Bretzman, Charles
Description
The Virginia delegation of the United Mine Workers of America posed for this photograph on Monument Circle in 1927. The group also contains a band identified by the sign on the drum as Monongah Band Local No. 1643. The United Mine Workers of America became the official representative of coal miners across the country in 1890. Eight years later, the union selected Indianapolis as the location for its national headquarters and held annual conventions in the city every year until 1934 when it moved to Washington, D.C. The Union leader, John L. Lewis stands behind the drum in the center of the group. He was the leader of the union from 1919 to 1960. The union had its headquarters on the 11th floor of the Merchants Bank Building in Indianapolis. Several African Americans are in the group.The original nitrate negative was copied with funds provided by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission in 1990. This digital image was created from that copy. The copy prints and negatives are stored in Microfiche Number order. Interpositives are stored in PAN number order.
Image
Interpositive
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