Replacing a piece of history: New Straitsville group raising funds to replace damaged marker

Miller remarked that they know young kids hung on it, breaking a top portion of the outline of Ohio and a place on the bottom of the marker where it broke off.

Robinson’s Cave is located not too far off Main Street behind the Village of New Straitsville Volunteer Fire Department.

Miller explained that visitors have been confused and unsure if the cave was open.

“They also ask if there is any information on Robinson’s Cave and we try to fill them in,” she continued. “We were able to get the marker repaired by Logan Welding for $300. They did an awesome job with the repair. We are very thankful.”

Last Thursday, Miller and Tom Craig, facilities manager at the New Straitsville History Group carried the around 50-pound historical marker back to its home near Robinson’s Cave.

Miller went on to note that Robinson’s Cave is important because of the Labor Movement. The two-sided marker explained that:

Side one: On a forested hillside south of New Straitsville, the spacious 1,000 square foot Robinson’s Cave offered a secluded location with great acoustics where large groups of Hocking Valley coal miners could meet in secret. Beginning in about 1870, labor-organizing meetings were held at the cave by various emerging unions including the Knights of Labor. New Straitsville resident Christopher Evans, a well-known union organizer, used Robinson’s Cave to lead miners throughout the long Hocking Valley Coal Strike of 1884-1885. These meetings gave the miners a voice in the formation of a national organization called the National Federation of Miners and Mine Laborers, later renamed the National Progressive Union. The cave was also where non-union miners met to plan to set the Columbus & Hocking Coal & Iron Company mines on fire in a desperate attempt to end the Hocking Valley Strike.

Side two: In 1886, the Knights of Labor founded the National District Assembly Number 135, a rival for the National Federation of Miners and Mine Laborers. Oddly, both headquarters were located in New Straitsville. Dissension between the two groups hurt labor negotiations, but Christopher Evans continued to hold meetings to settle differences. In response to a miner’s death in 1889, the feuding miners used Robinson’s Cave to reconcile once and for all. Evans called miners together again in 1890 for the first organizational meeting of the United Mine Workers of America, the name formally adopted at their next meeting in Columbus. This series of historic meetings is why Robinson’s Cave is referred to as the secret birthplace of the United Mine Workers.

“They fought for fair pay and safety was another issue because of the working conditions. Miners were in dispute with companies so Christopher Evans played a big part in getting the guys united,” Miller said. “Mining is an extremely dangerous job.

“They would use hand signals or special codes to notify the workers there would be a meeting. They liked using the cave because the acoustics in it,” she continued. “A person could whisper in there and everybody could hear. No microphones were needed or anything like back in those days. They were all hard-working men.”

The New Straitsville History Group is a volunteer and non-profit group. The cost to buy a new historic marker is about $2,300 including shipping.

“We’ve had two spaghetti fundraisers. We’ve raised about $240 so far. We are accepting donations, no matter how small or big,” Miller stated. “We feel that it’s an important part to the area. It’s all about preserving the history and keeping history of New Straitsville and the surrounding coal mining towns alive. We work hard in preserving whatever we can.”

The historical marker was bolted down and the damaged parts were touched up with paint.

For more information on donating or learning more about Robinson’s Cave, search for New Straitsville History Group on Facebook or call 740-415-4220.