During a recent research trip to the Wayland Kentucky Historical Society in Wayland, KY, one of the key coal camp towns of the Big Sandy River drainage in Floyd County KY, I was provided a copy of this fifty page book commemorating the first twenty years of UMWA Local Union 5895. The book was originally written and published by the local union as part of an anniversary celebration in 1953. It was reprinted by the Historical Society in May 2005. It is well worth the reading by any student of UMWA history, Floyd County, Wayland, Kentucky, Appalachia, the Big Sandy River, or trade unionism in general. The book states that "in a regular meeting in May, 1952 ...a motion was passed to instruct the President to appoint a committee and commission them to prepare a history of our local union to be printed in book form...". The committee was composed of the following members: Nobel Hobbs, Chairman; J. F. Dixon; Lawrence Mount; Charles Burnett; McKinley Parrigin; Robert Hicks; Joe Hicks, Secretary; Pete Mills; E. Hawk Moore; Guy Coleman; Charles Turner; and Roy Lykins. Let me state for the record that during my childhood and teen years I knew both E. Hawk Moore and McKinley Parrigin. It is also likely that I am distantly related to Robert Hicks who, along with his brother Joe Hicks, served the local union in a variety of roles for many years. They were both born at Mousie, KY, the birthplace of my father, Ballard Hicks. I did not know Guy Coleman but after his death I spent many hours in the home of his widow, Rusha Coleman, because of my friendship with their son Keith Coleman. Let me also state at the outset of this review of this book that the committee did an excellent job with the book, especially in light of the fact that they were all working full time jobs in the mines, were generally also performing other unpaid duties for the union, and were, in most cases, only educated at the high school level. The Wayland Historical Society is also to be commended for their efforts to reprint the book and making it available to a larger audience in the second generation copies. I had never seen a copy of the original text and I am certain that, like many small publishing projects, few copies of the original exist today.
This book may be only fifty pages but it contains a treasure trove of information for members of all the groups I listed in my opening paragraph. There are photos and biographies of many of the early officers of Local 5895. There are nine brief written chapters detailing the first twenty years in the life of the local union. There are group photos of the local union officers in 1953 and the committee which produced the book. There is a list of "Some Of Our Firsts" which enumerates more than a dozen key actions and events in the history of the local union. There is also a brief description of key achievements in the most recent union contract at the time. There are lists of local union members and their sons who served in WWII and of those members who died in WWII & Korea. The book also contains a "Public Service Roll" listing members who held elected or appointed positions in the city government of Wayland. The book is dedicated to a list of 35 "...industrial soldiers who gave their lives in accidents while producing coal..." in the previous twenty years.
I found information in this little book which is priceless to me as both a committed believer in organized labor and a writer committed to preserving the history and culture of Central and Southern Appalachia. I am sure many of my readers will also cherish much of the information which has been preserved in this little masterpiece. It is a shame that it was not more widely circulated but it has been preserved in the Wayland Historical Society and can be accessed there by contacting the Historical Society. I am willing to scan and e-mail specific information from the book to my readers who have a genuine and valid interest in reading it. It is a real tragedy that every union local in the country has not done such a piece of work. But, as we all know, frequently union members were literally fighting for their lives on a daily basis, working in dangerous occupations for companies which did not care one whit about an individual life of an employee once that person had been replaced. That brings to mind the old saying in the coal fields of Appalachia that in the early days of coal mining company officials would have rather lost a man than a mule in the mine since another miner could always be hired but a mule had to be bought. If you ever visit the Wayland Historical Society, try to get a look at this little book, view their wonderful collection of period antiques, and consider giving them a donation to support work like this.
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