Smokestacks in the Hills: Rural-Industrial Workers in West Virginia

265 Pages·2015·3.098 MB·English

by  Lou Martin

W A
C H
THE WORKING CLASS IN AMERICAN HISTORY
SmokeStackS
in the hillS

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the Working claSS
in american hiStory
Editorial Advisors
James R. Barrett, Julie Greene, William P. Jones,
Alice Kessler-Harris, and Nelson Lichtenstein
A list of books in the series appears
at the end of this book.
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SmokeStackS
in the hillS

rural-industrial Workers
in West Virginia
lou martin
uniVerSity of illinoiS PreSS
urbana, chicago, and Springfield
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© 2015 by the Board of Trustees
of the University of Illinois
All rights reserved
1 2 3 4 5 c p 5 4 3 2 1
∞ This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015948316
isbn 978-0-252-03945-4 (hardcover)
isbn 978-0-252-08102-6 (paperback)
isbn 978-0-252-09756-0 (e-book)
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contentS
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Chapter 1. A Rural Place and a Rural People 13
Chapter 2. Building Factories in the Country 29
Chapter 3. Rise of the Rural-Industrial Workers 63
Chapter 4. Prosperous, Independent
Rural-Industrial Workers 92
Chapter 5. Work and Identity in the Factory
and at Home 125
Chapter 6. Movements for Equality in a Time
of Industrial Restructuring 155
Conclusion: Country People and
Capital Mobility 179
Notes 187
Index 233
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illuStrationS
Maps
1. Hancock County and the region 14
2. The towns of Hancock County 49
Figures
1. Lyman Stedman farm and residence, 1877 17
2. A jiggerman, Homer Laughlin China, ca. 1950s 35
3. Decal girls, Homer Laughlin China, early 1900s 40
4. W. E. Wells 50
5. Homer Laughlin China Company 52
6. Ernest T. Weir, ca. 1923 53
7. Early postcard of the Weirton mill 56
8. Tunnel kilns, Homer Laughlin China 59
9. Julia Ellis feeding her poultry, ca. 1930s 64
10. Weirton’s North End, ca. 1920s 69
11. A finisher, Homer Laughlin China, ca. 1950s 111
12. Arch A. Moore 120
13. Three-legged race on Fourth of July at
Washington Park 162
14. The Weirton Steel can in front of the Millsop
Community Center 173
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Tables
1. Population of Hancock County by
Civil Divisions, 1900–1930 66
2. Workforce of Newell, 1930 67
3. Workforce of Downtown Weirton
(North), 1930 71
4. Hancock County Church Membership, 1952 73
5. East Liverpool–Chester–Newell District
Locals by Gender, 1953, 1959 131–32
6. Male and Female Labor Force Participation
by County, 1950 145
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acknoWledgmentS
I began working on this book in the summer of 2001 when Joe Shemenski spent
four hours telling me about his experiences working for Wheeling Steel in the
1920s and 1930s. When I think about this book, I first think of the many people
who shared their stories with me over the past eight years. Even though the
project changed over time and some of their stories did not make it into the final
draft, they all played an important role in helping me understand the experience
of living and working in the upper Ohio Valley in the twentieth century. I will
always be grateful to John Alatis, Cecelia Arnett, Francis Asfour, Paul Barkhurst,
Carlos Beagle, Al Boniti, Gizella Brown, Henry “Tex” Burns, Richard Cameron,
Walter Danna, Linda Dickey, Alex Fiedorczyk, Michael Garan, Frank Gregory,
Chester Grossi, Karen Williams Harris, Fay Haught, Margaret Heaton, Boots
Hines, Mike Jacob, Mary Jacob, Cheryl Mader, Frank Maslowski, Mario Patrizio,
Bill Pomeroy, Tom Rector, Lula “Pug” Rigdon, Bob Rossell, Joe Shemenski,
Hugh and Garnet Snider, Walter and Helen Szczepanski, and Alex Zucosky.
Several people helped me find people to interview, including Bill Barrett,
Sean Adkins, Brad Barkhurst, Mark Glyptis and the Independent Steelworkers
Union, Linda Dickey, Fay Stump, Bud Rector, Mindy Lamp, and Chris Mader.
I also want to thank Paul Zuros for accompanying me to some interviews. Sean
Adkins and Dennis Jones provided helpful information along the way.
A lot of folks I went to grad school with gave me support and feedback over
the years, including Mark Myers, John Hardesty, Elizabeth Lee, Jen Egolf, Con-
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