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Dear IDARM Network member,
Thank you to those who attended the IDARM webinar on May 21, 2025. During our discussion, we updated attendees about IDARM site visits, the current status of the project's funding, and our short- and long-term work plan. To access the recording of the webinar, please use this link and the passcode:
&35D&Ma4ti.
In the webinar we discuss our IDARM on the Road visits to the Hood History Center at the Citizens Library, Washington County Historical Society, and the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum tenth anniversary celebration. We thank each of these institutions for their warm welcome.
Towards the end of our conversation, we let you know about specific IDARM requests that we will make via email over the coming months. We appreciate your contributions. They allow us to move forward with our work of gathering information from all of our IDARM network partners. And, as always, if you have any questions or good news to share, please reach out to us by replying to this newsletter!
With gratitude,
Melissa, Lina, and Nancy
| | Meet the IDARM Network Partners | | |
Meet Sierra Green
Sierra Green is Senior Outreach Archivist with the Heinz History Center’s Detre Library & Archives. In this role, she works closely with learners of all ages to activate the countless fascinating stories from the archives. A large portion of her work is building customized archival research experiences for student groups who visit year-round. She loves the experience of working closely with educators to discern the passions and interests of their students and thinking through how to match said interests with archival collections… all the while not losing sight of learning objectives too! She also works regularly with groups of adult learners from genealogical organizations as well as professional groups. Sierra also contributes to ongoing exhibition projects and has been instrumental in growing the History Center’s collections pertaining to Western Pennsylvania disability history (more on that below).
Throughout the first decade of her career thus far, Sierra has had the honor of actively participating in three different initiatives to survey archival collections pertaining to Western Pennsylvania history. These include the Western Pennsylvania Disability History & Action Consortium (WPDHAC), the Western Pennsylvania Catholic Archives Consortium (WPCAC), and IDARM. Sierra is a steering committee member of WPDHAC and a member of the WPCAC Survey Subcommittee. Sierra is a firm believer in the importance of making historic materials discoverable to all and relishes this opportunity to amplify incredible stories from the Italian American community across PA, Ohio, and West Virginia.
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Meet Bob Stakely
Robert O. Stakeley is the History Center Affiliates Program (HCAP) Manager at the Heinz History Center, where he provides various levels of instruction and guidance for a diverse patron and member audience. He oversees the History Center Affiliates Program (HCAP), a program that assists 400 plus historically-minded organizations, including historical societies, museums, libraries, preservationist groups, community councils, churches, theaters, etc., in achieving their goals by helping them in various capacities through advocating best practices. Robert is a former librarian, archivist, and educator who has extensive experience in collecting, preserving, and providing access to collections. This work has included delivering reference services; conducting research; accessioning, processing, digitizing, and cataloguing collections; publishing research, including articles, digital stories, oral histories, and transcriptions; and teaching the proper handling and displaying of collections. As a lifelong educator and learner, Robert enjoys working with people of all ages, especially students, in providing access to primary and secondary sources. His approach to history and in “bringing collections to life” is simple – establish a connection and make it fun.
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Announcements
Congratulations to IDARM network member Dr. Lydia Warren! The Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center has been named Institution of the Year by the West Virginia Association of Museums (WVAM). This distinguished honor recognizes the Center’s outstanding contributions to preserving and celebrating Appalachian culture and heritage. The award also includes a $500 prize in support of the Center’s ongoing programming. Dr. Lydia Warren, Director of the Folklife Center, has received the Leadership in the Arts Award from the Fairmont Art & Humanities Commission. The award honors her passionate advocacy for the arts and her tireless efforts to expand cultural programming and deepen community engagement across the region.
Read more about Dr. Warren's achievement here. To learn more about the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center, upcoming events, or research opportunities, visit www.fairmontstate.edu/folklife.
The West Virginia & Regional History Center (WVRHC) Newsletter has been reinstated! The WVRHC serves as an important and growing hub for research, instruction, and outreach. The WVRHC team is focused on preservation, access, and engagement, and they are committed to creating and documenting stewardship practices that will ensure their collections are available for generations to come.
