Cannel City Union Church

Cannel City Union Church is an abandoned multi-denominational church in Morgan County, Kentucky.

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Cannel City Union Church is an abandoned multi-denominational church in Morgan County, Kentucky. It was dedicated in 1905 by Rev. W.W. Powell, a Presbyterian minister. ⁴

Cannel City was established in 1905 as a company town by the Kentucky Block Cannel Coal Company. ² The company operated from 1906 to 1913, employing up to 250 miners at its peak. Another operation, the Eureka Cannel Coal Company, employed 25 miners between 1906 and 1907. At its height, Cannel City featured a train depot for the Ohio & Kentucky Railway, along with several churches, stores, hotels, and banks.

Due to coal depletion and the onset of the Great Depression, the Kentucky Block Cannel Coal Company closed in 1933. ² The community declined rapidly, and the railroad was abandoned on November 1 of that year. ³ The Cannel City Union Church remained active until 1961 when it closed due to a dwindling congregation. ¹

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Sources

1. Miller, Robert. “Death of a Church.” Robert Miller Fine Art Photography. N.p., 2001. Web. 27 Aug. 2014. Article.
2. Lemaster-Applegate, Ann. “Morgan County, Kentucky Coal Camps.” Morgan County, Kentucky Genealogy. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014. Article.
3. Sulzer, Elmer G. “Cannel Carrier.” Ghost Railroads of Kentucky. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1998. 43-50. Print.
4. Jackson County Times, 1905.