FARMINGTON, W.Va. (WV News) — On a brisk Sunday afternoon, scores of people gathered to recognize the 57th anniversary of the tragic 1968 Farmington No. 9 Mine disaster.

The annual event was held at the miner’s memorial tucked into a hollow, which commemorates the 78 men who died in a massive explosion at the coal mine.

The Farmington Mine disaster, which occurred on November 20, 1968, claimed the lives of 78 men; 21 miners survived the terrible rumbling deep under the mountain. Sadly, the remains of 19 miners were never recovered due to ongoing dangerous conditions and were sealed within the mine shaft.

The memorial site itself sits directly atop the sealed-off section of the mine, effectively making the location a graveyard for the men who went to work in the early morning hours of No

See Full Page