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Characterized as "the greatest domestic armed conflict in American
labor history" by historian David Alan Corbin, the Battle of
Blair Mountain has assumed legendary status among academics and the
general public alike. The shooting war in 1921 pitted union and anti-union
forces against one another in the mountains of West Virginia. It culminated
in the arrival of federal troops at the governor's request and bears
the distinction of the only time the United States has bombed its
own soil.
The battle did not result in the immediate unionization of the southern
West Virginia coal fields, but through the confrontation, the United
Mine Workers of America won a moral victory. It brought broad exposure
to the everyday injustices endured by working men and women in the
mines, and support for unions grew. Union efforts in the area were
eventually vindicated with the passage of the National Industrial
Recovery Act, which in 1933 legalized the right of coal miners to
join a union without the fear of reprisals from mine owners or operators.
Now, more than 80 years since it was part of a pivotal moment in American
labor history, Blair Mountain itself is under attack. A mountaintop
removal permit is pending on land where parts of the battle occurred.
Mountaintop removal mining has already destroyed so much of our Appalachian
cultural and environmental heritage. Now it threatens one of our most
hallowed historic sites.
The Sierra Club has joined with other local organizations to add the
Battle of Blair Mountain site to the National Register of Historic
Places. This designation would not only acknowledge the historic value
of this site, but also preserve Blair Mountain from the destruction
of mountaintop removal mining.
Leaders Hold Event to Call for Historic Preservation
SIERRA CLUB PRESS RELEASE
LOGAN, WV- On April 21, former Congressman Ken Hechler; Wess Harris,
publisher of When Miners March; former Sierra Club Board President
Robbie Cox; Mari-Lynn Evans, executive producer of The Appalachians
documentary; and community residents came together to call for Blair
Mountain's addition to the National Register of Historic Places. They
urged the State Historic Preservation Office to honor our communities
and our heritage by recommending the site for listing at its May 6
meeting.
More than 80 years ago on Blair Mountain, 10,000 coal miners rose
up against armed federal troops in defense of their rights to unionize.
The undeclared civil war that followed lasted ten days and became
known as the Battle of Blair Mountain.
Today, another battle is being fought there. Coal companies are planning
to decimate this historic landmark using mountaintop removal methods.
Local citizens, historians, the Sierra Club, and the Friends of the
Mountains Coalition believe that Blair Mountain is too integral a
part of West Virginia history to be destroyed by this irresponsible
practice.
"Mountaintop removal mining on Blair Mountain, the scene of America's
largest labor uprising, is like strip mining for coal on the Civil
War battle site at Droop Mountain. The Sierra Club supports the abolition
of mountaintop removal mining and all forms of steep slope surface
mining," said Robbie Cox, former Sierra Club Board President.
Today, despite widespread efforts to preserve this valuable place
as a historic site, a mountaintop removal permit is pending on land
where parts of the battle occurred. Mountaintop removal blasts the
earth and rock of mountaintops apart and pushes the debris into valleys.
This irresponsible mining practice has already destroyed too much
of our Appalachian cultural and environmental heritage. Now it threatens
one of our most hallowed historic sites.
"The people of West Virginia have asked for my help to abolish
steep slope surface mining for years," said Ken Hechler. "The
destruction has continued to increase, and concern is growing. We
can't afford to allow this attack on our mountains anymore. Now is
the time to abolish steep slope surface mining, on Blair Mountain
and throughout our state."
Blair Mountain forms an important part of a rich Appalachian history
that is gaining nationwide attention. Starting May 8, WV public television
will air The Appalachians, a unique documentary that relates the human
history of the region through story and song. When Miners March, a
history of the struggle of West Virginia's coal miners during the
last years of the 19th century and first half of the 20th, is also
making headlines.
Wess Harris, publisher of When Miners March, said, "Currently
we are in negotiation for a major motion picture regarding the Battle
of Blair Mountain. We want to shoot it on site and there has to be
a site to shoot it on."
Elaine Purkey, wife of a Union coal miner stated, Blair was once a
vital community. The Battle on Blair Mountain is part of the history
of the community. By destroying Blair, the coal industry is once again
saying they don't care about working people.
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