Voices from the Coalfields: The 1922 Strike in Thomas

In Tucker County, in the mountains near Blackwater Falls and Blackwater Canyon, the mining and railroad towns of Thomas and Davis sit nestled among the trees. The towns were founded by Henry Gassaway Davis and his brother, Thomas Beall Davis. Davis was founded in 1882, and Thomas followed in 1884 after the railroad had already been constructed. While Davis developed more as a lumber town, Thomas became known as a coal mining community. The history of this area is long and deeply rooted in industry, labor, and struggle. 

One of the most significant events in this history was the 1922 strike, often called the “Strike of ’22.” This marked the first major entrance of a union organization into Thomas. Many miners welcomed the union, hoping for better pay, stronger support, and stricter rules to improve their already difficult and dangerous working conditions. However, the Davis Coal and Coke Company strongly opposed unionization. With miners refusing to work and the company unwilling to negotiate, tensions escalated. 

The company called in the state militia, and around 150 individuals were rounded up in Thomas, West Virginia. They were temporarily held on a local tennis court before being placed on a train bound for Parsons Courthouse. Along the way to Parsons, the train derailed. One person lost their life in the wreck, eight were seriously injured, and many others were later exposed and captured. The derailment became one of the most dramatic moments of the Strike of ’22, reflecting the instability and conflict that defined the period. 

While official reports recorded the wreck in terms of arrests, injuries, and property damage, they often left out the human experiences behind the event. This is where the Mining Voices project becomes important. Through oral history interviews conducted by John E. Stealey III, including those of Charles Nichols and Mr. Frank Lenek of Thomas, we gain insight into how members of the community remembered the strike and the tensions surrounding it. These interviews help shift the focus from company records and state action to the lived experiences of miners and their families. By connecting the train wreck to these personal accounts, the history of the Strike of ’22 becomes not only a story of labor conflict and industrial control, but also a story of resilience, fear, and community memory in the coalfields of Tucker County.