Keeper Restores Blair Mountain Battlefield Site to National Register of Historic Places after Years of Legal Action by Coalition

WASHINGTON D.C.-- Today, the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places announced its decision to restore the site of the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain labor conflict to the National Register, protecting the site from mountaintop removal by the coal industry. This decision follows years of legal action brought by a coalition of environmental and historic preservation groups including Sierra Club, the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Friends of Blair Mountain, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, the West Virginia Labor History Association, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Battle of Blair Mountain is a central event in US labor history in the United States and one of the best known of the many labor struggles in West Virginia. The Battlefield in Logan County, WV was, in 1921, the site of the largest armed insurrection in the United States since the Civil War, as 10,000 coal miners clashed with mining company-financed forces over the right to unionize. In recent years, the legal battle to historically preserve Blair Mountain also includes protecting it from surface coal mining. After many nominations and revisions, the site was finally listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, only to be de-listed nine months later in a move that a court later declared to be unlawful. Over the next six years and through a series of coalition-led legal actions, the matter was remanded to the Keeper to review the events that led to the site's initial listing and subsequent de-listing. While the coalition has spent years protecting the site and the local community’s health for coal mining, the coal industry has repeatedly challenged all efforts to protect the site in order to maximize profits. Today’s victory has finally thwarted the efforts of the coal industry and has preserved a valuable piece of American and West Virginian history. The Battle of Blair Mountain site will continue to be a place for Americans to visit and appreciate the legacy of the labor movement while local communities will be protected from the hazards of coal mining.

In response,

"This victory is the culmination of a 12-year saga that took many legal twists and turns along the way in our efforts to save this part of West Virginia’s history.  Sustaining legal and activist action over such a long period requires unconditional commitment from fellow West Virginians, in particular Kenny King and Wilma and Terry Steele along with other coalition members,” Regina Hendrix, volunteer at the West Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club, said. “Countless people have devoted years of time and effort to uphold our local and national history, while protecting the wellbeing of our communities from coal mining."  

“West Virginia history is full of stories of brave hardworking people fighting injustice – perhaps none is more striking than the Battle of Blair Mountain. Reaffirming the Blair Mountain Battlefield's status on the National Register honors those brave West Virginia workers who fought for the right to organize for fair and safe working conditions. It also serves as an important reminder for all of us that the struggle is never easy,” said Cindy Rank, Chair of West Virginia Highlands Conservancy Mining Committee

“Mountaintop removal is a dangerous public health threat, destroying innocent lives and communities along with forests, streams, and mountains. In the case of Blair Mountain, mountaintop removal is also a threat to an important landmark of Appalachian culture and American history. Blair Mountain should be protected, because failure to protect this site is added insult to the very real injuries already imposed by mountaintop removal on the health of local communities,” said Vernon Haltom, Executive Director at Coal River Mountain Watch

“We are thrilled that this extremely important place is finally relisted on the National Register of Historic Places and is gaining the national recognition it deserves. The Keeper's decision allows us to seek additional protection from surface mining and gives us hope that very significant artifacts and historic sites may be studied and preserved for future generations,” Charles Keeney, Vice President of Friends of Blair Mountain, said. “The relisting of Blair Mountain on the National Register is a huge step towards protecting our heritage, respecting our environment, honoring the labor of coal miners, educating our children, and building a new economy for the 21st Century in Appalachia.”

“Oscar Thompson, a hard working West Virginian coal miner, fought on Blair Mountain in 1921. He was also my great grandfather. This victory is reflective of the hardworking West Virginians’ success at fighting for what they deserve, with passion and dignity. Today, I am so proud of the many who have been fighting this modern day battle for years and those who still fight for their rights to deserving pensions, honor, respect, and a quality of life,”  Natalie Thompson, Executive Director at Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition said. “May we continue to fight for our health, our homeplace, and our heritage.”