West Virginia State Social Studies Fair

2024 Official Abstract

Each project must include a completed copy of this abstract form. An abstract may be handwritten or completed on a computer. You may add additional space
between questions, but the final abstract may be no longer than three pages. The bibliography is not included in the page count. Bibliographies may be as long as
necessary. A COPY OF THE ABSTRACT MUST REMAIN WITH THE PROJECT DISPLAY AT ALL TIMES. It is recommended that you bring extra copies of your
abstract on fair day in case your primary copy is misplaced.

Project Title: The Exploitation and Excavation of West Virginia

Division: Category: Type:

1. Explain the purpose of your investigation and/or the reasons why you chose to investigate this topic.
The point of our investigation is to expose and go in-depth on the exploitation of West Virginia as a whole, while also showing the
effects that it has caused on the citizens. We would like to make it known to uninformed people that most of the land of West Virginia, is
not even owned by the state itself. We feel as if it is important to talk about this subject as we have lived here our whole life and feel it is
important for people to know about the many exploitations of West Virginia. We would also like to mention the many problems that have
emerged because of coal mining; as coal mining is one of the biggest parts of the history of West Virginia.

2. List the essential questions or research questions that drove your investigation.
 Why is so little land owned by the actual citizens of the state of West Virginia? Which private companies/individuals own most
of West Virginia?
 How has extensive coal mining and other extractive industries negatively affected the state of West Virginia including the lives
of the workers employed in these industries?
 What are the reasons behind the harmful characteristics which persist about the state of West Virginia, such as the high
poverty rates and drug addictions? How have these characteristics affected, and continue to affect the people of West
Virginia? What has been done to help?
 Why do few economic opportunities exist for the people of West Virginia? How has the exploitations of the state resulted in a
lack of economic opportunities for the people of West Virginia?

3. Describe your research methods and the types of sources you used as part of your investigation. How did you obtain your
information?
We began researching by looking up some of our questions on Google. From there, we found websites that answered the questions we
search, and some that answered the questions that we didn’t even look up.

One of the major websites we found was archive.wvculture.org. This website provided link to articles and documents about businesses,
industries, and labor in the West Virginia, which is a big part of our essential questions. Another very useful website was wvpolicy.org,
which provided articles about what people/companies own land in West Virginia and articles about the economy of West Virginia. Some
other useful sites used are wvencyclopedia.org and businessinsider.com.
4. Are your sources of information valid? Explain how you validated your sources.
We believe our sources are valid, because after some extensive research, everything turned out to be factual. The site wvculture.org is
valid and trustworthy as it has hundreds, and possibly thousands of different articles covering the history of West Virginia. The website
also has documents from the time period of whatever topic you choose. The site wvpolicy.org is also a valid and trustworthy website
and is run by a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve economic mobility in West Virginia. Lastly, the site wvencyclopedia.org is
also trustworthy as it has more than 2,400 articles and thousands of multimedia assets including historic photos, audios, and videos.
Those being our primary sources all our secondary sources are factual and valid information hubs too.

Official Abstract | West Virginia State Social Studies Fair, 2024 Page 1
5. Write a concise summary of your investigation. Describe your most important findings and explain why they are important or
relevant.
One of the most important things we found out in our research is that two-thirds of West Virginia is owned by absentee
owners/landlords. We found These landowners and companies own a lot of the land mainly because of the materials found in West
Virginia. We found that the top 10 companies that own most of West Virginia are Heartwood Forestland Fund, Norfolk Southern,
Natural Resource Partners, Pardee Resources, Coastal Lumber, Penn Virginia, MeadWestvaco, Plum Creek Timberland, Alpha
Natural Resources, and CONSOL Energy. We also found out that the federal government once bought 7,200 acres of land in West
Virginia out of fear that the countries forests would soon be gone, and with the land they established the Monongahela National Forest.

Another important thing we found out is that West Virginia is very negatively affected by coal mining, more specifically, mountaintop
removal. Research shows that many people who live near the mountaintop mines have suffered from many health problems. We also
found that mountaintop removal causes pollution in streams, which eventually results in a decline of fish life in the streams and rivers.
Something else we found is another problem resulting from mountaintop removal is deforestation. The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency estimates that by 2012, 1.4 million acres of Appalachian forest had been destroyed by mountaintop removal.

