Millfield Mine Disaster

On November 5, 1930, "Ohio's worst mine disaster occurred in the Sunday Creek Coal Company mine when an explosion killed 82 persons.  Among the dead were the company's top exectutives who were in the mine inspecting new safety equipment.  Nine hours after the explosion, rescuers discovered 19 miners alive underground, three miles from the main shaft. The disaster attracted national press coverage and international attention and it prompted improvement of Ohio's mine safety laws in 1931."  This quote is taken from the Ohio Historical Marker located at the site of Ohio's worst mine disaster.  Known as the Millfield Mine Disaster, such an notably important event in the history of Ohio Appalachian history has been widely under recognized by those outside of the Athens county area.  What many don't know is that this site is roughly 30 minutes away from Athens City, where one will find Ohio University.  Many, if not most, of the students at OU will not make the trip to see what remains of the former mine.  However, if you do go there, you will see what remains of the smoke stack and a few buildings.  Additionally, in order to get to the site, you get to go through what remains of a former Company Town.  You see what used to be the general store and even some of the houses are still stained with coal dust.  The story of this mine disaster is directly pertinent to the history of not only the village of Millfield, but also to the history of the southeastern Ohio counties.  There is the legacy of the importance of the coal mining industry in the region, as is exhibited in the small towns dispersed around the region.  It is also telling how important coal mining is to the history of the region because of the number of artifacts cared for at the ACHSM.  What Millfield represents is not only how the coal industry changed Athens county but also how it affected it in the state.  However, it is unclear how it affected state laws in neighboring states, like West Virginia.

Sources: Athens County Historical Society and Museum
http://www.forgottenoh.com/Explosion/explosion.html