Photograph as originally submitted to this page in the Historical Marker Database www.HMdb.org. Click on photo to resize in browser. Scroll down to see metadata.

Photographer: 1987 bronze by Gary Prazen, photograph by J.J. Prats
Taken: July 15, 2019
Caption: The Sentinel
Additional Description: “I am the Coal Miner of the Past, Present and Future. I represent all the coal miners of Boone County. I stand for freedom and safety in my job. I respect my fellow coal miners and the land that God has blessed us with. —Mrs. Atha’s 3rd Grade Class of 1990-91, Van Elementary School.”

From the Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog:

The cost of the statue, $30,000, was raised by the Holmes Safety Association from contributions from business, education, private and political groups. A school project was held to compose the plaque text and Mrs. Athey's third grade class was judged the winner. The base and plaque were donated by Ira Handley of Handley Funeral Home in Danville. The statue commemorates the mining tradition of West Virginia and the 100,000 miners who lost their lives in this century. Boone is the largest coal-producing city in West Virginia.

Submitted: August 28, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
Database Locator Identification Number: p489903
File Size: 0.520 Megabytes

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