Near Willow Island in Pleasants County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Willow Island Memorial
from Wikimedia Commons, 2008
1. Willow Island Memorial
In loving memory of the men that lost their lives when the cooling tower collapsed, April 27, 1978.
Joseph Bafile · James Blouir · Robert Blouir · Steve Blouir · Kenneth Boring · Richard Bowser · Thomas Cross · Roger Cunningham · Larry Deem · Roy F. Deem · Ray Duelly · Darrell Glover · Loren Keith Glover · Alvin Goff · Gary Gossett · James Harrison · Claude Hendrickson · Dan Hensler · Ken Hill · Gary Hinkle · Roger K. Hunt · Tom G. Kaptis · Randy Lowther · Ronald Mather · Howard McBrayer Jr. · Willard McCown · Clayton Monroe · Robert Moore · Chet Payne · Edgar Phillips · Raymond Poling · Fred Pride Jr. · Robert (Cliff) Riley · Ray Rollyson · Floyd Rupe · Alan Sampson · Glen Satterfield · Jeffrey F. Snyder · Emmett Steele · Ernest Steele · Larry Gale Steele · Miles Steele · Ronald Steele · Richard Stoke · Richard Swick · Brian Taylor · Dale Wagoner · Charles M. Warren · Jack Westfall · Louis Wildman · Ronald Yocum
“For God so loved the world, that be gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
This monument came about when 12-year old Anthony Lauer, grandson of L. Gale Steele, did a Social Studies project (twenty-two years later) to honor these men that lost their
this page online
Erected 2004 by Anthony Lauer.
Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is April 27, 1978.
Location. 39° 22.226′ N, 81° 17.095′ W. Marker is near Willow Island, West Virginia, in Pleasants County. Marker is on West Virginia Route 2, 12 miles east of Interstate 77, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Saint Marys WV 26170, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Vaucluse (approx. 2.9 miles away); Captain Gordon C. Greene / Captain Mary Becker Greene (approx. 3.1 miles away in Ohio); Hi Carpenter Bridge (approx. 4.1 miles away); Pleasants County / State of Ohio (approx. 4.1 miles away); George Washington (approx. 4.2 miles away); Alexander H. Creel (approx. 4.3 miles away); Short Route Bridge (Hi Carpenter Bridge) (approx. 4.3 miles away); St. Marys (approx. 4.4 miles away).
Regarding Willow Island Memorial. The Willow Island disaster was the collapse of scaffolding on a cooling tower under construction at the Pleasants Power Station in Willow Island, West Virginia, in 1978. It was the deadliest construction accident in U.S.
2. Willow Island Memorial
The monument is shaped like a cooling tower.
The usual method of scaffold construction places the base of the scaffold on the ground, with the top being built higher to keep up with the height of the structure. The scaffolding on the Willow Island cooling tower was bolted to the structure it was being used to build. A layer of concrete was poured, then, after the concrete forms were removed, the scaffolding was raised and bolted onto the new section. One 5-foot tall section of concrete was poured each day.
On April 27, 1978, tower number 2 had reached a height of 166 feet. Just after 10:00 a.m., the previous day's concrete started to collapse under the weight of the scaffolding with all the construction workers on it. Concrete and scaffolding began to unwrap from the top of the tower, first peeling counter-clockwise, then in both directions. A jumble of concrete, wooden forms, metal scaffolding, and construction workers fell into the hollow center of the tower. All fifty-one workers on the scaffold fell to their deaths.
A number of safety lapses caused the collapse:
Scaffolding was attached to concrete that had not been given time to sufficiently cure.
Anchor bolts were missing, and the existing bolts were of insufficient grade.
An elaborate concrete hoisting system had been modified without proper engineering review.
Contractors were rushing the construction.
3. Willow Island Memorial
The memorial is on the hill at left, and the cooling tower is at far right, a half-mile away.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 20, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 10, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 425 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 10, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.