Read director Lori Hostuttler's announcement here. To learn more about the West Virginia & Regional History Center, upcoming events, or research opportunities, read the Spring issue of Ex Libris Magazine and sign up to receive future issues.
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Opportunities
PHMC Historical and Archival Care Grants
The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) and the Pennsylvania State Historical Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) are pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the Historical & Archival Records Care (HARC) grant program.
Funding is available to historical records repositories, including (but not limited to): historical societies; libraries; universities; community organizations; local governments; and school districts for collections care, including surveying; inventorying; preserving; arranging; and describing historical records significant to Pennsylvania, as well as for records reformatting and equipment.
Applicants can apply for grants up to $5,000. No match is required. Funding is provided by PHMC. Applicants are required to use the web-based electronic grant application process (eGrant).
The application deadline is Aug. 1, 2025.
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West Virginia Mine Wars Museum
Matewan, WV
The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum preserves and shares stories about the struggles of coal miners and their families for workers’ rights, civil rights, and justice in the early 20th century. As a people’s history museum, we lift up the legacy of a multi-racial, multi-lingual effort to unionize the coalfields. We foster connections between the Mine Wars era and the injustices that still confront working people in Appalachia, the nation, and around the world. The museum educates youth and adults, builds community partnerships, and promotes regional economic development.
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West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, located inside the Cecil E. Roberts building, previously owned and operated by United Mine Workers of America local 1440. Photo courtesy of Ian Byers-Gamber.
In the town of Matewan, the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum sits at the site of a historic battle which erupted in May of 1920, setting into motion a chain of events that led to the largest armed uprising in the United States since our civil war. For decades after the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, the stories of the Mine Wars were whispered around kitchen tables and bullied out of textbooks, surviving as a quiet legacy just under the surface of modern Appalachia. The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum preserves and uplifts the voices of the people who lived these stories of sacrifice, violence, and triumph.
Proudly offering the largest exhibition of Mine Wars history anywhere in the United States, we walk visitors through this legacy with compelling exhibits of archival photos and videos, first-person accounts, rare artifacts and replicas, and detailed timelines placing the events of the Mine Wars era in a global context.
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Pay statement stamped April 15, 1916 from Cabin Creek Consolidated Coal Company's mine in Kayford, WV.
Our work reaches beyond our exhibits to include an expanding archive dedicated to researching the Mine Wars and coalfield life. Curated online exhibits pull from our expertly photographed collection to bring our archives to life for the public. Solidarity Gallery bridges creativity and history through artists’ interpretation of Mine Wars memory. New generations learn powerful truths through our growing collection of educational curriculums and teachers’ resources developed with educators from across the region. Courage in the Hollers, our public monument initiative, brings our work out into the landscape in which it happened.
The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum has developed a series of teaching trunks containing artifacts, documents, handouts, and activities that will enable educators to teach a series of immersive lessons focused on the people, events, and themes in the history of the West Virginia Mine Wars. The lessons included in each trunk have been designed with the input of educators working in West Virginia public schools that teach history and social studies. In other words, the trunks were designed in conjunction with people who will actually use them! We have also designed each lesson to align with West Virginia social studies standards, making them easier to integrate into your curriculum. The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum Teaching Trunk Project was funded
by a National Coal Heritage Area Authority Partnership Grant.
| | "Life Above and Below the Surface: Exploring Coal Camp Communities" Teaching Trunk | | |
Contact
The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum is located at 401 Mate Street, Matewan, West Virginia 25678. We are in downtown Matewan, on the first floor of the Cecil E. Roberts building, formerly the Bank of Matewan.
Open hours are Tuesdays - Saturdays from 10am - 5pm. We are a small staff and on rare occasions we have to close early. If you’re traveling a long distance to get to us, give us a call at (304) 691-0014 to let us know so that we can make sure you have a great experience in Matewan!
Regular museum admission is $5/per person. Pre-scheduled group tours are offered at $10/per person for 1 hour (additional hours may be available upon request at $5 per half hour). We recommend booking tour groups larger than 10 people at least one week in advance.
Please use this contact form, or leave us a voicemail at 304-691-0014 to book your group tour.
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