Windber Strike of 1922-23

Somerset County, PA

Marker Text: Windber-area Berwind White workers joined a national strike by United Mine Workers of America in April 1922 for improved wages and working conditions, civil liberties, and recognition. The strike lasted 16 months; families of strikers were evicted from company housing. A City of New York inquiry exposed deplorable living and working conditions and urged nationalization of coal mines.

Location:  On Graham Avenue (PA Route 160) and between 13th & 15th Streets in Miner's Park, Windber, Pennsylvania in Somerset County across from the Arcadia Theater near prior marker post “Windber.” Erected by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 2003.

"We are no longer slaves and we are done loading three ton for two. We will never return under a scab system. We want union to protect our rights."
Striking miners at Windber, April 10, 1922

  Similar to my prior posts about the Battle of Blair Mountain and William Blizzard in West Virginia other conflicts between miners and coal companies occurred throughout the U.S. in the early 20^th century. A year after the Battle of Blair Mountain, miners in Windber, PA went on strike in 1922 to gain union recognition, preserve their pay rates, and have coal that they dug weighed accurately so they would be paid fairly by the ton.

Marker is in Miner’s Park the old train station in background, now a visitor’s center.  Click any photo to enlarge.

  These men were part of a much larger, national strike. Coal operators and the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) had agreed in 1919 to wage increases and other gains for workers, however, when the contract expired on March 31, 1922, coal operators were determined to roll back any gains. No agreement could be reached, so John L. Lewis, president of the UMWA, led some 610,000 miners out on strike during the first week of April, 1922. This was the first national strike by both anthracite and bituminous miners. The nonunion miners in Windber also fought for the right to have the UMWA bargain collectively for them and to end the autocratic control that the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company had over the mines and the community of Windber.

  UMWA leaders knew that having nonunion miners turn out was critical to winning the strike and the mostly immigrant miners in Windber wanted union help to win union recognition and curb owners power. Most of the miners in Somerset County are Poles, Russians, Slovaks, Hungarians, with a few Welsh and very few Irish. Many of them have been there for many years. In some instances, two generations have been working in these mines and the second generation is just as poor as was the first.

Flora Black (1870-1951)

Somerset County, PA

Marker Text: On this farm lived Flora Black, a civic leader active in the county and Commonwealth. Here on October 14, 1914, she organized the Society of Farm Women of Pennsylvania. In the ensuing years, groups in many Pennsylvania counties became Society affiliates, in furtherance of its aim to strengthen the role of farm women and promote better conditions in farm homes across the Commonwealth.

Location: On U.S. Route 219, three miles northwest of Meyersdale, PA.  Erected by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 2006. Note: This marker may have been a replacement for an earlier marker dedicated in 1989.

"Being it is necessary and advisable to perpetuate that which was good in the pioneer homes of our grandmothers; and to preserve their spirit of patriotism and sacrifice; to foster a love for the farm and rural life of today; to uphold the dignity of farming, to teach the responsibility that lies in working the soil; to enhance the charm of a real country home; therefore to create and maintain organized groups to accomplish these ends, we, the Society of Farm Women of Pennsylvania, do associate ourselves together and adopt this constitution" Preamble, Official Bylaws and Constitution, Society of Farm Women, 1951.

Photo taken looking north on Route 219.  Click any photo to enlarge.

  Flora Snyder was born in Somerset, PA on February 20, 1870. As a girl growing up in rural Pennsylvania, she helped her mother and learned the skills necessary to be a good wife and mother. After attending schools in Somerset, Snyder went to the Maryland College for Women. In 1883, she married Franklin B. Black and assumed the duties of a rural wife and mother of four children. She applied the knowledge she learned as a youngster to keep her family's home. She did miss the social networks she had experienced during her college years. Mrs. Black became convinced that farm women should also have time to get together for "fun and learning."

Warren County High School and Massive Resistance

Marker No. J-22
Warren County, Virginia

Marker Text: Warren County High School, a Public Works Administrative project, was constructed in 1940. In 1958, the local NAACP chapter, lead by James W. Kilby, won a federal suit against the Warren County School Board to admit African Americans for the first time, in response, Gov. James Lindsay Almond Jr. ordered it closed in Sept. 1958, the first school in Virginia shut down under the state's Massive Resistance strategy. Following the 1959 Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruling that Massive Resistance was unconstitutional, a U.S. Circuit Court ordered it reopened. On 18 Feb. 1959, 23 African American students walked up this hill and integrated the school.

Location: Close to street address, 240 Luray Avenue, Front Royal, VA in front of the Warren County Middle School, which is the former high school mentioned in the marker. Erected by the Department of Historic Resources in 2010

Former Warren Co. High School is on the hill and was recently remodeled for use as the Middle School.

