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A Review of Concerning Coal: An
Anthology
by Michael J. McNerney, American Resources Group, Ltd.
As one who
is overwhelmed by the
amount of information
available today but who has an
interest in many things, Concerning
Coal: An Anthology is the ideal format. Three major themes: Life in
the Mining Community; Mining in
Folklore, Storytelling, Literature,
Art, and Music; and Technology as
it Affected the People in the Coal
Fields provide a nice framework for
the brief articles done in a journalistic style. It meets my information
criteria, namely, not more than I
care to know but enough to sample
the subject. If I want to know
more, sources for further reading
are also presented. David Conrad's
introduction provides a good
overview of Illinois coal mining
and a context for the short articles
within the book.
Part I-"Life in the Mining
Community"-offers selections on
union history, labor relations,
women in the union movement,
family life, recollections of being a
miner's child, and recreation in the
coal fields. Although I was familiar
with the story, I enjoyed reading
"Digging Coal in Franklin County,"
the story of Joseph Leiter, the
wealthy owner/operator of Zeigler
No. 1 Mine and founder of Zeigler.
His individual stand against the
union resulted in the building of
fortifications around the mine to
prevent violence and destruction
on mine property.
Part II presents articles on folklore, songs and musicians of the
coal fields, Storytelling, literature,
and art. I was unaware of the
painting The Herrin Massacre by
Paul Cadmus, which is described by
art historian George J. Mavigliano.
It is a powerful and graphic image
of violence in the coal fields of
Southern Illinois probably representing much too recent history to
be widely displayed so close to
home.
"A Nostalgic Look at Coal Mining
in the Depression Years" by Louise
Mills is my favorite article. Only
two pages long, this story clearly
demonstrates the historical and literary power of family letters in documenting history. The hopes and
fears of the coal mining family in
West Frankfort could not be more
poignantly expressed than in these
lines from letters dated November
13, 1928: "Dad not working again;
can only hope for four days this
week." and November 22, 1929:
"#18 blew over yesterday; had a big
fall." How could one more succinctly capture depression era economics than-"We sold our gas
stove," she wrote, "and are using
coal oil. We will have our water
turned off and clean out the well
to use. We will go back to coal oil
lamps if we have to..."
Part III offers glimpses of the hazards of mining, technological
change, and the continuing efforts
to improve mine safety. The 1951
West Orient Mine disaster, where
119 miners died, resulted in the
immediate passage of more stringent federal mine safety laws.
There are only two things missing from the anthology that I
would have liked. An article on
the acquisition and consolidation
of small mining companies by the
large companies of today and an
article on environmental protection and reclamation over the past
twenty years. Not withstanding
this, the Coal Research Center and
the Illinois Humanities Council are
to be commended for this effort.
With regard to "the quality of the
humanities and their rendering for
a public audience," I would say that
the book is right on target. The
non-academic format and style
make the book ideal for the person
with a casual interest in history. In
addition, it would provide ideal
supplemental readings for an
Illinois history class.
Copies of Concerning Coal: An
Anthology may be obtained at no
cost by writing to: Paula Maloney,
Coal Research Center, Southern
Illinois University at Carbondale,
Carbondale, Illinois 62901-4623
Notice Regarding Book Reviews
Editor's Note: The editor will publish book notices and critical reviews of newly published and
forthcoming titles that examine topics related to the history and culture of Illinois. Guidelines
regarding form, length, and style may be obtained either at the ISHS Web Site or by contacting the
editorial staff. Completed reviews or material for review may be sent to: Jon Austin, Editor, Illinois
Heritage Magazine, The Illinois State Historical Society, 1 Old State Capitol Plaza, Springfield, IE
62701-1507.
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