Earnest labor leader joe kenehan chris cooper, a time to kill arrives in matewan to better the lives of the men and women in this company town. Restaurants latin american restaurants mexican restaurants. Project director yvonne dehart project coordinator matewan development center, inc. Feb 3, 2016 a few pictures of matewan, west virginia. The events and underlying forces that led to it were more important then those at the ok corrall. Testerman, and don chafin, this book tells the story of a clash between workers and. Mine wars museum opens with battle of matewan reenactment. The museum is dedicated to educating the public about the events of the mine wars era, including the history of the united mine workers of america in the local area. Grand forks herald north dakota a captivating new book.
Coal accounted for about onethird of all the jobs in the county and more than half of the total income. Inside lived the wives and children of coal miners who were fired months earlier for trying to unionize. The west virginia mine wars museum held its grand opening on saturday. The staff at variety magazine lauded the acting in the film, writing, matewan is a heartfelt, straightahead tale of labor organizing in the coal mines of west virginia in 1920 that runs its course like a train coming down the track. The west virginia mine wars were a complicated, inspiring, and tragic series of. Features medeival west virginia, by gracie stovergolden mother jones in court, play written by bob and carol damron mother jones, links to mother jones websites.
As the gunfight ended with detectives and coal miners sprawled on mate street and black powder smoke still wafting through the air, the reenactment came to a. They were met by some of the best talent of the baldwinfelts detective agency, who were contracted by the stone mountain coal. The wv mine wars museum preserves and interprets artifacts and historical. The battle of matewan was a shootout in the town of matewan in mingo county and the pocahontas coalfield mining district, in southern west virginia. See more ideas about west virginia, virginia and pictures. Politics, coal, and the roots of conflict in a west virginia mining community. Among the memorable characters is joe kenehan chris cooper, a young union organizer who comes to matewan to buck the bosses. View all hotels near matewan depot replica and museum on tripadvisor.
The matewan massacre is often cited as the opening of the west virginia mine war of 192021, which escalated into an armed conflict involving thousands after hatfields murder at welch later in 1921. It began in the small railroad town of matewan when mayor c. The west virginia mine wars are a dramatic and often overlooked chapter of american history. The mine wars tells the overlooked story of the miners in the mountains of southern west virginia native mountaineers, african american. Collins used real characters from history in her books, several of whom she is related to. The coal mining massacre america forgot the mountains of southern west virginia are riddled with coaland bullets child coal miners with mules in gary, west virginia in 1908. Changes come to matewan with new focus on tourism west. This backward situation has begun to change slightly with john sayles film matewan in 1987. Most historians of west virginia and appalachia see this event as the beginning of a long series of tribulations. The museum is dedicated to educating the public about the events of the m. It occurred on may 19, 1920 between local coal miners and the baldwinfelts detective agency. Goldenseal book of the west virginia mine wars our price.
Oral historian rebecca bailey west virginia university interview conducted on june 15, 1989 project sponsor matewan development center inc. Four months after its opening, the mine wars museum was awarded the coal heritage award for interpretation. Matewan was one of the towns that became the center of the defiant coal miners and their families. With chris cooper, james earl jones, mary mcdonnell, will oldham. Watch the mine wars american experience official site pbs. Yoho takes the true story of the coal wars in the 1920s in matewan, wv, where coal miners were fighting for unionization against the stone mountain coal. The bulk of his book is about two mine wars that took place in west virginia in. On 19 may 1920 a party of 12 baldwinfelts private detectives led by albert and lee felts arrived in the small town of matewan, west virginia.
A portrait of wilma lee steele, a board member of the mine wars museum in matewan. West virginia history celebrated labor historian james green tells the story of west virginia and coal like never before. In the early 1900s in the coal fields of southern wv, miners faced desperate circumstances. West virginias coal mines had a higher death rate than any other state in the union in the first decade of the 20th century. Umwa local 1440,matewan wv, matewan, west virginia. The mountains of southern west virginia are riddled with coaland bullets. However, unionized coal mines in southern west virginia are on the wane now, and have been for some time. They had been busy evicting the families of striking miners from company housing on behalf of the stone mountain coal company and were now on their way back to the baldwinfelts headquarters in bluefield.