  Today's marker is a recent addition to Virginia State Historical Markers, it was dedicated in Front Royal, VA on June 8, 2011. I attended the dedication of this marker and is the first and only dedication I have attended so far. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell recently issued a certificate of recognition to Warren County's survivors of Massive Resistance. On Saturday, an event was held at the Warren Heritage Society with the presentation of the legal document proclaiming Feb. 18, “Survivors of Massive Resistance Day” by Gov. McDowell.

John Paul Riddle, 1901-1989

Pike County, KY
Marker No. 2251

Marker Text: Aviation pioneer graduated from Pikeville College Academy in 1920. Flew plane under Pikeville’s Middle Bridge on July 4, 1923. Trained as a pilot in U.S. Army, he & T. Higbee Embry founded the Embry-Riddle Flying School in Cincinnati, 1925. Incorporated four years later as part of AVCO, which later became American Airlines. Over

Founded the Embry-Riddle School of Aviation in Miami, Fla. During WWII, trained pilots for U.S. and Britain. Later became Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ. Inducted into the Ky. Aviation Hall of Fame and Fla. Aviation Historical Society. Received British Empire award and honorary degrees from Pikeville College & E-R Aeronautical Univ.

Location: On Main Street near intersection with Division Streets, Pikeville, KY. Presented by the Pikeville-Pike Co. Tourism Comm. And erected by the Kentucky Historical Society – Kentucky Department of Highways in 2007.

  Eighty-eight years ago this July 4^th, John Paul Riddle flew a plane under the Pikeville's Middle Bridge in Pikeville, Kentucky. I don't know what bridge in Pikeville that might be. I have only been in Pikeville twice and never had the time to figure out where the bridge mentioned was.

Alan Freed (1921-1965)

Somerset County, PA

Marker Text: Disc jockey who coined the term “Rock & Roll” in the early 1950s. Freed used the term to describe up-tempo black rhythm and blues records he played as DJ “Moondog” on his radio show. Freed further popularized this music through TV programs, movies, and concerts, including what is considered to be the nation’s first Rock & Roll concert (1952). Raised in Windber, Freed was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Location: At Miner’s Park, near corner of Graham Avenue and 13th Street, Windber, PA. Erected by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 2003.

“He coined the phrase ‘rock and roll,’ and not only sparked the trend but fanned it into flame.” (Quote about Freed from article in Pageant magazine in July, 1957)

  Alan Freed, a well-known disc jockey was commonly referred to as the "father of rock and roll.” Freed is credited with popularizing the term “rock and roll” to describe the music style as he used the phrase in his public radio broadcasts in Cleveland, Ohio. The term rock and roll had been used in songs by other famous artists at the time prior to Freed using it.

Buffalo Creek Disaster

Logan County, WV

Marker Text: One of worst floods in US occurred here 26 February 1972, when Buffalo Mining Co. impoundment dam for mine waste broke, releasing over 130 million gallons of black waste water: killed 125; property losses over $50 million; and thousands left homeless. Three commissions placed blame on ignored safety practices. Led to 1973 Dam Control Act and $13.5 million class action legal settlement in 1974.

Location: County Route 16, Man, 1/2 mile from junction with Old West Virginia 10. Erected by the WV Celebration 2000, West Virginia Division of Archives and History in 2005.

   This year is the 39^th anniversary of the Buffalo Creek Disaster in Logan County, WV which occurred on February 26^th. I was in college when this disaster happened and I remember hearing the news accounts on television. At the time I was completely unaware of where Logan County, WV was or any knowledge of the terrain where this disaster occurred. Thirty years later I lived in Logan County for several years and heard stories of this disaster from residents. Interestingly, I meet individuals who had lost spouses, family and friends in this disaster and I did not know it, until someone else told me. The affected individuals seldom discussed the impact this disaster had on their lives. I came across this video about the Buffalo Creek disaster which shows how the hollow looks today set to music about the impact of the disaster.

Seven Minute Video with Song and Photos about the Buffalo Creek Disaster.

Pennsylvania Turnpike

Bedford County, PA

Marker Text: This is one of the original service plazas for the nation's first long-distance superhighway. On October 1, 1940, the Turnpike opened, stretching 160 miles from Carlisle to Irwin. The Turnpike Commission had been created in 1937; construction utilized the old South Pennsylvania Railroad's right-of-way and tunnels. By 1957 the Turnpike spanned 360 miles across the State and extended 110 miles north to Scranton.

Location: On the South Midway Service Plaza (west bound lanes), just West of Turnpike Exit 11, Bedford. Erected by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 1990.

  Last October was the 70^th Anniversary of the opening of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and since I am originally from Pennsylvania the ongoing joke was that the turnpike might be 70 years old but it is still under construction. I remember traveling on the turnpike in the 1960's during family vacations and as a kid the road was both fascinating and boring. The scenery from the road was not particularly exciting until you got to a tunnel and these were probably the first and only tunnels I can remember going through as a kid. I remember many trips stopping at the service plazas where this marker is located on either the east or west bound lanes. (There is a similar marker at the east bound service plaza.) While travel on the turnpike was not exciting for kids on vacation, the highways was important to the development and history of Pennsylvania and automobiles.

