MONONGAH — The Monongah Heroine Statue preserves history and honors the women affected by the coal mining tragedy of 100 years ago.
Gov. Joe Manchin and Antonio Borrello, vice president of the region of Calabria in Italy, unveiled the Monongah Heroine Statue Wednesday morning during a dedication ceremony. Italian dignitaries, local officials, residents, and third- and fourth-graders from Monongah Elementary School gathered at the site of the monument for the event.
The marble statue sits next to the Monongah Town Hall and is symbolic of the wives and mothers who lost their loved ones in the 1907 Monongah Coal Mine disaster.
On Dec. 6, 1907, an explosion at the Monongah mine killed more than 360 men and boys, and 170 of those were Italian. Many of the Italians who died were from Calabria and the southern part of Italy. This is considered the worst mine disaster in the nation’s history.
The Monongah Heroine Committee started work on the $75,000 statue project four years ago. The Italian government has underwritten the major cost of the monument, and the state of West Virginia has also participated in the funding. Cook Brothers Building Co. donated the land for the statue, and Petrucci Brothers Contracting built the monument. Stewart Granite Works was also involved in the project.
“The completion of the Heroine is an obligation at last fulfilled,” Joe Fucello, chairman of the Monongah Heroine Committee, said. “It has been a four-year journey of love. This has indeed been a noble endeavor.”
Fucello asked everyone to remember the Rev. Everett Francis Briggs, “whose idea and leadership led to the initiation and completion of the statue.”
Briggs passed away last year.
“We listened to Father Briggs because we knew that it was a dream he had, and it was a dream we Calabrians had,” Vice President Borrello said, as translated by an official from Calabria. “Father Briggs will be in our heart, and he is in our heart today.”
Russell Bonasso, Monongah Heroine Committee member and mining historian, said the project became a reality thanks to the generosity of everyone involved. He said he knows of no other statue in the country that is dedicated to the coal mining women.
“It was a tough life, especially the work the women did,” Bonasso said. “It’s just almost unbearable how they did it, but they just stuck it out and never complained.”
Manchin said the Monongah Mine disaster and other tragedies in the mining industry have brought about changes in safety practices, but West Virginia isn’t waiting for the next disaster to make more improvements. The state is working on safety measures now, he said.
A 6-foot tall bell will soon stand adjacent to the Monongah Heroine Statue. This bell, made by Marinelli Pontifical Foundry and Agnone, is a gift to Monongah from the Molise region in Italy.
“I’ve never seen the town look so good, and the folks are so proud of it,” state Sen. Roman Prezioso, chairman of the Monongah Mine Disaster Centennial Remembrance Committee, said.
The Monongah Heroine Committee organized Wednesday’s dedication ceremony as part of the 100-year remembrance of the tragedy. The Monongah Mine Disaster Centennial Remembrance Committee is also planning a ceremony for Dec. 6.
E-mail Jessica Legge at jlegge@timeswv.com.
In Today's TWV
Related Photos
-
PHOTO BY DANNY SNYDER
October 4, 2007
‘Obligation at last fulfilled’
Monongah Heroine Statue dedicated after ‘four-year journey of love’
- In Today's TWV
-
-
US kills Osama bin Laden decade after 9/11 attacks
Osama bin Laden, the face of global terrorism and architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, was killed in a firefight with elite American forces Monday, then quickly buried at sea in a stunning finale to a furtive decade on the run.
-
Construction around FSU
Construction matters were on the minds of the Fairmont State Board of Governors Thursday as they discussed projects to widen Locust Avenue and the continuing renovation of the historic Kennedy Barn.
First, a project to widen Locust Avenue to three lanes has been a priority for the state for several years. -
Goal: Redevelop site of former black Elks
City officials are hoping to solicit a buyer to redevelop the former site of the former black Elks building at the corner of Everest Drive and Cleveland Avenue.
Following the structure’s emergency demolition last weekend, city manager Jim Snider said the city is hoping someone will come forward to develop the site and recoup the city’s $72,000 demolition cost. -
Investigation continues into suspicious container, plastic jug that were blown up
Fairmont police detectives will continue their investigation into a suspicious can and jug that were blown up late Friday night by a State Police bomb squad, police said.
No one was injured, but the incident forced drivers to detour around Fairmont Avenue from Seventh to 10th streets while the area was secured and the containers were safely destroyed. -
Years of planning, work lead to new Baxter fire hall
In 1968, the Baxter Volunteer Fire Department opened its doors for the first time.
The department had its humble beginnings in a small pole building near the ball field. Over the years, the firefighters made do with the small building, adding on as they could, according to Destry Jones, Baxter fire chief. -
AmberView participation rising
Fairview Middle School has a higher percentage of students enrolled in AmberView than any other school in the state, officials said Friday.
AmberView is an innovative program, developed in West Virginia, that assists law enforcement by quickly issuing an up-to-date digital picture of a missing or abducted child. AmberView officials have seen participation rise dramatically in the last year. -
Police investigate, detonate suspected bomb
West Side’s main thoroughfare was blocked for hours while police investigated and then detonated a suspected bomb Friday night.
Fairmont City Police responded to a report of a suspicious package Friday after a 911 call from a passerby. -
Student housing at FSU booming
While enrollment may be down at Fairmont State this year, student housing is booming.
The university’s board of governors received preliminary enrollment numbers at its meeting Thursday. -
Jay to speak at convention
U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, an early supporter of Sen. Barack Obama, will be a speaker at the Democratic National Convention in Denver later this month, a campaign aide said.
Rockefeller, 71, who is seeking a fifth-straight term in the Senate, will speak on Wednesday, Aug. 27, said Jessica Tice, his campaign press secretary. -
A strong ‘heartbeat’
“The chamber is the heartbeat of every community,” Gov. Joe Manchin told a crowd of approximately 375 people during the Marion County Chamber of Commerce’s 55th Annual Dinner.
Members of the business community gathered at Fairmont State University’s Falcon Center Thursday night for the event, which also serves as the chamber’s annual meeting. - More In Today's TWV Headlines
-
US kills Osama bin Laden decade after 9/11 attacks
