Matewan Massacre
E734249
The Matewan Massacre was a 1920 violent confrontation between coal miners and company-hired lawmen in Matewan, West Virginia, that became a pivotal event in the American labor and unionization struggle.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Matewan Massacre and subsequent violence | 1 |
| Matewan Massacre of 1920 | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
coal miners' strike incident
ⓘ
historical event ⓘ labor conflict ⓘ shootout ⓘ |
| aftermath |
assassination of Sid Hatfield in 1921
ⓘ
trials of Sid Hatfield and other defendants ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs | Battle of Matewan NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| cause |
coal miners' attempt to unionize
ⓘ
eviction of unionizing miners from company housing ⓘ |
| commemoratedBy | historical markers in Matewan, West Virginia ⓘ |
| conflictType | labor-management conflict ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| date | 1920-05-19 ⓘ |
| depictedIn | film "Matewan" NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| filmDepictionYear | 1987 ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance |
pivotal event in U.S. labor and union history
ⓘ
symbol of resistance to company control in coal towns ⓘ |
| industryContext | bituminous coal mining ⓘ |
| involvedParty |
Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Stone Mountain Coal Company NERFINISHED ⓘ United Mine Workers of America NERFINISHED ⓘ coal miners ⓘ local law enforcement ⓘ |
| keyFigure |
Albert Felts
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Lee Felts NERFINISHED ⓘ Mayor Cabell Testerman NERFINISHED ⓘ Sid Hatfield NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| lawEnforcementRole | Sid Hatfield was Matewan police chief NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| location | Matewan, West Virginia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| numberOfDeadApproximate | 10 ⓘ |
| numberOfDeadGroup |
1 mayor
ⓘ
2 miners ⓘ 7 Baldwin-Felts agents ⓘ |
| opposingForce |
non-union coal operators
ⓘ
private detectives hired by coal companies ⓘ |
| partOf | West Virginia Mine Wars NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedEvent | Battle of Blair Mountain NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
American labor movement
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
unionization of coal miners ⓘ |
| result |
death of Mayor Cabell Testerman
ⓘ
death of several Baldwin-Felts agents ⓘ escalation of the West Virginia Mine Wars ⓘ increased national attention to coal miners' labor struggle ⓘ multiple casualties on both sides ⓘ |
| timePeriod | early 20th century ⓘ |
| tookPlaceIn | Mingo County, West Virginia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| triggerEvent | attempt by Baldwin-Felts agents to evict miners and their families ⓘ |
| weaponUsed | firearms ⓘ |
| year | 1920 ⓘ |
Referenced by (7)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Matewan Massacre and subsequent violence
this entity surface form:
Matewan Massacre of 1920