Where is the ken burns of the coal mine wars, or of the labor movement, or of appalachian history. Matewan white pages phone books in west virginia wv. Politics, coal, and the roots of conflict in a west virginia community. A river baptism on the border of kentucky and virginia. Matewan is a peaceful little town of 500 with a railway depot, homey restaurants, and scenic hiking trails. West virginia mine wars museum independent history museum covering the mine wars era. It was bituminous coal in west virginia, and it was organization, not settlement that she was aiming for. Matewan before the massacre west virginia book company. Based on the coal wars in wv during the 1920s, this is the story of joe coming to town to organize the strikers into a union.
Watch the mine wars american experience official site. The gunfight in downtown matewan on may 19, 1920, had all the elements of a. Whitepages provides the top free people search and tenant screening tool online with contact information for over 250 million people including cell phone numbers and complete background check data compiled from public records, white pages and other directories in all 50 states. Here is the first known mention of her travel to matewan originally spelled matteawan.
The west virginia coal wars 191221, also known as the mine wars, arose out of a dispute. A small town in 1920s west virginia explodes when unionist miners clash with the owners of a tyrannical coal company in this critically acclaimed film from writer producer john sayles lone star. Politics, coal and the roots of conflict in a west. The gunfight in downtown matewan on may 19, 1920, had all the elements of a highnoon showdown. If you youve seen john sayless evocative film matewan 1987.
With help from mary mother jones harris jones, an important figure in unionizing the mine workers, the miners demanded better pay, better work conditions, the right. Ap the story of the west virginia mine wars is on display at a new museum in matewan. We provide answers to over 2 million searches every day, helping 35 million users. The west virginia mine wars museum, located in downtown matewan, offers artifacts and interpretations of the events. James greens the devil is here in these hills the new york times. There have been a couple of books by journalists about the era, only one or two by historians. Harlan county war battle of evarts the battle of matewan also known as the matewan massacre was a shootout in the town of matewan in mingo county and the pocahontas coalfield mining district, in southern west virginia. Matewan depot replica and museum 2020 all you need to.
Below ground they withstood some of the worst working conditions in america. The few safety laws on the books were rarely enforced. In the 1980s, writer denise giardinas storming heaven offered a wideranging portrait of southern west virginias coal camps, while film director john sayles matewan focused on. Store smithsonian journeys smithsonian channel smithsonian books. Baileys book makes early twentiethcentury mingo county come alive and. You wouldnt guess it, but in 1920, a bloody battle took place on these peaceful streets. The norfolk southern railways pocahontas district runs through the town.
The wv mine wars museum preserves and interprets artifacts and historical records of the local communities affected by the mine wars, exploring historical events from multiple perspectives through the lives of ordinary people. West virginia public broadcasting also has an excellent collection of education resources for background on the mine wars and coal camp life. If you have any articles we can use on the coal mine wars of west virginia, send to gracie stover. Although world war i briefly distracted union organizers and coal. Coal miners had been seeking to organize a union in response to practices like being paid in scrip. The west virginia coal wars 191221, also known as the mine wars, arose out of a dispute between coal companies and miners the first workers strike, in west virginia, was the cabin creek and paint creek strike of 191219.
This book looks at the short conflict which took place in southwest west virginia when violence escalated, first when private detectives in the pay of the coal companies got into a gunfight with locals in matewan when the detectives came out to evict the families of miners trying to unionize. May 19, 1920 gunshots rang through the streets of matewan, west virginia, in an event soon known as the matewan massacre. This historical coloring book is designed to be an interactive way for kids to learn. The awardwinning museum highlights the battle of matewan and the following labor uprising that would come to be known as the battle of blair mountain the largest labor uprising ever in the united states. See more ideas about mingo county, west virginia, mingo. It doesnt get as much attention, maybe because it was a more serious matter. On the morning of may 19, 1920, a squad of seven private security agents arrived in matewan, west virginia, to evict a handful of families from their homes. A labor union organizer comes to an embattled mining community brutally and violently dominated and harassed by the mining company. The story of west virginias four mine wars and other thrilling incidents of its coal fields, morgantown, west virginia, west virginia university, 1969. The downturn of the coal industry hurt matewan, like much of southern west virginia. West virginia, 19071933, charleston, west virginia, appalachian editions, 1979.
Aside from telling riveting stories of labor battles, green also dissects how the mine wars are interpreted today. Most historians of west virginia and appalachia see this event as the beginning of a long series of tribulations known as the second mine wars. It occurred on may 19, 1920 between local coal miners and the baldwinfelts. The coal mining massacre america forgot history smithsonian.
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