Mine fires, broken bones and head injuries caused by falling coal were common in the mines of Southeast Ohio between 1870 and 1920.
“At the time, this was the most dangerous occupation,” said Cheryl Blosser, a historian and office coordinator for the Little Cities of Black Diamonds Council. “These men contributed not just their work but so many other things to the area, and I wanted to make sure they are remembered. … They don’t get the recognition they deserve.”
Now, one local entity is dedicated to keeping the memory and spirit of the Little Cities of Black Diamonds alive. The Little Cities Archive “collects a lot of history of the area” in the form of artifacts, books and media, photos, documents and biographies, said John Winnenberg, a founding member of the Little Cities of Black Diamonds Council, which oversees the collection.
Old news stories about mine fires, biographies and photos of miners populate the archive, which is updated regularly. Anyone can contribute a personal story about life in the Little Cities by visiting the “your story” section of the archive’s website.
Allowing people to share their stories gives the Little Cities of Black Diamonds Council another way to preserve the history of the region.
“It’s important so people have a sense of the place they live in and so visitors understand what went on in these communities that are now a shadow of themselves,” Winnenberg said.
The council is also keeping the miners’ names in the area’s collective consciousness by creating and keeping a Miner’s Registry.
The Miner’s Registry was created to gather all the names of people who have worked in coal mines in the Little Cities of Black Diamonds area. More than 3,000 names were collected when the registry was first published in 2008.
“We now have 4,700 and some names,” Blosser said. “Which is a lot, but we still have a long way to go.”
Blosser is intent on adding as many names as possible to the registry, which will be printed as a booklet again once it reaches 5,000 names. The list can be downloaded from the archive website as a spreadsheet.
Ron Luce, the executive director of the Athens County Historical Society and Museum who frequently works closely with the Little Cities of Black Diamonds Council, said the registry has great significance for the area.
“I think historically I would love to have the names of all the miners who have worked in the area to show to the world that they are valued,” Luce said.
Though many of the names have come from newspaper accounts, old census records and mine inspection reports, Blosser added that the descendants of the miners are integral to the registry’s growth.
“Families are going to have to help us,” she said. “If there are no paper records, we need the family’s help.”
The Miner’s Registry includes the miners’ names; their birth and death dates; any injuries they incurred as miners; and the town and mine in which they worked. Although complete information is not listed for every miner in the registry, committing their memories to paper is one way the Little Cities of Black Diamonds Council is keeping them from disappearing.
“I love the stories,” Blosser said. “Men getting hurt is not funny, but it does show you how dangerous the job was, and the family stories are the most heartwarming.”
The physical archive is located on West Main Street in Shawnee, Ohio, and though it does not hold regular hours, visits can be arranged. The archive is also accessible online at littlecitiesarchive.org.
bm257008@ohiou.edu
