From The Mine Wars Museum: Welcome to our new Union-Made Platform!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Matewan, which is about the Mine Wars, is one of my favorite movies and a must-see, especially if you pack a union card. Matewan was among the films I’d offer my American history students for extra credit. My wife and I were privileged to visit the previous West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, and Blair Mountain in 2018. The museum was closed when we were in Matewan, which is in Mingo County just over the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River from Pike County, Ky. But staffer Kim McCoy kindly opened it up and gave us a guided tour. Click here to read the story on our website.

By KENZIE NEW WALKER

West Virginia Mine Wars Museum 

The Mine Wars history is of people banding together for their rights and we've made the leap to a communications platform with the same values! We're excited to announce that from now on the Mine Wars Museum will be using Action Network, a union-made and union-led platform, to share the latest updates on museum events, programs, online archives, and more!

Since 2015, we have worked to educate & preserve a people’s history of the Mine Wars in West Virginia and beyond! The covid pandemic made 2020 a difficult year, but we met the moment, bringing exciting exhibits and resources both in person and online for everyone to to access while staying safe.

Thanks to your support, we moved the Mine Wars Museum into union-owned building in town with three times the space for even more inspiring and inclusive exhibits! Our Creative Director, Shaun Slifer, redesigned and expanded our exhibits, we opened the Solidarity Gallery, featuring the photography of Roger May and began the creation of an on-site research and archival facility that guests can use when it's safe to reopen our doors to the public.

We also just went live with our new and improved redesigned website for easy access to all WV Mine Wars Museum online resources, educational curriculums, archives, and to help you plan your trip when it's safe to come visit!

The pandemic has kept us closed, but we've been working hard to bring the museum to you. We digitized our entire collection of artifacts and are currently building online exhibits for you to get sneak peeks of the new space until you can come see us again. Our Museum Director, Kenzie New Walker, is also a center-holder with the enormous task of organizing for the many Blair Centennial events this Fall.

After the successful first season of our online Mine Wars Forum interview series, we're excited to make more episodes! This past year featured Chris Cooper, Steve Earle [UMWA International District 12 vice presidentI and a member of the Kentucky State AFL-CIO Executive Board], Crystal Good, and more! If you missed out, you can still watch them on the Museum's YouTube Channel.

To keep all these current and future projects going and growing, please consider making a donation to the Mine Wars Museum by clicking here or below. Any amount, large or small, adds up to keep the Museum afloat, our bills paid, and our programs viable until we can gather together again.

Thanks for walking alongside us and supporting the Museum while we reclaim and retell a buried history, together. We're so glad you're here!

In solidarity,

The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum 

You can also click here to support the Museum's Work!

401 Mate Street, Matewan, WV, 25678, United States