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The Friends of Blair Mountain is a group of historians, archeologists and others dedicated to preserving the cultural and historical resources of the site of the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain in southern West Virginia. Our goal is to provide protection for the ten-mile long battle front. In order to do this, we are nominating the battle area for the National Register of Historic Places, based on its rich historical and archeological record.
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IN THE NEWS...
Dear friends and colleagues:
Preservation Alliance of West Virginia is pleased to announce that Blair Mountain was listed on the National Register of Historic Places March 30, 2009 (read our full press release)!
Nearly 20 years went into the effort to gain recognition for this site's incredible national significance as part of America's labor history. With support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, PAWV teamed up with the Sierra Club to push the nomination forward through the many challenges brought on by the coal companies.
PAWV thanks historian Barb Rasmussen, board member and chair of our Blair Mountain Task Force, for her extraordinary effort. We are also grateful for the excellent work of archaeologist Harvard Ayers. To Susan Pierce,
Erin Riebe and others at the State Historic Preservation Office, we appreciate so very much your support and professionalism throughout this endeavor.
A special thanks goes to the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing Blair Mountain on the 11 Most Endangered Properties List and working to increase the national profile of this important West Virginia site, and to Nell Ziehl in particular for all her support along the way.
Please join PAWV in celebrating this monumental achievement for preservation in West Virginia!
Karen Carper
Executive Director
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For more information about the Friends of Blair Mountain, contact
Harvard Ayers
Anthropology Department
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC 28608
828-262-6381
harvard@boone.net