Landscape as Arena and Spatial Narrative in the New River Gorge National River’s Coal Camps: A Case Study of the Elverton, West Virginia 1914 Strike

In this paper we examine a case study of Elverton, West Virginia as evidence of how external factors shape commemoration. Elverton was a small coal town and the site of a short, but successful labor uprising in 1914 during the peak of mining in West Virginia. We frame this case study from the perspective of landscape as arena and as spatial narrative. We find that as an arena, no groups have initiated commemoration of the landscape, likely because Elverton is difficult to access. Evidence also suggests Elverton is not included by the National Park Service’s spatial narrative of the New River Gorge because of limited resources. Instead, the National Park Services uses more accessible sites requiring less costly renovations to depict the completion of the mining boom in this region. In both perspectives, Elverton’s lack of commemoration also appears to be attributed to its previous landowners: coal mining companies.