We have a mid-week extra podcast episode for you, available ONLY on our podcast YouTube channel, Stories of Appalachia Podcast. It’s our story of the Battle of Blair Mountain, the
In 1902 coal miners struck the mines along the New River, seeking better wages and better working conditions. The strike continued until February 25, 1903, when a massive gun battle
Our story of the West Virginia Mine Wars continues at Matewan, West Virginia, where a famous gun battle left several mine company hired guards dead, along with the town mayor,
For a century and a half the king of central Appalachia has been coal. That mineral powered the industrial revolution in America, made some men and corporations very wealthy and
One hundred years ago an anthracite coal strike was in full force in the Pennsylvania coal fields, after coal operators in the state rejected UMW demands on wage rates, hours,
During the Great Depression of the 1930s coal miners in Harlan County, Kentucky, struck against the coal operators for better pay and better working conditions. These strikes often turned violent
In the 1930s the Harlan County coal war, also referred to as “Bloody Harlan,” occurred. A series of strikes, bombings and gun battles between striking miners and coal company guards,
On June 17, 1922, a tremendous explosion happened at the Thealka mine near Paintsville, Kentucky, killing two miners starting up mine equipment. This blast was no accident. Join us today
One of the first labor uprisings in the coal industry happened in the 1890’s, in Coal Creek, Tennessee. The miners were forced to compete with prison labor, at much less
One hundred years ago this month the largest labor uprising in American history occurred in southern West Virginia when striking coal miners gathered with weapons and headed toward the Appalachian