Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

Many thanks to the Charleston Gazette for their report. Below is an excerpt:

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Blair Mountain — site of the historic 1921 coal-mining labor battle — has been named to the National Register of Historic Places, state officials and advocates for the designation said Monday.

The designation, made by the Keeper of the National Register, includes a 10-mile stretch of Logan County ridges where thousands of miners fought federal troops as part of a United Mine Workers organizing fight. The designation covers about 1,600 acres, along a fairly narrow strip that runs northwest from near the town of Blair.

Labor historians and environmental activists have sought the designation for years, with those efforts increasing more recently as part of the fight over mountaintop removal coal mining.

“This is a major victory,” said Bill Price, a Sierra Club staffer who worked on the project. “We are just thrilled at the Keeper’s decision and of the recognition it gives to labor history in Southern West Virginia.”

But the designation does not block mining, and according to state officials could not have been made unless land-owning companies in the area agreed to it.

“It’s an honorary listing, principally, that recognizes the area’s historical significance,” said Susan Pierce, director of historic preservation for the state Division of Culture and History.

For more information, read the entire article and visit the Coal Tattoo Blog.

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