West Virginia Mine Wars Museum

The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum will deepen community partnerships and support cultural tourism as the area recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic by preserving the apartment of Sid Hatfield (1893–1921), police chief of Matewan and hero to southern West Virginia’s union coal miners. The museum also will develop a participatory mural inside the stairwell leading up to Hatfield’s apartment. The museum will work with Coalfield Development, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rebuilding Appalachia, and longstanding partner United Mine Workers of America Local 1440. Over the course of a year, the museum will plan, lead, and host community meetings with key stakeholders to envision, identify, and prioritize the many potential uses for this space. Based on these conversations, the project team will generate design mock-ups and programming activities and seek feedback on their proposal.