http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/fraterville-mine-disaster/. Hays, W. W., bur: Clinton Clear Branch Baptist Church) just off U.S. 25W at Rocky Top. Fraterville Miner's Circle - Leach Cemetery, 4. Along with Ronnie himself and his, "It is time for art to flow into the organisation of life." Family members linked to this person will appear here. The Fraterville Mine Disaster of 1902 remains one of the worst in U.S. history and is an important, and unfortunately often overlooked, staple in the local heritage and shaping of East Tennessee and Anderson County, in particular. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. In addition, it is included in the Coal Creek Watershed Foundation series list. Additionally, the contents of some of the letters have not become public information for privacy reasons or because they were lost. Good bye Do change your way of living. You can also support us by signing up to our Mailing List. At about 7:30 a.m., 184 men and boys entered the mine. In other parts of the mine no heat or violence was shown, and suffocation had brought death to those whose bodies were found there. Sharp, Frank, bur: Wilson Disney, Sam M., bur: Miner's Circle It is now 12 oclock, Monday. At Briceville Elementary School, children file into the library to learn about Anderson County's coal mining history. (By Leean Tupper, AC Mayor's Office) Officials gathered on May 19th, to conduct a wreath ceremony in recognition of the 120 th Anniversary of the Fraterville Mine disaster, considered one of the worst mining accidents in the history of the United States. There were 216 miners who died as a result of the explosion, either from its initial blast or from the after-effects, making it the worst mining disaster in the state's history. Kindman, James, bur: Welsh W., bur: Longfield Sharp, Jacob, (F), bur: Macedonia The precise cause of the explosion was never determined, or never disclosed. Good bye Minnie Camps son George had learned the mining trade by going down the shafts himself, so he knew the miners and the work intimately. Woods, Chas. Erected by Coal Creek Watershed Foundation. From 1902 to 1927, according to the research of historian Ronald D. Eller, over 2,400 Appalachian workers died in mine explosions, with three of these disasters occurring in Tennessee at Briceville (1911), Catoosa (1917), and Rockwood (1926).Allen R. Coggins, Knoxville, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Good bye Horace, We are together. There are a few of us alive yet. One hundred and eighty four were identified. Make sure that the file is a photo. Entrance to Fraterville mine through which over 200 men and boys passed last Monday morning in good health and spirits to be brought out mangled corpses. Journal and Tribune, May 23, 1902, Six Letters Written in Chamber of Death in Fraterville Knoxville Sentinel, May 21, 1902. The name "Fraterville" means "village of Brothers.". The dead left many widows & orphans behind. White, John M., bur: Miner's Circle http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/56171 Ft: Aussens@iter (tobias_weber), Gerd Kohlmeier, Audio Podcast WordPress Theme By VWThemes, Ashevilles Ponzi Is Arrested In Texas December 30, 1921, https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/49746616/download.mp3, The Outlaw Otto Wood: Appalachian Escape Artist, http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284. Once the rescuers made it past the explosion site, they found the rest of the mine to still be quite stable. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Several mining disasters brought national attention to the Triangle area in the early 1900s. Webb, Conda, bur: Longfield The last body was carried from the mine four days after the ordeal began.At the mine entrance, a crowd of some 2,000 relatives, friends, neighbors, nearby miners, and spectators anxiously awaited word of the fate of the unaccounted-for miners. Davids Bridal Laying Off Over 80% Of Its Workers. When the war was over, black men became targets of law enforcement, arrested for petty/fictional crimes so that they could be leased to private industry for a small fee and the cost of their upkeep. Ellen remember me as long as you live. Try again later. Davidson, Jas., bur: Welsh Briceville Community Church built in 1888 by Welsh immigrant miners. Twenty-six men were found barricaded in one side passage, some still alive as late as 2:30 in the afternoon as evidenced by notes found with their bodies. Find Fraterville