Meadow Farm – Birthplace of Secretariat

Caroline County, VA

Marker No. ND-10

Marker Text: This famous horsebreeding farm was established in 1936 by Christopher T. Chenery and continued under the management of his daughter, Helen "Penny" Chenery until 1979. Secretariat (1970-1989), also known as "Big Red," was born and trained here. A bright chestnut stallion with a white star and narrow stripe, he was a horse of uncommon excellence as he proved when he captured the Triple Crown in 1973. His win at the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths won him the love and admiration of the nation. Other notable Thoroughbreds such as Riva Ridge, Hill Prince and First Landing also were raised at Meadow Farm.

Location: On Dawn Boulevard (Virginia Route 30) at Route 652, 1.8 miles east of Interstate 95 and 0.4 miles east of Caroline/Hanover County line. Erected by the Department of Historic Resources in 1990.

Patsy Cline: Country Music Singer

City of Winchester, VA

Marker No. Q-4-i 

Marker Text: Patsy Cline (Virginia Patterson Hensley), world-famous singer, lived in this house. She was born in Winchester Memorial Hospital on 8 Sept. 1932. On 21 Jan. 1957 she won Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts national television show’s competition singing “Walkin’ After Midnight.” In 1961 “I Fall to Pieces” became a hit. Her iconic “Crazy” was released a year later. Her haunting voice took her to the top of the charts, and her style and popularity have never waned. She died in an airplane crash on 5 Mar. 1963 in Camden, Tennessee. In 1973, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Cline is interred at nearby Shenandoah Memorial Park.

Location:  At 608 South Kent Street, Winchester, Virginia near the intersection with East Monmouth Street. Erected by the Department of Historic Resources in 2005. 
 
  Until I moved to northern Virginia, I was unaware that the country singer Patsy Cline was born and was buried in Winchester, VA. I had driven by the Shenandoah Memorial Park where she is buried many times. A few years ago, I attended a production of “Always...Patsy Cline” at the Liz Spurlock Amphitheater in the Chief Logan State Park in Logan County, WV which is an excellent production about her life and music and well worth seeing if you have the opportunity. This production awakened a few memories of my childhood of hearing Patsy Cline singing on TV when our family only got two or three channels during good weather. I definitely remember the songs, “Crazy” and “Walkin after Midnight.”
 
Photo on the left is the bell tower at the Shenandoah Memorial Park, Patsy Cline’s grave is on far left behind the funeral home in the background.

  I don't plan to go into her life in any detail since there are many websites available to tell you a more complete story. One web site which is good is “A Tribune to Patsy Cline” has some good background and photos. Patsy Cline like many singers got their start singing in a church choir and in her case a Baptist church choir even though her initial interest was to become a dancer.  As the marker indicates she was born as Virginia Patterson Hensley. As a child, she was called “Ginny.” The name Patsy Cline developed from two things, the name Patsy came from her middle name “Patterson” which was her mother's maiden name. The name Cline came from her first marriage to Gerald Cline in 1953. Using the name Patsy was suggested to her by Bill Peer who helped her in her early career as opposed to using Virginia or Ginny. I had to remind myself of these facts in order to find her grave marker, since her marker uses the surname “Dick” which was her married name when she married Charlie Dick in 1957. Though the name “Patsy Cline” is on the marker you can miss it, unless you know to look for the name Dick.

Photo on the left, grave marker is at bottom of photo and bell tower is in the distance on the left.

  The movie “Sweet Dreams” is about Patsy's later life as a singer until her death. Patsy was good friends with Loretta Lynn and Patsy is portrayed in the movie about Lynn's life, “A Coal Miners Daughter.” Patsy unfortunately died at the age of 30 in a plane crash in Tennessee in 1963 and she left behind a wonderful legacy of songs, for which, she will always be remembered.  As mentioned on the historical marker Patsy Cline's big break in her singing career occurred after appearing on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts in 1957. Patsy had already been performing and recording music prior to this appearance, but Arthur Godfrey's show had the effect of helping to launch the careers of many performers to a national stage. Godfrey helped many performers, like, Patsy. Some notables include Pat Boone, Tony Bennett, Eddie Fisher, and Connie Francis.  

  The historical marker is located in front of the home where Patsy lived as a teenager and she worked in many of the businesses in the area, many that still exist. To the right of the house is a bulletin board with photos and information about Patsy. There is an annual gathering in Winchester of Patsy's fans on the occasion of her birthday in September. The Shenandoah Memorial Park where Patsy is buried is located on Route 522 south of Winchester on the right as you travel south. Her grave is located next to the road behind the Funeral Home's parking lot. There is a bell tower in the cemetery south of her grave which was installed in her memory. (Memorial plaque photo for Bell Tower above)