛏️ The Official Ribbon Cutting of the Renovated Coal Mine

Join us from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM for a packed schedule of family fun. We’re talking an Antique Car Show, a parade of flags led by the Fife and Drum Corps, Welsh Day festivities, and an official kickoff with George Washington himself!

If you love local history, you won't want to miss this one. The best part? Its free for all to come on down!

05/07/2026

We need your keen eyes to help complete the puzzle.

This photo features the Black Diamond Grade School 1st Grade class of 1957-58, taught by Mrs. Bisson.
We’ve identified several students, but many seats are still "Unknown." Do you recognize a face, a family member, or even yourself in this lineup?

Here is the current roster:
Front Row: Lillynne Bremmeyer, Debby Evans... Who are the others?

Middle Row: (Unknown), (Unknown), Mike Chilcott, Gary Davis, (Unknown), Jimmy Kuzaro, Helen Lynch, (Unknown), Margie Botts, Elaine Timm, Dave Elder, Barb Ruppert.

Top Row: (Unknown), Kenny Darby, Stan Konoske, Larry Barnes, (Unknown), (Unknown), David Media, (Unknown).

If you can fill in any of the blanks, please drop a comment below or send us an email!

05/04/2026

Did you know away soccer teams purposely LOST when they played in Black Diamond? ⚽⛏️

With the 2026 World Cup coming right to our backyard in Seattle, we’ll be looking back at the coal company soccer leagues of the Pacific Northwest. Towns like Black Diamond, Ravensdale, Newcastle, and Maple Valley used to battle it out on the pitch... and sometimes off it.

According to a local player Jack Thompson, the "home-team advantage" in Black Diamond was very real. Our miners had a reputation for feuding on and off the pitch, especially if they lost. “They liked to lose,” Thompson said of the visiting teams, “so they wouldn’t get beat up afterwards.”

But there was a silver lining for the losing squad. After a match, it was customary for players to head down to the wine cellars in the Italian section of town and drink to their hearts' content.

“If you came to Black Diamond, you were better off losing,” Thompson remembered. “Cause you’d be in a wine cellar drinking free wine instead of winning and not be able to drink because your jaw hurt like hell.” 🍷🥊

Original article:
https://blackdiamondhistory.wordpress.com/2020/07/15/immigrants-brought-serious-soccer-chops-to-town/

Pictured is the fairly well decorated Black Diamond team of 1940!

05/01/2026

Our next-door neighbors and coal-mining cousins over in Ravensdale were recently featured on King County TV!

Like Black Diamond, Ravensdale is built on a rich, resilient, and sometimes surprising history. From the early booming coal days and the tragic 1915 explosion to a wild era as a Prohibition bootlegging capital, this video is a fantastic spotlight on the stories right in our backyard. Give it a watch!

1 like. "Ravensdale - A Town of Surprising Stories"