In July of 1877, a strike on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad threw the United States into a crisis that shook its very foundations. The outburst became the first nationwide general strike in US history, travelling across major and minor railroad lines and spreading into countless other industries. The strike was borne out of the heightening contradictions of the Gilded Age, a period following the Civil War marked by the massive growth of wealth and a dominant system of industrial wage-labor. Workers who rose up were met with military force and violence erupted across fourteen states. In the Appalachian Forest, battlegrounds erupted in Cumberland, Keyser, Sir John’s Run and in the mountains and woods along the B&O line. The uprising crossed divisions of race, gender, and status as the downtrodden rose up against an absolute power. For some observers this massive upheaval appeared to be a second American Revolution.
Education and Community at Paw Paw's Black School
After nearly 100 years since its construction, the former Paw Paw Black School continues to convey its historic association with the Town of Paw Paw's education and social history. For more than 25 years the building served to educate Black students, and as a place of social gathering for the small number of Black families in Paw Paw who lived in the vicinity of the school. The building remains largely unchanged since that time. The important role the school played in Black education and the Black community led to the building being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2024.
J.R. Clifford: A Pioneer of Equality and Democracy in Appalachia
John Robert (J.R.) Clifford was a trailblazing African American lawyer, educator, and activist whose work continues to inspire the fight for justice. Clifford's landmark legal battles, including the landmark ruling on November 16, 1898 in Williams v. Board of Education of Fairfax District, highlight his profound impact on civil rights and democracy.
Paw Paw and its Apple Orchard Industry
By 1910 there were more than 150 orchards in Morgan and Hampshire counties. A 1919 census of orchards by the WV Department of Agriculture recorded eight orchards in Paw Paw, with a crop of 105,000 bushels. In 1940, the Consolidated Orchard Company constructed a modern packing plant with a capacity of 130,000 bushels, which grew to a capacity of 200,000+ bushels by 1963. On April 16, 1948 Consolidated Orchard hosted the dedication of the B&O Railroad “Paw Paw” Pullman car. B&O chose to honor “Paw Paw” because of the town’s importance as an apple producing center, and the prominence of Henry Miller, Jr as a producer, shipper, and apple authority.