Five years ago, when I was just a few months on the job, I vividly remember a few of the officers–Danny, Hawkeye, and Frank–inviting me to UMWA Local 1440’s union hall for a conversation. It was one of many we’d have over the years, and though the Museum has always had a long and strong relationship with this local union, for me, it was the start of a long friendship and relationship. It was also like a big homecoming, seeing as three of four of my great grandfathers were UMWA coal miners–a working tradition that spanned in my family for generations.
We laid out the idea that the Museum could expand its exhibits and programming in a building they had just bought in town–a two story local bank that was built about 70 years prior. They invited the Museum to occupy nearly half of the first floor. We put pen to paper–what could this look like? In the coalfields, small towns like ours have witnessed tremendous change when corporations step out, and community members step in. The same is true for this building: it was purchased by Local 1440 who had the tenacity and know-how to revive an important community asset. It was a no-brainer: we joined them, hand-in-hand.
I then remember the board call we had in early 2019, when we collectively made a bold step forward to move and expand the Museum. It was eight months later, after the close of the Museum’s regular season, we packed up our exhibits and moved into the first floor of the old BB&T and former Matewan National Bank. We got to work on re-building the Museum, inch-by-inch, nail-by-nail, and board-by-board.”