One of the largest and most profitable of the mines was Silver Creek mines, owned by Erastus Loomis. Occasionally, the miners would go out on strike to pressure the owners to improve wages or working conditions. It was a common practice for the owners to bring in outside workers to take the striking miners' places. It was a cutthroat practice and it was effective.
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| Map from Rogues Hollow History and Legends by Russell W. Frey showing the Silver Creek Mines (with red triangle) |
In 1880, the Wadsworth mine owners decided they would only pay the miners for the coal chunks that were a certain size. So they started screening each load of coal. The miners were not paid for anything small enough that it passed through the screen. The miners were being paid 50 cents per ton and they were expected to bring a certain tonnage of coal to the surface everyday. If they didn't meet their quota they would be considered a substandard worker and subject to being fired.
Does this mean the owners threw out the smaller coal? Most certainly not! Smaller coal was still fine for home use and it would have been sold.
The miners were incensed! They were already being paid as little as .50 to $1 per day for the back breaking and dangerous work. Now part of their labors weren't even going to be measured! And the owners were making incredible profit! So they went out on strike!
In her book, Medina County Coming of Age 1810-1900, historian Joann King says that the strike started on April 14th of 1880. Curiously, I could not find any newspaper articles from that date about the strike. The Medina Gazette was silent on the topic, until later in the year.
But as during past strikes, Erastus Loomis was looking for workers to take the place of the striking miners. However, he couldn't find enough workers locally. So he combed the black communities of the south. Soon, 200 Black men were unloaded from the train cars to work at the mine. Most were from Virginia.
As they would have with any strike breakers, the miners threatened the Black men. Loomis responded by housing the men, and their families, behind a stockade.
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| 14 May 1880, page 7, Medina Gazette |
The county Sheriff called for help and Cleveland sent 25 deputies. When the threats continued, the Ohio Militia was sent to protect the strike breakers.
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| 14 May 1880 Medina Gazette, page 7 |
In June, the strike was still on, and the Black miners appreciated the presence of the Militia, believing their very lives depended on the soldiers.
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| Medina Gazette 4 June 1880, page 7. |
Within two weeks the strike was settled and the miners went back to work. The militia was sent home.
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| Medina Gazette 18 June 1880 page 7 |
A survey of the 1900 Federal Census for Wadsworth Township, shows of the 57 Black males living in the township, 35 were of working age. 27, or 3/4 of those men were miners.
Around this same time, the children of the Silver Creek Black miners, were being taught by a "A colored woman from Massillon." (Joann King, Medina County Coming of Age, page 407).
Soon after the families settled in, a Baptist Church was organized. Now known as the First Baptist Church, they hold annual reunions.
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| Descendants of the Black coal miners first gathered in 1993. Sun Banner Pride, 2 September 1993. |
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| Sun Banner Pride 10 August 2000 |
SOURCES:
Medina County Coming of Age 1810-1900 by Joann King
Medina Gazette:
16 April 1880, page 7
14 May 1880, page 7
28 May 1880, page 2 and 7
18 June 1880, page 7
Remembering Wadsworth by Caesar Carrino
Rogues Hollow History and Legends by Russel W. Frey
Sun Banner Pride
2 Sep 1993
10 August 2000
Wadsworth Center to City Eleanor Shapiro, editor
U.S. Federal Census through Ancestry LE
Awesome Blog! I love finding out new things about Medina County's history!
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