Greene County Historical Society is starting up their 2016 programming on Friday.

President Dale Hanaman says tomorrow’s program will be on the “Greene County Coal Mines”. Organizer Mary Weaver has been in contact with 92 year-old Artage Zanotti who lives in Charles City, but worked in one of the coal mines in the county in the summer of 1931.

“This coal mine was in the Squarel Hollow County Park (and) started in 1931 by Andrew Zonatti, the father of Artage and his business partner Joseph Strachan. So it’s about the coal mining that went on along the (Raccoon) river in Greene County. There are some markers on the east side of the river, there are some markers there that point out where the coal mine was.”

The program will also include a short video of the coal shaft that was made in 1934 by the late Harold Radebaugh of Rippey. There is also a display of a coal mine at the museum in Jefferson.

It will take place at the United Methodist Church in Cooper at 1pm. It is free and open to the public.