Appalachian History

Mary Harris Jones (1837-1930), better known as Mother Jones, was an American labor organizer and one of the founders of the Social Democratic party (1898) and the Industrial Workers of the World (1905). Her August 1912 speech to striking coal miners in Charleston, WV was one in a series of organized activities which were blamed [...]

Reliving coal’s history to educate, entertain a community This article by Lisa Shrewsberry ran January 18, 2012 in the The Register-Herald of Beckley, WV. It is reprinted here with permission. Call her a living historian. The artistic meshing of rich heritage and exquisite hardship defining Appalachian culture is what coal miner’s daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter [...]