Traveling coal exhibit heads to Middletown Commons
May 18—WHITE HALL — Middletown Commons has a new attraction for residents to check out in between their shopping.
The resurgent retail space will host Black Diamonds: The Southern West Virginia Coal Story, a traveling exhibit, behind the El Rey Mexican restaurant.
"I just think it's really important," Middletown Commons Property Manager Tanya Waters said. "The way energy is changing, it's going to be lost in the past. I think this is a great thing for kids and families."
The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History created the exhibit. It's been under the stewardship of Mike Rohaly, president of the Northern Appalachian Coal Mining Heritage Association.
The exhibit has seen better days. Waters said it's in need of some attention. Some of the vinyl needs to be replaced and Waters also wants to remove scratches from some of the surfaces on the exhibit. Waters also wants to replace an old box television that's part of the exhibit with a more modern flat screen TV. Several of the signs have become faded over time. Waters reached out to the Department of Arts, Culture and History to inquire about receiving support for repairing the exhibit.
"Tanya called this Darren the other day to pose the notion, he was like, 'woa, no one ever asked that before,'" Rohaly said. "He was like like, 'this is new territory.'"
However, Rohaly was more than amenable to fix up what he could. He spent the first half of the month getting it ready for exhibition. Making North Central West Virginia's coal history more accessible and prominent has been a major pursuit for Rohaly. He is working on creating a virtual coal mine cart ride at the Coal Country Miniature Golf Facility.
The department created the exhibit way back in the 2000s. The goal was to educate visitors about West Virginia's coal history in the southern part of the state. The exhibit focuses mainly on handloading, which is how coal was extracted prior to mechanized equipment.
The exhibit has space for one custom plaque that can be used to give the exhibit more local flair, but aside from that and a few mentions of mine disasters that took place in North Central West Virginia, the exhibit is squarely focused on the southern part of the Mountain State. Waters and Rohaly said they'd consider placing more content related to North Central West Virginia's coal history on display, but the focus for now was refurbishing what already exists.
The Times West Virginian reached out to the Department of Arts, Culture and History but they didn't return the phone call by press time.
Rohaly pointed out even though coal has taken a black eye for its role in global warming and environmental pollution, it still has an important history that's worth preserving. Coal powered the country's industrial revolution and was instrumental in the country's rise as a world power. Coal was important to fighting and winning both world wars, he said. The struggles between coal barons and their workers also led to modern labor protections. Coal is important to the overall historical context of the United States.
"History is important," Waters said. "It's important to know our heritage. Every family that's in West Virginia I feel is connected or affected by mining and the industry. It's just important to know where we all came from."
Reach Esteban at efernandez@timeswv.com
