John Sayles came to West Virginia in 1983 to start making his long-planned film on “The Matewan Massacre.” The film that was finally finished and released in 1987 is probably the most important cultural event in the history of the state. Thankfully, in fall 2008, Rebecca Bailey’s Ph.D. thesis, “Matewan Before the Massacre” has been published for all to read.

WVLC has a copy of the original thesis which is physically much more difficult to read because of its typeface, etc. . It also doesn’t have the excellent photos  included in this new version.

Ken Hechler loaned me the copy that the author sent him and after a few faulty starts, I started serious reading this weekend, taking time off from movies.

I tried to do the usual treatment that librarians do - read the concluding chapter. Luckily, I did find the time and I can attest that almost every page includes some amazing facts such as….

1. Almost all of the mines in Mingo County were mechanized by 1907 - a century ago.
2. The events of the Cabin Creek-Paint Creek Mine Wars in 1913 had a dramatic effect on what happened way down in Mingo.
3. The amazing history of Gov. Hatfield and his brother, etc. is explored in great detail. I was amazed that he physically attacked opponents, even when he was Governor. His brother was known for killing enemies and throwing them into the Tug River.
4. A group of never identified Italians robbed a coal company, and because they were all shot dead by an army of 500, no one has ever known where they came from. Local Italian miners refused to say a thing.
5. The nation truly depended on coal, including WV coal, for its energy source in 1920 - just as it does now for 50+ % of its electricity.

Professor Bailey has spent a lot of time in Mingo County, interviewing people there, and people who know about its infamous past. She has read the books, and most importantly, the newspapers of the region. I find the book fascinating because it truly explores many of the  forces in WV’s history other than unions and  coal companies. The book shows beyong any doubt that politics in Mingo County was a rough and dangerous business from the time of its creation in 1895 as the last county created in the state.

I remember reading my first book about the Coal Wars - Howard B. Lee’s “Bloodletting in Appalachia - The Story of West Virginia’s Four Major Mine Wars and Other Thrilling Incidents of Its Coal Fields.” I was scared…..I thought, “What have a gotten myself in to?”Recently I finally read David Corbin’s momumental book,” Life, Work, and Rebellion in the Coal Fields: The Southern West Virginia Miners, 1880-1922 “ which is still the best book on the entire world of mine wars. Hopefully, WVU Press will finally publish Dr. Fred Barkey’s Ph.D. thesis on “”The Socialist Party in West Virginia From 1898 to 1920: A Study in Working Class Radicalism.” (1971) which explores the importance of the Socialist Party in WV’s Mine Wars, in particular, the Cabin Creek-Paint Creek Mine War.

It is not only a perfect companion for Sayles “Matewan” but many of the other films released on the Coal Wars including “Mine Wars” by Bill Richardson and the two WVPBS films, “Even the Heavens Weep” and “In the Company’s Handys.”   I believe that Sayles has succeeded in bringing “the Eastern” back to life just as “Way Down East”(1920)   and “Tol’able David” (1921) did in their time so many years ago.

Autograph by author to Ken Hechler

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