Another topic we covered was how these mining companies negatively affect the workers. We found that these mining companies
haven’t been the best when it comes to treating their workers right. Mines weren’t always too safe for the miners, with the first mine
safety laws being passed in 1883, while mining was happening in West Virginia since 1810, though no disasters happened in that
timeframe. Since mining began in West Virginia though, there have been 119 mining disasters, one of which, the Monongah mining
disaster, being the deadliest mine disaster is U.S. history, killing 392 people. Another problem is with an increase of mechanization,
men aren’t needed in the mines as much and are losing jobs, which also results in them not gaining money, which leads to poverty.

One of our topics was about the reasons behind the negative characteristics of West Virginia, those being poverty and drug addictions.
We found that a big reason behind the poverty in West Virginia is a lack of jobs in the state resulting from the overreliance on the coal
industry, which would result in men being put out of jobs as mechanization grows. This ties into the exploitation of the state because a
lot of the companies that own land in West Virginia own it for the coal it has, so they would much rather have machines as they can
produce coal faster and make more money. We also found that one of the biggest reasons behind drug abuse, specifically opioid
abuse, is to stave off the injuries received by the workers who receive injuries, whether that be while mining, farming, or timbering. This
ties back into the exploitation of the state as these men most likely work in the areas that are being exploited by the landowners and
companies, which most likely has to do with the poor conditions that results in them getting hurt.

Our final essential question asks why few economic opportunities exist for the people of West Virginia, and how the exploitation of the
state affects this. We found that because the state’s economy is centered around coal, as mechanization becomes more widespread,
men will be put out of jobs because they just are not needed anymore. This ties back into the exploitation of the state because if the
landowners and companies want to make money off of the land that they own, they will most likely rather have machines doing their
work as it is fast and they can make more money.

6. Describe any conclusions you were able to draw as a result of your investigation. How do these conclusions relate to your
essential or research questions?

Why is so little land owned by the actual citizens of the state of West Virginia? Which private companies/individuals own most of West
Virginia?
So little of the land of West Virginia is owned by the state itself because of the rich absentee landowners and companies that have
control of two-thirds of the state. These landowners and companies own a lot of the land mainly because of the materials that West
Virginia is home to. The only owner that does not necessarily because of materials is the federal government, as they bought land to
create national forests because of the fear that the countries forests would soon be gone, and in 1915 the government purchased
7,200 acres of land to create the Monongahela National Forest. The top 10 companies that own most of West Virginia are Heartwood
Forestland Fund, Norfolk Southern, Natural Resource Partners, Pardee Resources, Coastal Lumber, Penn Virginia, MeadWestvaco
which would be acquired by Plum Creek Timberland in 2013, Plum Creek Timberland, Alpha Natural Resources, and CONSOL Energy.
Official Abstract | West Virginia State Social Studies Fair, 2024 Page 2
How has coal mining and other extractive industries negatively affected the state of West Virginia including the lives of the workers
employed in these industries?
One of the biggest problems with coal mining in West Virginia is mountaintop removal. Research shows that many people who live near
the mountaintop mines have suffered from many health problems, including cardiovascular disease and even cancer. Another result of
mountaintop mining is pollution in streams and rivers, which eventually results in a decline of fish life in the streams and rivers. Another
problem that is a result of mountaintop mining is deforestation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that by 2012, 1.4
million acres of Appalachian forest had been destroyed by mountaintop removal, though this isn’t only in West Virginia, it has most
definitely affected West Virginia negatively.

When it comes to how mining has affected the lives of the workers, it’s safe to say that they haven’t been too generous to the miners.
In the early days of mining, the mines weren’t necessarily the safest, as no safety laws were passed until 1883, even though the first
recorded instance of coal mining was in 1810. Luckily, no disasters happened within that time span, though since mining began in West
Virginia, there have been 119 disasters in mines, one of which, the Monongah mining disaster, being the most fatal mining disaster in
U.S. history, killing 362 miners. Another thing that has affected the lives of the miners is mechanization. By the 1920’s underground
work was greatly sped up by the mobile loading machine, which put many miners out of jobs, though those who stayed would get
increased pay and reduced hours. By the 1950s though, with the creation of a machine known as the continuous miner, the labor force
was radically reduced once again, putting many miners out of jobs once again.
What are the reasons behind the harmful characteristics which persist about the state of West Virginia, such as the high poverty rates
and drug addictions? How have these characteristics affected, and continue to affect the people of West Virginia? How do these
characteristics tie into the exploitation of West Virginia?
A big reason behind the poverty in West Virginia is a lack of jobs in the state resulting from the overreliance on the coal industry, which
as mechanization grows in certain parts of the state, has no need for human workers. This ties back into the exploitation of the state, as
a lot of the land is owned by landowners and companies that are focused on coal mining, and it would be safe to assume that they
would much rather have machines doing the work of a human as it is faster and more effective.

