Southern West Virginia and the Struggle for Modernity

229 Pages·2011·2.57 MB·English

by  Christopher Dorsey

Southern West Virginia
and the Struggle
for Modernity
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CONTRIBUTIONSTOSOUTHERNAPPALACHIANSTUDIES
1. Memoirs of Grassy Creek: Growing Up in the Mountains
on the Virginia–North Carolina Line. Zetta Barker Hamby. 1998
2. The Pond Mountain Chronicle: Self-Portrait of a Southern
Appalachian Community. Edited by Leland R. Cooper and Mary Lee Cooper. 1998
3. Traditional Musicians of the Central Blue Ridge: Old Time, Early Country, Folk
and Bluegrass Label Recording Artists, with Discographies. Marty McGee. 2000
4. W.R. Trivett, Appalachian Pictureman: Photographs of a Bygone Time. Ralph E. Lentz II. 2001
5. The People of the New River: Oral Histories from the Ashe, Alleghany and Watauga Counties
of North Carolina. Edited by Leland R. Cooper and Mary Lee Cooper. 2001
6. John Fox, Jr., Appalachian Author. Bill York. 2003
7. The Thistle and the Brier: Historical Links and Cultural Parallels
Between Scotland and Appalachia. Richard Blaustein. 2003
8. Tales from Sacred Wind: Coming of Age in Appalachia.
The Cratis Williams Chronicles. Cratis D. Williams.
Edited by David Cratis Williams and Patricia D. Beaver. 2003
9. Willard Gayheart, Appalachian Artist. Willard Gayheart and Donia S. Eley. 2003
10. The Forest City Lynching of 1900: Populism, Racism, and White Supremacy
in Rutherford County, North Carolina. J. Timothy Cole. 2003
11. The Brevard Rosenwald School: Black Education and Community Building
in a Southern Appalachian Town, 1920–1966. Betty J. Reed. 2004
12. The Bristol Sessions: Writings About the Big Bang of Country Music.
Edited by Charles K. Wolfe and Ted Olson. 2005
13. Community and Change in the North Carolina Mountains:
Oral Histories and Profiles of People from Western Watauga County.
Compiled by Nannie Greene and Catherine Stokes Sheppard. 2006
14. Ashe County: A History; A New Edition. Arthur Lloyd Fletcher. 2009 [2006]
15. The New River Controversy; A New Edition.
Thomas J. Schoenbaum. Epilogue by R. Seth Woodard. 2007
16. The Blue Ridge Parkway by Foot: A Park Ranger’s Memoir. Tim Pegram. 2007
17. James Still: Critical Essays on the Dean of Appalachian Literature.
Edited by Ted Olson and Kathy H. Olson. 2008
18. Owsley County, Kentucky, and the Perpetuation of Poverty. John R. Burch, Jr. 2008
19. Asheville: A History. Nan K. Chase. 2007
20. Southern Appalachian Poetry: An Anthology of Works by 37 Poets.
Edited by Marita Garin. 2008
21. Ball, Bat and Bitumen: A History
of Coalfield Baseball in the Appalachian South. L.M. Sutter. 2009
22. The Frontier Nursing Service: America’s First Rural
Nurse-Midwife Service and School. Marie Bartlett. 2009
23. James Still in Interviews, Oral Histories and Memoirs. Edited by Ted Olson. 2009
24. The Millstone Quarries of Powell County, Kentucky. Charles D. Hockensmith. 2009
25. The Bibliography of Appalachia: More Than 4,700 Books, Articles, Monographs
and Dissertations, Topically Arranged and Indexed. Compiled by John R. Burch, Jr. 2009
26. Appalachian Children’s Literature: An Annotated Bibliography.
Compiled by Roberta Teague Herrin and Sheila Quinn Oliver. 2010
27. Southern Appalachian Storytellers: Interviews with Sixteen Keepers
of the Oral Tradition. Edited by Saundra Gerrell Kelley. 2010
28. Southern West Virginia and the Struggle for Modernity.Christopher Dorsey. 2011
29. George Scarbrough, Appalachian Poet: A Biographical and
Literary Study with Unpublished Writings.Randy Mackin. 2011
30. The Water-Powered Mills of Floyd County, Virginia: Illustrated Histories,
1770–2010.Franklin F. Webb and Ricky L. Cox. 2011
31. School Segregation in Western North Carolina: A History,
1860s–1970s.Betty Jamerson Reed. 2011
Southern West Virginia
and the Struggle
for Modernity
CHRISTOPHER DORSEY
