Cinder BottomCinder Bottom
Today we take another trip to Keystone, West Virginia. Last time we were here, we told of a bank failure so huge it was a forerunner of the financial crash
Category: The Coalfields
Mother Jones, Part TwoMother Jones, Part Two
Today we continue the story of labor activist Mother Jones, beloved by generations of Appalachian coal miners. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RadioPublic, TuneIn,
Mother Jones, Part OneMother Jones, Part One
A woman born in Ireland who immigrated to, first, Canada, then the United States, became a schoolteacher and dressmaker. The tragic loss of her husband and children led eventually to
An Insurance Scheme in Pike County, KentuckyAn Insurance Scheme in Pike County, Kentucky
What do you get when you mix a coal mine, explosives, and greed? Why, you get today’s bit of Appalachian history, of course! Today we tell the tale of an
The Massacre at LattimerThe Massacre at Lattimer
On September 10, 1897, more than a dozen coal miners, mainly eastern European immigrants, were shot and killed by police while on strike at the Lattimer mine in Hazelton, Pennsylvania.
April 5, 2010 – Upper Big Branch Mine ExplosionApril 5, 2010 – Upper Big Branch Mine Explosion
On this day in 2010 Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, suffered a coal dust explosion, killing 29 out of the 31 miners working at the
McClureMcClure
Today we tell the story of the explosion at the McClure Number 1 Mine in Dickenson County, Virginia, in 1983, resulting in several fatalities including the first fatality of a
A School Shooting In GrundyA School Shooting In Grundy
In the winter of 2002 tragedy struck the coal town of Grundy, Virginia, when a Nigerian student at the Appalachian School of Law there opened fire on faculty and students