One of the biggest reasons behind drug abuse, specifically opioid abuse, is to stave off the injuries received by the workers who
receive injuries, whether that be while mining, farming, or timbering. These characteristics tie back into the whole exploitation of West
Virginia, as these men most likely work in the areas that are being exploited by the landowners and companies, which most likely has
to do with the poor conditions that results in them getting hurt.
Why do few economic opportunities exist for the people of West Virginia? How has the exploitations of the state resulted in a lack of
economic opportunities for the people of West Virginia?
This kind of ties back into the mechanization mentioned before. Because most of West Virginia’s economy is centered around its coal
production, the evolution of mechanization has resulted in a decreased demand for labor. Because of this decreasing demand of labor,
many men who used to work in the mines have been put out of jobs because they simply aren’t needed anymore, and because West
Virginia’s primary source of economic growth is coal and because men aren’t needed anymore, there are just so little job opportunities
left for people who need jobs. This ties back into the exploitation of the state because many of the rich landowners and companies that
own land for mining coal predominately use machines, which leaves no job opportunities for the men who would’ve worked in the
mines.

Official Abstract | West Virginia State Social Studies Fair, 2024 Page 3
 Bibliography

Appalachian Voices. “Ecological Impacts of Mountaintop Removal > Appalachian Voices.” Appalachian Voices, 2017,

appvoices.org/end-mountaintop-removal/ecology/.

Boettner, Ted. “Who Owns West Virginia in the 21st Century?” West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, 20 Nov. 2017,

wvpolicy.org/who-owns-west-virginia-in-the-21st-century-2/. Accessed 14 Jan. 2024.

Boettner, Ted. “Why Is West Virginia so Poor?” West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, 20 Nov. 2017, wvpolicy.org/why-is-west-

virginia-so-poor-2/.

“Coal Controversy in Appalachia.” Earthobservatory.nasa.gov, 21 Dec. 2007,

earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/MountaintopRemoval.

Coleman, Rhonda. “West Virginia Historical Society Quarterly Vol 15, No. 2.” Archive.wvculture.org,

archive.wvculture.org/history/wvhs/wvhs1502.html. Accessed 14 Jan. 2024.

“E-WV | Coal Industry.” Www.wvencyclopedia.org, www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1349.

“E-WV | Poverty.” Www.wvencyclopedia.org, www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1909.

EDITOR, Michael Lemley SPECIAL PROJECTS. ““We Have This Vicious Cycle”: U.S. Census Report Identifies “Persistent

Poverty” in West Virginia.” WV News, 22 May 2023, www.wvnews.com/statejournal/news/we-have-this-vicious-cycle-u-s-

census-report-identifies-persistent-poverty-in-west-virginia/article_6e29234c-ef79-11ed-9675-cbfa1b9faf47.html.

Miller, Dawn "Poverty." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. 22 November 2023. Web. 13 January 2024

“Mining in West Virginia: A Capsule History.” WV Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training, minesafety.wv.gov/historical-statistical-

data/mining-in-west-virginia-a-capsule-history/.

“Owning the Mountains: Appalachia’s History of Corporate Control.” Appvoices.org, appvoices.org/2016/02/18/corporate-land-

ownership-appalachia/#:~:text=Miller%20found%20that%20two%2Dthirds. Accessed 15 Jan. 2024.

“The Coal Mine next Door | How the US Government’s Deregulation of Mountaintop Removal Threatens Public Health.” Human Rights

Watch, 10 Dec. 2018, www.hrw.org/report/2018/12/10/coal-mine-next-door/how-us-governments-deregulation-mountaintop-

removal-threatens.

The West Virginia Drug Situation. 2017.

“West Virginia - Economy.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/place/West-Virginia/Economy.

“West Virginia Archives and History - Business and Industry.” Archive.wvculture.org,

archive.wvculture.org/history/businessandindustry/businessandindustry.html. Accessed 14 Jan. 2024.

Official Abstract | West Virginia State Social Studies Fair, 2024 Page 4
“West Virginia Archives and History - Labor.” Archive.wvculture.org, archive.wvculture.org/history/labor/labor.html#chil. Accessed 14

Jan. 2024.

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