|
"The Matewan Massacre, as it is now called, on May 19,1920 was
the beginning of the modern day coal mining industry. It has gone down in history as possibly one of the deadliest single
shootouts in the United States and the turning point for the modern day United Mine Workers of America. The coal companies
hired the Baldwin-Felts Security Agency to evict local miners, who had joined the newly formed Local of the UMWA, from their
company homes. The miners got word of this and met the team at the Matewan Train Depot. There ensued a shootout that left
nine men dead and changed the future of coal mining forever."
Matewan
|
"Although there have been many family feuds over the history
of the United States that have been longer and bloodier, none have captured the imagination of the American people as the
Hatfield & McCoy Feud. This was mostly due to the burgeoning American press, which sent reporters in to talk to the families,
take photographs, and sensationalize the whole affair.
Many locals feel that the Hatfield & McCoy Feud was actually
a result of the Civil War. Anderson Hatfield, known as “Devil Anse,” fought for the Confederacy, and Randall McCoy fought
for the Union. The Civil War saw both sides fighting against neighbors and friends, and rumors were rampant about who shot
whom during the battles. Feelings ran high after the war, so it is not far fetched to believe that something as simple as
a misplaced pig was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The Tug River area along the West Virginia and Kentucky borders
saw the beginnings of this deadly feud. Devil Anse Hatfield’s home was located on the West Virginia side of the river near
Matewan, and he owned many acres of farmland along the banks of the Tug River, much of which, in later years, he sold to the
Norfolk and Western Railroad. Randall McCoy’s home was located on the Kentucky side of the Tug River."
Hatfield v. McCoy
|
