PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Save Historic Coal Miner Battle Site From Strip Mining Destruction
  1. Signatures
    2,291 out of 2,500
    Petitioning
    1. Secretary of the Interior (+ 2 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Secretary of the Interior (Ken Salazar)
      • Interim Keeper, National Register of Historic Places (Carol Shull)
      • Executive Asst. to W. Va. Culture and History Commissioner, Randall Reid-Smith (Bethany K. Cline)
  2. Created By
    Change.org
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

The Battle of Blair Mountain was the largest armed conflict on American soil since the Civil War and the largest labor confrontation ever. It erupted when more than 10,000 West Virginia coal miners confronted an industry-backed army for a week in 1921.

Never heard of it? That's because West Virginia has, for years, resisted preserving or commemorating the site. Nowadays, major coal companies Arch Coal and Massey Energy (the one responsible for the deadly explosion in April) own a lot of the land and hold permits to blast away the landscape for the most devastating of all coal mining practices: mountaintop removal mining. They literally want to erase history here.

This can be stopped. If only the National Register of Historic Places would list the site, then its preservation would be required. Except that federal official ultimately turned down a listing this year -- amid objections of 57 "landowners" filed by the state. According to activists, however, this list is flawed and some of these people are even dead. And, already, Friends of Blair Mountain has documented the distrubance of five locations on the 1,700 acre site.

Tell Interior Department officials and the state of West Virginia to save the site of the Battle of Blair Mountain without delay. It's time to stop the destruction of West Virginia and preserve this one small example of rebellion from the grip of Big Coal.

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Preserve the Battle of Blair Mountain Historic Site

Greetings,

I recently heard that the National Register of Historic Places de-listed the Battle of Blair Mountain site and just refused a petition to reconsider.

It's also upsetting to know that instead of preserving this unique site in the history of the U.S. labor movement, coal companies may literally erase history by blasting away the landscape. Mountaintop removal mining not only devastates the landscape, but also harms the communities nearby.

I strongly urge you to protect this site with all haste. It is not only an important piece of history, it is symbolic of the current struggle to make sure West Virginia's coal mining industry respects its workers' safety and the environment.

[Your name]

Press Inquiries