This mine memorial is located at the Derby Methodist Church in Derby, a small coal camp located just outside the Town of Appalachia, Virginia. This memorial is located within a larger monument dedicated to memorializing the coal camps of Arno and Derby. The memorial itself reads, ‘Dedicated to the honor and memory of those past and present who made these two communities a great place to live.’ At the base of this large memorial is a plaque with seventeen names. It contains the inscription ‘In Memory of Those Killed in Derby No 3 Mine Explosion.’ It is dedicated to the seventeen men who died in the Stonega Coke and Coal Company Derby Number Three mine explosion in 1934. Each of their names are located on this memorial.
“In Memory of Those Killed in Derby No 3 Mine Explosion” photos by Zoe Brooks
Further Readings:
Report of Explosion Derby #3 Mine, Stonega Coke and Coal Company
Derby, Virginia
Joseph F. Davies, “Report of Explosion Derby #3 Mine, Stonega Coke and Coal Company, Derby, Virginia,” United States Bureau of Mines, Department of Labor, in the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration Digital Library, 1934.
Virginia Mine Accident Index
“Virginia Mine Accident Index,” from The United States Mine Rescue Association, 1854-1967.