The Redneck Army planned to free their compatriots from jail, help win the Mingo strike, and unionize the southern counties. First, they would have to go through Logan County where Sheriff Don Chafin, whose salary was paid by coal operators, had assembled an army of three thousand deputies and mine guards. Chafin’s “Logan Defenders,” armed with machine guns, took defensive positions along Blair Mountain’s 15-mile ridgeline.
We—museums, descendants of the RedNeck Army, labor activists, musicians, teachers, history buffs, and more—gathered in early September to host and attend a slate of events across Central Appalachia, and online. We’re excited to bring it to YOU with a short film that recaps just a few of the #Blair100 Centennial events.