CONTRIBUTIONSTOSOUTHERNAPPALACHIANSTUDIES, 28
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
To Lowell O’Dell.
You will be missed.
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
Dorsey, Christopher, 1972–
Southern West Virginia and the struggle for modernity / Christopher
Dorsey.
p. cm. — (Contributions to Southern Appalachian studies ; 28)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-6049-6
softcover : 50# alkaline paper
1. West Virginia—History. 2. Economic development—West
Virginia. 3. West Virginia—Civilization. 4. West Virginia—Politics
and government. I. Title.
F241.D67 2011
975.4—dc23 2011021776
BRITISHLIBRARYCATALOGUINGDATAAREAVAILABLE
© 2011Christopher Dorsey. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, i ncluding photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without p ermission in writing from the publisher.
On the cover: insetmassive explosion and mountaintop removal site (Giles
Ashford); foregroundTamarack Economic and Cultural Center in Beckley,
West Virginia (Roger Spencer Photography)
Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Je›erson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
ONE. The Rediscovery of Appalachia and the Coming
of Industrialization 13
TWO. Life and Death in the Early Company Towns 31
THREE. The Coming of the Unions and the Paint Creek–
Cabin Creek Strike 47
FOUR. Profiles in Corruption and Failed Government: The
Matewan Massacre and the Battle for Blair Mountain 62
FIVE. FDR’s Legacy: The Great Depression and Continuing
Problems with Public Welfare, Agriculture, and
Unemployment 73
SIX. Health and the Mountaineer: Perspectives on Public
and Occupational Health 105
SEVEN. Democracy Lost: Political Corruption and the Impact
on Political Involvement 120
EIGHT. Culture, Identity, and Modernization 136
NINE. Mountaintop Removal and the Battle for Hearts
and Minds 158
Conclusion 183
Chapter Notes 189
Bibliography 205
Index 215
vii
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Acknowledgments
Several organizations and individuals were instrumental in the devel-
opment of this book. First, the U.S. Navy’s Graduate Education Voucher
Program allowed me the funding and time necessary to pursue graduate
studies at Syracuse University. The faculty and staff of the Master of Social
Science program at the Maxwell School were first rate, and the interdis-
ciplinary nature of the program created a perfect environment for this type
of project. Although the entire faculty was supportive and extremely help-
ful, I would like to convey special thanks to Dr. Norman Kutcher, Dr.
Mehrzad Boroujerdi, and Dr. Stephen S. Webb. To Dr. David H. Bennett,
I extend an especially heartfelt thanks. Without his understanding, flex-
ibility, and direction, this book would not have been possible.
I would also like to thank those who were helpful during the research
process. Of particular note are Robert Fletcher, D.D.S., Nicholas County
Prosecuting Attorney James “P.K.” Milam, Principal Bill Dobbins, and the
staff at Summersville Public Library who, through their assistance with
access, support, and personal interviews, provided a wealth of information.
Finally, I would like to thank the families, friends, and citizens of southern
West Virginia. Despite the negative stereotypes and the educational and
economic roadblocks that remain even today, the true mountaineer spirit
strives to persevere and overcome.
For the purpose of this study, “southern West Virginia” refers to
Mason, Jackson, Roane, Calhoun, Gilmer, Lewis, Upshur, Randolph,
Pocah ontas, Webster, Braxton, Clay, Nicholas, Kanawha, Putnam, Mason,
Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln, Boone, Fayette, Greenbrier, Monroe, Summers,
Mercer, McDowell, Wyoming, Raleigh, Mingo, and Logan Counties. The
reason for this is a combination of geography, economics, and socio-eco-
ix