After over a decade tucked away inside storage boxes, Shaun Slifer, our museum's Creative Director, has photographed and cataloged hundreds of these artifacts. Archaeologist/anthropologist Ethan Karnes, a West Virginia native and graduate of Marshall University, has built an interactive site around this collection.
We're proud to showcase these incredible artifacts to the public for the first time through this unique online exhibit marking the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Blair Mountain!
This project is supported in part by a grant from the National Coal Heritage Area Authority
.30-30 casings found at Crooked Creek area of Battle of Blair Mountain battlefield, discovered during archeological surveys in 2006
Between 2006 and 2009, several archaeological digs led by Kenny King, Harvard Ayers, and Brandon Nida explored remote spots along Spruce Fork Ridge in southern West Virginia. Stretching over ten miles through Logan County, this steep mountainous area was the site of the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain. These surveys uncovered incredible evidence of guerilla war on Appalachian soil, and were instrumental in the struggle to save much of the battlefield from strip mining.
