Tomorrow is the debut of the American Experience look at the West Virginia coal mine wars of 1920-21. These battles took 50 lives, and you can't overstate their importance in US history. But it's not something we hear much about.
You can watch the first part here. It starts with the enigmatic Mother Jones, just as it should, and her organizing that eventually led to the stand-off a few years later.
Preview:
I've been undergoing a crash course in mining labor history, as I'm working to get the Mother Jones Museum in Mt Olive, IL, up and running (along with Rosemary--one of the talking heads who appears early in part 1), and turning my grad students loose on suggesting themes for the May Day celebration at Mother Jones' grave in Mt Olive. There was a labor battle (literally) in nearby Virden, and MJ vowed to be buried with her 'boys' in the UMWA cemetery in Mt Olive.
We had a guest at the last board meeting, a gentleman who made the pilgrimage to Blair Mountain and secured several shell casings from that battle, which he donated to the museum at the behest of the treasure hunter.
Donor with our board chairman. History in action!
Shells from company and militia rifles, stones from significant sites, a chunk of Blair Mountain coal, replica scrip booklets.
Anyhoo, it's American Experience so it's well done. If you become so taken by the history, then please consider a donation to the Mother Jones Museum! We hope to have the exhibit plans up in the next few months, and will begin more fundraising for its realization.
Mother Jones also spent time rabble-rousing with the socialists in SE Oklahoma.
You can watch the first part here. It starts with the enigmatic Mother Jones, just as it should, and her organizing that eventually led to the stand-off a few years later.
Preview:
I've been undergoing a crash course in mining labor history, as I'm working to get the Mother Jones Museum in Mt Olive, IL, up and running (along with Rosemary--one of the talking heads who appears early in part 1), and turning my grad students loose on suggesting themes for the May Day celebration at Mother Jones' grave in Mt Olive. There was a labor battle (literally) in nearby Virden, and MJ vowed to be buried with her 'boys' in the UMWA cemetery in Mt Olive.
We had a guest at the last board meeting, a gentleman who made the pilgrimage to Blair Mountain and secured several shell casings from that battle, which he donated to the museum at the behest of the treasure hunter.
Donor with our board chairman. History in action!
Shells from company and militia rifles, stones from significant sites, a chunk of Blair Mountain coal, replica scrip booklets.
Anyhoo, it's American Experience so it's well done. If you become so taken by the history, then please consider a donation to the Mother Jones Museum! We hope to have the exhibit plans up in the next few months, and will begin more fundraising for its realization.
Mother Jones also spent time rabble-rousing with the socialists in SE Oklahoma.