2/10/2011
Coal Culture Lecture Series
The Coal Culture of West Virginia Public Lecture Series will kick off on Monday, February 14 with a presentation on the dramatic events of the coal mine wars that took place in the early 20th century in West Virginia. The lecture will be presented by Dr. Fred Barkey, Professor Emeritus of the Marshall University Graduate College. The Beckley Center at Concord University and the Coal Heritage Highway Authority are offering this series of four public lectures on coal history at the Erma Byrd Center on Airport Road. The lectures are free and open to the public and will be presented at 7:00 p.m. on the second Monday of February, March, April and May and will take place in Room E 10. For more information, contact the Beckley Center of Concord University at (304) 256-0270, extension 1.
Dr.Fred Barkey is the one of the most distinguished labor historians in West Virginia. In addition to a long career in university teaching, Barkey serves as the President of the Board of the Coal Heritage Highway Authority. He is well-known for his insightful (and often humorous) presentations about the history of labor in West Virginia and the impact of the mining industry on cultural development in the state. In this lecture, he will discuss the mine wars in the early 20th century and the influences of the Italian miners. Although not a requirement, an article entitled Here Come the Boomer Tallies is available to read at the Raleigh County Library, in preparation for this evening’s talk.
The lecture series will continue on March 14 as Dale Payne discusses his recently released book, The Mine War: 1912-1913 Cabin Creek and Paint Creek. The book commemorates the 100th Anniversary of this significant event. Dale will speak about the working and living conditions on Cabin Creek and Paint Creek in the first decade of the 20th Century and discuss the events that led up to this historic strike.
On April 11, Raleigh County physician, Dr. Donald Rasmussen will be joined with former VISTA worker Craig Robinson. They will talk about their efforts in the early 1970’s to organize coal miners about the growing problem of Black Lung. Their efforts became national in scope and some Southern West Virginia miners were asked to address the U.S. Congress about this issue. The landmark legislation that resulted can be directly attributed to their efforts. They will talk about their experience in this grass-roots community endeavor.
The series will culminate with a concert by well-known singer, musician and storyteller Jim Costa. A Summers County resident, Jim Costa is a fiddle player, banjo picker, raconteur and collector of historic tools and tales. Jim will regale us with the stories and legends of the railroads and the coal camps. In addition, he will bring artifacts from his extensive collection, showing us how men and women worked in days gone by.
The public lecture series is a part of an academic class at the Beckley Center of Concord University in the Appalachian Studies Department. The class, Coal Culture in West Virginia is taught by storyteller and historian, Karen Vuranch. “This class has been very popular with the Concord students,” Vuranch states. “Many of them have family that worked in the coal industry and they get a better understanding of the impact of the coal industry as well as the cultural experience of the coal camps.” Vuranch went on to say that the course covers the history of labor in both West Virginia and the U.S. Students taking the course for credit hear lectures, watch films and participate in field trips that help them better understand the rich history of coal in West Virginia. One of their assignments is to gather oral history about the coal camps. Community members are also welcome to audit the course, where they attend all sessions without having to complete assignments for a grade. The four public lectures that are open to the public are also a part of the course.
All events take place at the Erma Byrd Higher Education Center on Airport Road and are free and open to the public. For more information about the academic class, the lecture series on Monday evenings contact the Beckley Center of Concord University at (304) 256-0270.
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