Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..
Tonight
Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
A red bandana worn by a striking miner during the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain is on display on July 5, 2025, at the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum in Matewan, Mingo County. The bandana will be at the museum until at least the end of December.
A red bandana, which was worn by a striking miner during the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, is part of the display on July 5, 2025, at the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum in Matewan, Mingo County.Â
Wilma Steele, founding board member of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, accepting a red bandana from Eddie Harless in this undated photo. The bandana was worn by Harless' grandfather, Hub Bane, during the Battle of Blair Mountain in August and September 1921. Red bandanas were a symbol of union solidarity during the Mine Wars era.
A red bandana, which was worn by a striking miner during the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, is part of the display on July 5, 2025, at the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum in Matewan, Mingo County.Â
CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE | Gazette-Mail
MATEWAN — One of the most coveted pieces of West Virginia mine wars history has found a new home at the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum in Matewan.
A red bandana from the 1920s made its way to the Mingo County museum for the 2025 season. It is housed with the Battle of Blair Mountain section of the museum, alongside other items that have historical significance in that labor conflict. which occurred in August and September 1921 and pitted striking miners against coal company security forces and the National Guard.
The bandana is on loan from the collection of Eddie Harless. It has been in his family’s possession since it was worn by his grandfather, Hub Bane. Bane, born in 1899, was living at the coal camp at Burnwell, Kanawha County, during the Paint Creek and Cabin Creek strikes in 1912-13. He experienced evictions from company housing there, and other struggles, firsthand.
Wilma Steele, founding board member of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, accepting a red bandana from Eddie Harless in this undated photo. The bandana was worn by Harless' grandfather, Hub Bane, during the Battle of Blair Mountain in August and September 1921. Red bandanas were a symbol of union solidarity during the Mine Wars era.
Courtesy photo
Bane was 21 in the summer of 1921 leading up to the Battle of Blair Mountain. He reportedly walked from his home in Burnwell to join the encampment of gathering union miners in Hernshaw — nearly 25 miles away. During that trek, Bane wore the bandana that is currently on display while carrying his rifle and ammunition, as well as a 2-pound bag of flour.
Bane gave the bandana to his grandson in the early 1970s, when Harless was just a teenager.
A red bandana worn by a striking miner during the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain is on display on July 5, 2025, at the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum in Matewan, Mingo County. The bandana will be at the museum until at least the end of December.
CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE | Gazette-Mail
Red bandanas were a symbol of union solidarity during the Mine Wars era. During the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, which saw two irregular armies fighting without issued uniforms, the pro-union miners identified themselves with red bandanas while the “defensive†forces positioned along the Spruce Fork ridge line (including Blair Mountain) wore white armbands. These bandanas gave rise to the slang term “rednecksâ€, referring to the multiracial, multiethnic collective that rose up in solidarity with each other to fight for their right to unionize.
The team at the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum built a custom display to house the bandana. While mostly intact, the fabric is worn and thin with significant tearing and fraying on all edges.
“We’re extremely excited about this new artifact loan from museum supporter Eddie Harless, a genuine red miner’s bandana from the Mine Wars era,†said Museum director Kenzie New Walker. “We only know of one other such bandana on public display, at the West Virginia State Museum.â€
The bandana will be on display at the museum until at least the end of December.