Mine Disaster stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) - The Fraterville disaster is considered one of the worst mining accidents in our nation's history. To My Boys: Never work in coal mines. McKamey, William, (S), bur: Wilson To My Wife and Baby: My dear wife and baby, I want you to go back home and take the baby there, so good-bye. He was I do not know his first name. He married Nancy Alice AMOS before 1897. "216 miners lost their life that day, and it was gruesome. Today was the 100th anniversary of the Cross Mountain Mining Disaster where 84 men and young boys perished. methane gas, resulting from poor ventilation. On the 99 th anniversary of the disaster, 120 descendants and guests remembered the accomplishments and sacrifices of these men by visiting their graves and the site of their death, the abandoned Fraterville Mine. Brooks, Henry C., bur: Miner's Circle Reynolds, Oscar, bur: Longfield They rounded up the convict laborers and put them on a train back to Knoxville. Green, P. C., bur: Leach Slover, W. H., (F), bur: Miner's Circle Continue with Recommended Cookies, The Flashback Shop For Great Wall Art Unique And Stylish Things To Buy. mining disaster in Tennesee's history. Smiddy, Joseph, bur: Longfield The worst mine disaster in Tennessee history took place on May 19, 1902, at the Fraterville mine, near Coal Creek (now Lake City), Campbell County. Please consider making a donation to our site. Oh God, for one more breath. Cheerfulness kept creeping in." At about 7:30 a.m., 184 men and boys entered the mine. Ellen, I want you to live right and come to Heaven. Elliott, James, bur: Leach At 96-years-old, as she nears the end of her own life, Louise begins to understand how short her time here is. [4] Thus, some of the shafts collapsed and rescuers had to dig through them and others were too dangerous to travel through. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Please enter your email and password to sign in. at the center of the circle bears the names of all 184 miners identified. On May 19th, 1902, 26 miners working at the Fraterville Coal Mine in Tennessee, were trapped underground. Barry says those are the two things each letter discussed. Evans, Wm. Henry, and you Condy, be good boys and stay with your mother and live for Jesus. atom, dcmes-xml, json, omeka-xml, rss2. The explosion shot black smoke and debris out the mine's mouth and ventilation shaft. Yet terrible catastrophes occurred then. Fraterville Disaster Monument - Leach Cemetery. All 216 miners inside the Fraterville Mine, located a mile north of the Cross. I trust in Jesus. They tried to go down the main shaft to find any survivors, but they only made it 200 feet when the afterdamp, a toxic mixture of gases produced by the explosion, forced them to turn back. Slover, Jas. Leach, Jas. Beach, Henry C., bur: Longfield Stooksberry, Andrew, bur: Longfield Reynolds, Wm, bur: Longfield There were only three ways out of the convict labor system: escape, self-mutilation, or death. Fraterville Mine Explosion Coal Creek, Anderson County, Tennessee May 19, 1902 No. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. cemeteries found in Rocky Top, Anderson County, Tennessee, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. names below come from a list published in the The Knoxville Independent, Nearly 100 miners killed in the explosion at Fraterville, including Louise's grandfather, are buried at Leach Cemetery. . Major Camp was one of the only industrialists who refused to utilize the states appalling convict leasing system, a post-Civil War pretext for Southern states to re-enslave African-Americans using the 13th Amendment which outlawed involuntary servitude except as punishment for crime. I had no idea of this part of my family history. It's now required learning for all 5th, 8th and 11th grade students in the state of Tennessee thanks to Barry's efforts. When people walk through the woods here now they could walk right past this area and not realize what an important part of Tennessee history happened in this spot.". He stated, "Dear Mabel, I am dying for air. That in turn ignited the coal dust, spreading the fire throughout the mine. Martin, Jas. Fraterville miners were members of the United Mine Workers of America within years of its creation in 1890. Oh, how I wish to be with you. It is the worst mining disaster in Tennessee history and one of the top five worst in the nations history. ", That's why she holds her family's history a little tighter. In a home not far away in Knox County, Louise Nelson pulls an old photograph from an envelope. Oops, something didn't work. Sorrells, Edgar, bur: Briceville GREAT NEWS! Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Select from premium Fraterville Mine Disaster of the highest quality. There is a few of us alive yet. This browser does not support getting your location. Hightower, Bart D., bur: Starr Oops, we were unable to send the email. Topics and series. JAKE & ELBERT, Oh God for one more breath. The bodies of 30 itinerant miners remained unclaimed and were buried next to the railroad spur line, marked by fieldstones or not at all. Hatmaker, Levi, bur: Longfield All these jobs were held by one man for whom. Cooper, John L., bur: Indian Creek Marker is at the intersection of Briceville Highway (Tennessee Route 116) and, Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History, Fraterville in Anderson County, Tennessee , Photographed By Tom Bosse, March 4, 2017. Louise read from the old article, "This is a whole list of all the miners that were killed on this list right here. Leinart, Charles A., bur: Miner's Circle Which leads us back to Leach Cemetery. W., bur: Miner's Circle One part of his message included, "I hope to meet you all in heaven. U.S. Newspapers, 50-State Full Search (1690-current), worst Lake City was known at the time as Coal Creek, Tennessee. This account has been disabled. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. This stretch of Route 116 has been renamed "Fraterville Miners Memorial Highway" in honor of the victims of the mine explosion. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Other miners who lost their lives in the Fraterville disaster are buried in Longfield Cemetery on U.S. Route 441 just east of Rocky Top. Harmon, Powell, bur: Longfield Smith, Forrest, (S), bur: Miner's Circle These men reportedly saw black smoke rising from the Fraterville Mine and initially thought that it was coming from a ventilation furnace. This historical marker was erected by Coal Creek Watershed Foundation. Martin, Dan., bur: Blowing Springs At the Leach Cemetery in Anderson County, 87 of the Fraterville miners were buried in a circle around a large monument in their honor.The precise cause of the explosion was never determined, or never disclosed. While the report stated that the shutdown of the mine's ventilation system over the previous weekend had allowed the dangerous build-up of the gases, ventilation furnace operator Tip Hightower was acquitted of negligence at a subsequent inquest. On June 8, 1902, memorial services led by local doctor and pastor E. S. Dickson were held at the Briceville Community Church for victims of the Fraterville Mine disaster, a mine explosion that killed 216 miners at the Fraterville Mine just north of Briceville. [5], It soon became clear that the rescuers had to attempt to fix the mine's ventilation and get clean air back into the mine. [4] The day after the explosion, the air was much more breathable and rescue efforts went into full swing. The report issued by the Tennessee Commissioner of Labor stated that the explosion occurred when volatile gases that "had accumulated because of inadequate ventilation" were ignited by an open light. Some of them lived for at least seven hours. Alice died in Oct., 1903 and a baby son died in Jan. of 1904. D'Zern, John, bur: Miner's Circle Take care of the children and do the best you can. Ten of them left something behind before they passed. Weaver, Sam, bur: Pleasant Hill ", Barry says now the story lives, plain as day, set in stone. Little Ellen darling, good-bye for us both. Try again later. These disasters, which killed 300 men and boys in Coal Creek, helped raise public awareness of the dangers of mining. Weve updated the security on the site. It is in Fraterville in Anderson County Tennessee, The tragedy was exacerbated by the fact that male members of entire families perished including five Dezern brothers, Peter Childress and his three sons, John McKamey and his three sons, and Bannister Vowell and his three sons. Do the best you can with the children. Oh, God, for one more breath. Oh how I wish to be with you, goodbye. Verify and try again. Good Bye Darling. He will save. Miners investigating a collapsed wall ignited a pocket of methane gas and caused an explosion. It appeared like all of the miners further down the mine died due to suffocation and not due to complications from the blast or debris. 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