Gone Progressive

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:

One can see the word, "Progressive" handwritten next to each local that seceded from the UMWA.

According to the Decatur Herald, the Progressive Miners of America claimed to represent 34,000 of the state's 45,000 union miners when it was founded in September, 1932.

Thanks to the UMWA's Lisa Andrew for sharing this interesting find.

Looking For John L. Lewis

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.

John L. Lewis grave site. The sign in the foreground was added in recent years.

Lewis is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, IL, the same cemetery which provides the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln. Lewis' death in 1969 generated little interest or anguish.

In it's June 13, 1969 obituary, the New York Times commented:

"The death of the most dynamic, the most constructive, and surely the most colorful of American trade union chiefs has aroused no such emotions - for the simple reason that Lewis' era has since long passed; for fifteen years, at least, he and his works have belonged to history. To say this is in no way to belittle the founded of the C.I.O., but to comment, further, on the swiftness with which history moves in these times, rendering big men and bigger movements 'irrelevant' to the young and nostalgic even to the middle-aged."



For those interested in visiting, click here for a map with directions to the grave.

Blair Mountain Update

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.