On Saturday, November 2, 2024, more than 200 people came to the beautiful Blackwater Falls State Park to hear rare recordings and re-enact interviews with early West Virginia mining families. The show was broken into three panels.
Until now, these stories - preserved on reels of magnetic tape and stored in an archive—have remained unheard. West Virginia University students are transcribing the interviews, and community members are bringing Early Mining Voices to life through programs.
Originally from Saint George, Shaffer was the Davis Coal and Coke Company’s blacksmith! During the ‘22 strike, the company brought up a few dozen scabs from Georgia. Once they realized they were scabs, the new workers did not labor, but the company would not pay for transportation back home. As one of the first union organizers, Shaffer hired an attorney and convinced the company to pay for the journey back home of the Southern scabs.
Frank, who came of age in Yugoslavia, came to Thomas because he knew his neighbor back home had gotten a job there. As a single man, Frank struggled to find consistent work, bouncing from timbering, to mining, to farming. He remembers the ‘22 strike vividly: miners picketing for pay raises while screaming policemen pointed machine guns at the crowd.
Charlie grew up in Thomas, WV, but spent most of his life in Pierce, WV, only a few miles away. In his transcript, Losh details the dramatic shift the community faced when the mines started shutting down; Pierce’s population went from a few hundred to thirteen families in just a few decades.
A coal miner since he was 11 years old, Frank Colabrese, originally born in Italy, raised nine children in Douglas, WV. An influential member of the community, the Colabrese name is easy to find in Tucker County; the North Fork’s “Barbershop Falls” was named due to its proximity to Frank’s barbershop.
Peter was born in North Carolina but ended up in West Virginia because his boss at the time became the superintendent in Davis, WV. He worked on railroads, for the tannery in Davis, and in several mines. Peter remembers a thriving black community of over 100 people. By the time he was interviewed, Barmer’s family were the only ones left.
Nichols, fathered by a Lithuanian immigrant, talks of mine explosions, union busting, pay cuts, coerced voting, diverse communities attracted by work, and a lack of jobs. His mining jobs, which he began when he was 12, varied from harnessing coal-hauling mules to loading coal underground.
Elza was born in Randolph County, and after spending most of his mining career at Point Marion, he came to Benbush, attracted by open job listings and the mine’s union. Elza recollects the good work but dwindling employment that came after WWII.
Julia, the daughter of Italian immigrants, and Patsy, an Italian immigrant himself, made a humble living for themselves in Thomas, WV. Over their lifetime, Julia and Patsy secretly paid union dues throughout the 1920s, witnessed the industry’s gradual mechanization, and experienced the collapse of the local mining industry.
Patsy was 13 when he set sail for America from Italy. He eventually found his way to Thomas, WV because his uncle spoke of the town’s “civilized” nature. Patsy’s interview discusses horrific mining accidents, the area’s many unionization efforts, and how mine operators decided who miners voted for.
A coal miner his whole life, Carl was down in the tunnels until the age of 60. Margaret, Carl’s wife, remembers hired policemen, what they called “thugs,” ambushing and beating any potential union organizer that came into town. Carl and Marget also lived through the Great Depression, which often required families to move around for work.
Jack came to Pittsburgh from Yugoslavia when he was 28 years old, eventually finding his way to Tucker County, WV, because of a family connection. There he met Jennie, another Yugoslavian immigrant. Bouncing between mining towns, they ended up raising two children in Pierce, WV, which they remember as the best days.
During the strike of ‘22, William was working for the Babcock Lumber Company. Although he was unaffected by the unrest, Kline remembers the company imprisoning striking miners in a tennis court and sending them off to Parsons, WV. Their train would crash, killing one and injuring many.
