Mountain State Destinations: Matewan

MATEWAN, WV (WVNS) — Many locations in West Virginia are filled with historical significance around every country road.

However, some have a darker, bloodier past than others.

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The town of Matewan in Mingo County was the location of the Matewan Massacre that occurred on May 19, 1920, and is often referred to as the beginning of a chapter of the West Virginia Mine Wars from 1920 to 1921.

Although the battle took place in May 1920, the events that lead up to it started in January of the same year. According to the West Virginia Encyclopedia, a campaign was made by the United Mine Workers of America to organize southern West Virginia non-union coal fields.

According to the National Park Service, coal miners decided to strike in Mingo County due to operators employing private mine guards in order to stop the miner’s organization attempts.

When the miners went on strike, a compromise could not be reached and Baldwin-Felts detectives, which included Lee and Al Felts, were brought in to evict miners and their families. The miners were not happy with these events, and Matewan police chief Sid Hatfield attempted to stop the evictions.

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On May 19, 1920, Hatfield, miners, and Matewan Mayor Testerman went to confront the detectives before they left. A shootout occurred near the Matewan railroad station after an argument occurred between Hatfield and Al Felts, one of the detectives, after they tried to arrest each other.

Miners and detectives joined Hatfield and Al Felts in the shootout, and even though the shootout did not last a long time, ten people ended up dead. Seven were Baldwin-Felts detectives, including both Felts’ brothers, two miners, and Mayor Testerman.

According to the West Virginia Encyclopedia, Hatfield and 17 other miners ended up being acquitted after being tried for murder in early 1921.

After the Matewan Massacre, Hatfield and his deputy were murdered on the steps of the McDowell County Courthouse in Welch on August 1, 1921 by Baldwin Felts detectives. The West Virginia Mine Wars grew until the Battle of Blair Mountain, and eventually ended in September 1921.

The Matewan Historic District became a National Historic Landmark on February 18, 1997, and the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum was opened in Matewan in 2015.

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