Matewan, West Virginia, is quite the interesting and historic town for such a small place tucked away in the hills of Appalachia. Matewan is located in the corner of Mingo County just across the line from Pike County, Kentucky. Matewan has never registered a population over 1,000 people yet it remains one of the more recognizable names in West Virginia for its storied past. The major events that have come to define the area are the Hatfield-McCoy Feud, the Battle of Blair Mountain, the West Virg

Matewan is home to some of the richest history in these United States. From the Hatfield-McCoy Feud down to the Mine Wars, Mingo County is a fascinating place for such a small area. Matewan is also home to what is now known as the Matewan Massacre (or the "Battle of Matewan") pitting coal miners seeking to unionize versus the hired "detectives" of the coal company. The bullet holes you can still see in this video show the scars from a time in our past where miners and coal companies got along ab

Here's the 44th episode in my Exploring Appalachia series, and I'm excited to share a NEW episode with you! In this episode I explore the key locations and events that culminated in the MINE WAR Battle of Blair Mountain. ***I tried sharing it here on Facebook yesterday, but it appears the platform throttled my ability to share it. There is certainly information in this one that has been suppressed for decades, not least of which is the age old struggle between the powerful and the exploited. Thi

One of the best scenes about what unions were meant to be, from "Matewan," a movie by John Sayles. Featuring the great James Earl Jones. (Warning: Racial slurs.) | Brandon Weber