FAIRMONT — Woodlawn Cemetery Board of Directors will dedicate a monument marking the graves of Fairmont miners killed in an 1886 mine disaster at noon Sept. 3 at the cemetery on Maple Avenue.
“We are honoring a family of men who were killed at the Newburg Mine in Preston County,” said board president Nancy Bickerstaff. “This was the first major mine disaster in our state, and we discovered that six men from Fairmont were among the victims.”
The grave had been unmarked for 135 years.
The Newburg Mine Disaster Jan. 21, 1886, resulted in the death of 39 men and boys at the mine operated by the Orrel Coal Co. The event drew national attention from the newspapers at the time. Six of those miners were buried Jan. 29, 1886 at Woodlawn Cemetery, following a large turnout for their burial by Fairmont residents. They were all from a family that came to Fairmont around 1881 from Durham County, England. The men had only been working there for three months.
The victims included Richard Birtley, 52, his son Nicholas, and three stepsons, Joseph, Harry and Thomas Guy. The seventh victim was John Byer, Jr., who was married to Birtley’s stepdaughter. Orrel Coal bought six lots at Woodlawn, which had only been serving as a cemetery for 10 years at the time. Most likely the company decided that Fairmont had been their home longer than Newburg and arrangements were made. However, no funds for a marker were provided.
For the widows, it was a tremendous loss. Richard had a wife Mary and three small children. Nicholas, his son, was 15. Harry Guy, 29, had a wife and child in England. Joseph Guy was 25. His wife told reporters that the women and children had nobody to turn to here, and it was her desire to go back to England. Thomas Guy, another brother, was 19 and unmarried.
John Byer Jr. was 24. It is not known what became of their families, though a relief fund was established based on newspaper accounts of the day.
The discovery of the gravesite was facilitated by a senior capstone Information Systems Management project at Fairmont State University. Alex Pane, student project manager, assisted in identifying physical locations of the historic gravesites. There were over 80 sites identified for development of a mobile app to help visitors locate exact sites and obtain historic information. Pane coordinated efforts with Raymond Alvarez, Fairmont State professor and local historian.
The location of the miners’ burial was not known at the time and Pane felt it was worthwhile to determine.
Around May, historical records were returned to Woodlawn and board member David Smith was able to mark the location.
Bickerstaff added that Woodlawn is full of history that should not be forgotten.
“If you haven’t visited, come see what we have accomplished in this beautiful memorial park,” she added.
Following this dedication, an open house will be held at the Marion County Visitor’s Center from 1-3 p.m. There will be displays about the various historical projects underway at Woodlawn.
Woodlawn published a collection of columns written over a 30-year period by Fairmont Times editor C. E. “Ned” Smith. From 1926 through 1957, Smith wrote hundreds of columns that chronicled history, important events and colorful stories of Fairmont. The book is titled “Good Morning.” Alvarez selected the columns and designed the publication as part of Woodlawn’s preservation efforts.
“This project is relevant because not only does this tell the story of Fairmont, but we wanted to do something to celebrate our town’s 200-year history,” he said.
Alvarez pointed out that Smith’s lineage included early pioneer families such as the Flemings, the Barns and Capt. Philip Pindall, a soldier in the French and Indian War. A significant number of burials from this family are at Woodlawn.
Smith’s columns describe the early days of Fairmont, the rise of industrial development, provides an account of the Monongah mine disaster, and much about the WWII era. Smith’s son was killed in March 1945 while commanding an infantry company attempting to secure a bridgehead across the Rhine and was buried at Margraten in the Netherlands. The death of his son was a life-changing event for Smith and his wife. Smith’s grandchildren, Lisa, Ann and Ned Rose, assisted with publication of these columns.
They plan to be at the Visitor’s Center for the reception and book signing. The books are available at the Visitor’s Center for $5, and all proceeds go to Woodlawn Cemetery’s preservation efforts.
“We invite the community to participate in both events,” Bickerstaff said.
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