
Former site of Peabody Mine No. 8 in Tovey, IL which was active from 1914 to 1954.
Mass picketing occurred here during the mine war. The state militia intervened on behalf of the coal company and the United Mine Workers to break the picket line.

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Labels: Hewitville, Peabody
Recently I had the opportunity to visit UMWA District 12 headquarters in Springfield, IL. While most of their historically relevant files are archived at Penn State University, District 12 does hold a partial card file which lists the union's locals during the time of the mine war.
Here's a video which shows one of the files:
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I recently visited Lewis grave accompanied by UMWA retiree, Larry Wilson, a long-time resident of Springfield who was unaware that Lewis was buried there. While the Mother Jones Monument in the tiny town of Mt. Olive is internationally renown, the location of John L. Lewis' grave site is relatively obscure. The lack of a grandiose monument seems to parallel the low profile Lewis adopted after retiring as head of the United Mine Workers in 1960.

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There have been some promising developments in the struggle to protect Blair Mountain and suspend mountaintop mining in the Appalachian Mountains. You can learn more about the historical importance of Blair Mountain by clicking here.
On Tuesday, March 24, Ilovemountains.org reported: "the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would suspend and review permits for two mountaintop removal coal mining operations — and put hundreds more mountaintop coal-mining permits on hold until it can evaluate their impact on our nation’s streams and wetlands."
In addition, the Charleston Gazette's excellent blog, Coal Tattoo reports, "the National Register of Historic Places has approved the long-sought nomination of Blair Mountain, site of the historic coal-mining labor battle in Logan County, W.Va., to the National Register."
There has been some controversy following the announcement. Initially it was reported that West Virginia state government had petitioned to have Blair Mountain removed from the list and federal protection. Since then the West Virginia Division of Culture and History denied that such a petition was filed.
Governor Manchin asserts that the rights of property owners trump historical preservation. I suspect those property owners are either coal operators or those who wish to profit from them.
Rep. Rahall and Rep. Capito support the protection of Blair Mountain. Remaining federal representatives including Senator Byrd and Senator Rockefeller have taken no public position.
More to come.
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Here's a late post to commemorate the Centralia Mine Disaster. The mine exploded on March 25, 1947, in Centralia, Illinois killing 111 miners.
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Labels: Centralia, John L. Lewis
Last year I was lucky enough to interview Sam Sabattini, a former resident of Bulpitt, IL as well as former member of the Progressive Miners of America. As a teenager Sabatinni participated in a number of union actions and witnessed mine war violence first-hand.
Following the fradulent contract referendum, west central Illinois miners organized a mass march to southern Illinois to join with their union brothers in the south.
On August 25, 1932, the Decatur Herald & Review reported: "Handbills urging union miners in this section to cease work and meet members of the army of miners from central and northern Illinois were dropped from an airplane over the coal fields and towns of Franklin county Thursday morning.
The text of the handbills: 'Miners of southern Illinois: "All out today. "Meet your 25,000 union brothers at the Franklin county line. "They have come to aid you to put an end to the gunman rule and terrorism which is being used to force you to work under a wage scale you have twice rejected. The miners of the whole district are with you. Down your tools today. Policy Committee, District No. 12. U.M.W.A.'"
Sabattini recalls: "The parade started in Christian County and they were gonna go down to West Frankfort and show the United Mine Workers a show of strength.
Well, between Du Quoin and Christopher there’s a little town called Mulkeytown, okay?
And the highway or the road between East Du Quoin and Mulkeytown was raised up because there was a drainage ditch on each side. Well, there was about 100 – or over 100 cars that were formulated from Springfield and they would pick up 10 or 15 cars as they went along.
The United Mine Workers down there let them get across the levy and then they opened up, not to kill. But I was riding in a car, a Model A Ford Wilshire with a fellow by the name of Red Rape and the United Mine Workers just shot into the door with pellets, not buckshot. But most every car that was there had bullet holes in the side door and Red turned that Model A around on the levy and away we went for home.
That was a harrowing experience. I was tickled to death to get the hell out of there."
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Labels: Mulkeytown, Sabatinni