The Georges Creek Coal Mining War
1920's Effort to Unionize Coal Mines Led to Violence
In the end, the effort failed and may have brought an early end to coal mining as a major county industry.
“Even though organized labor did not cause the ruin of the Georges Creek coal region, it is nevertheless undeniable that the miner’s strike of 1922-23 hastened the end,” wrote Harry Stegmaier, Jr. in Allegany County-A History.
Attempts To Unionize Miners
Previous attempts had been made in 1879, 1882, 1886, 1894 and 1900 to unionize the mines.
“Unions, however, had failed to establish a secure base in the county. Although a large number of miners and a smaller number of laborers and mechanics were sympathetic to unionization, company policy still held sway. Determined to retain their authority, moreover, mining companies would mount a more vigorous counteroffensive against union in the last decade of the nineteenth century,” wrote Stegmaier.
The Importance of Georges Creek Coal
Coal was the lifeblood of Georges Creek for decades and the region produced some of the best coal in the world. Maryland coal production peaked in 1907 with 5.5 millions.
“In 1920, just before the onset of postwar depression, the Georges Creek mines produced roughly 4 million tons and employed about 5,500. This was the last of the good years for the region,” wrote Kathryn Harvey in The Best-Dressed Miners.
The National Coal Miners Strike
On April 1, 1922, the UMW called a national strike. Many mines had low pay and poor working conditions, though according to Harvey, the Allegany County miners “were said to be generally satisfied with their wages and working conditions.” However, Harvey notes different companies were found to be underpaying their miners for the amount of coal they mined by using light scales.
The Local Coal Miners Strike
Though the county miners were non-union, they walked out in support. When the national strike ended August 15, the Allegany County miners stayed out in an effort to win union recognition. The UMW supported the strikers with $750,000 and a food commissary in Frostburg. The mining companies, for their part, brought in strikebreakers from Cleveland, Pittsburgh and West Virginia. Guards were armed with automatic weapons and even submachine guns, according to Stegmaier.
He wrote, “This explosive situation was further complicated when many of the local miners who did not agree with continuing the strike went back to work. Strikers threatened reprisals against them and their families. Violence was bound to occur, and it soon did.”
Strike Violence
In August 1923, Harry Martin, a Consolidation Coal Company mine guard, was charged with throwing a grenade into a crowd of picketers.
Later that month, George Porter of Zihlman was shot and killed while driving his motorcycle to work at a Mount Savage and George’s Creek Coal Company mine. W.H. Walbert of Consolidation Coal Company was eventually charged with the murder.
Stegmaier wrote, “Violence became so prevalent that the Allegany County grand jury, after considering the numerous cases of assault and intimidation, recommended that a special constabulary be formed to preserve order. The grand jury described conditions, particularly in Frostburg and Midland, as ‘a disgrace to the county.’”
The End of the Strike
The UMW called off the nearly 20-month strike in November 1923 without unionizing the mines.
What did happen was many miners lost their jobs not only because the mining companies were careful about rehiring, but because the strike helped cripple the mining industry in the area. Between 1923 and 1930, 27 mining companies went out of business in the Georges Creek Region. Even the union suffered, losing more than 60 percent of its membership in the region by the end of the strike.
Miners in a Western Maryland coal mine
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