Labor History Commons^™

Review Of Richard L. Davis And The Color Line In Ohio Coal: A Hocking Valley Mine Labor Organizer, 1862–1900, By Frans H. Doppen, Cicero Fain

History Faculty Research

Much has been written on union organizers' bitter struggle to establish collective bargaining in the coal mines of central and southern Appalachia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Mine operators regularly employed deprivation, intimidation, black and white strikebreakers, violence, and murder to enforce their will. Thus, one can imagine the enormity of the challenges facing an African American coal mine labor organizer during this era. Yet, this is the task Richard L. Davis took on "among his 'colored brothers'" in the "microregion known as the Little Cities of Black Diamonds," located in southeastern Ohio's Hocking River Valley (p. …

0737: George Gunnoe Papers, 1918-1943, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of photographs of Himlerville, the Himler Coal Company town, as well as scanned copies of photographs of 1937 and 1943 flood damage, and a survey book by George H. Gunnoe Jr. containing detailed surveys of Marshall College buildings by engineering students in 1937.

To view materials from this collection that are digitized and available online, search the George Gunnoe Papers, 1918-1943 here.

0660: Matewan Development Center, Inc., 1989-1995, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of 105 oral histories conducted at the behest of the Matewan Development Center, Inc.. Oral histories are on cassette tapes and include transcripts of the oral histories and floppy disks with some of the transcripts saved on them. The oral histories focus on Matewan history, especially labor issues and conflicts surrounding the Matewan Massacre as well as customs and life in Matewan.

Oral History Interview: James G. Matthews, James G. Matthews

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

James G. Matthews was a jack-of-all-trades. He worked as a coal miner for James C. Coal Company, worked for United Fuel Gas Company, the Nickel Plant, and as a mail courier. He also performed as part of a singing quartet. Mr. Matthews was born on May 30, 1902. He grew up on a farm near East Lynn, WV. After the death of his mother, Mr. Matthews attended elementary school on a part-time basis in order to work on the family farm. In the audio clip provided, Mr. Matthews discusses alcohol consumption and moonshine stills in East Lynn. During his interview, …

Oral History Interview: Burl Collins, Burl Collins

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

Burl Collins was born on October 25, 1903. He was raised in McDowell County, West Virginia. When he was 15 years old, he started his first job in a coal mine. He worked in this mine for 33 years. Mr. Collins married and had 11 children, including eight girls and three boys. He discusses the social, economic, and technological changes during his lifetime. In the audio clip provided, Mr. Collins discusses his wedding and marriage.