HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 27

(By Delegates Manypenny, Barill, Barrett, Campbell, Caputo, Diserio, Ferro, Fleischauer, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hunt,

 Iaquinta, Jones, Longstreth, Lynch, Manchin, Marshall, Miley, Moore, Morgan, Paxton, Perdue, Perry, Pethtel, Pino, D. Poling, M. Poling, Poore, Skinner, P. Smith, Sponaugle, Staggers, Stephens, Swartzmiller, Wells and Young)

Supporting the protection of the site of the Blair Mountain battle of 1921, in which thousands of coal miners fought for the right to organize to secure decent working conditions and wages in an armed civil uprising second only to the Civil War in scale and significance to the history of West Virginia and the United States.

    Whereas, West Virginia state history has its deepest historic roots in the struggle for basic human rights and dignity, from the abolitionists and the Underground Railroad to our tradition of sending our citizens off to serve the cause of freedom in our nation’s military; and

    Whereas, In 1921, some ten thousand of our state’s citizens banded together to end repressive conditions that existed in many of our state’s mines by exercising their First Amendment constitutional rights of free speech, assembly, and petition; and

    Whereas, The Armed March that culminated in the Battle of Blair Mountain became the largest civil uprising since the Civil War; and

    Whereas, The March on Blair Mountain and subsequent trials of participants therein had a major impact on the history of the American Labor Movement for decades to follow; and

    Whereas, The March on and Battle of Blair Mountain comprise watershed events in the civil and labor history of West Virginia and of the United States; and

    Whereas, Countless historic artifacts and artillery placements vital to the knowledge and understanding of the historic confrontation at Blair Mountain await discovery, cataloging and interpretation; and

    Whereas, Until recently, the scope and importance of the Battle of Blair Mountain were little known or understood within and beyond our state’s borders; and

    Whereas, Many agencies, groups and professionals concerned with the history and culture of West Virginia and the United States have made multiple attempts to preserve Blair Mountain; and

    Whereas, The boundaries of the nomination of the site of the Battle of Blair Mountain for listing on the National Register of Historic Places are narrowly drawn based on available archeological and historical evidence to protect the most important places; therefore, be it

    Resolved by the House of Delegates:

    That it hereby supports the protection of the site of the Blair Mountain Battle of 1921; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a certified copy of this resolution to the President of the United States, the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives.