What to Wear

We started out going through the thrift clothing stores, but now we’re searching around for other sources. Most of the photos of the miners at Blair Mountain show them wearing every day clothes vs. work clothing, with the exception of over alls and denim trousers.

This is a basic listen of items that one can use to do a reasonably accurate impression.

Clothing for the Miners would have been denim over alls and a red bandanna. Overalls tended to be a mass produced item of clothing with the first commercial “do it at home” patterns for these garments coming out in the early 1870’s. The straps are generally fairly narrow and can be either stitched or buttoned at the rear and at this time it seems that overalls usually have a button instead of a buckle to secure the straps in place on front of the chest. The most common material for overalls for this period is going to be denim and to a lesser extent waterproof material. The slits tend to be reinforced to prevent tearing. The garments for this time period can be without pockets but it seems that two patch pockets in the front below the waist level is very common as are two back patch pockets in addition. Pockets on the bib are correct for this time period, but full chest sized ones don’t seem overly common. Smaller seems to be more common. This are difficult to find in reproduction form. A few Civil War and Western vendors have offered patterns in the past, so getting them custom made is probably your easiest route.

Shirts would have varied from man to man, though the styles back in the early 1920s looked closer to the Victorian and Edwardian pull over style with three to four buttons that reached to mid-chest. Wool flannel was a popular material and sturdy. Chambray was also used. Cotton shirts are also correct. Contrary to what some reenactors suggest, collared shirts were around. Most of us have the “Grandfather” shirts, but we’re pushing people to more period correct shirts. Again, some of the westernwear shops have plain shirts with slightly pointed collars that are correct.  When worn with the red bandanna, you’ll have an image just like many shown in period photos.

It appears that the most common types of pants seen in photos of civilians are the standard trouser pattern dating from the mid 1800’s, the biggest difference is that many of these high waisted pants also had belt loops. These trousers are generally called fish tails because of the V shape on the back. Most had adjuster pads on the back, as well. If this is not available, use simple straight legged trouser. They should be of period materials and design. Wool, denim, or corduroy is the best choice. Trousers are indeed the most challenging part, as the ones you’ll often find in the thrift shops are going to gave zipper flies and are too short in the waist. Therefore, those black or dark grey or denim “westernwear” trousers can fill the gap. They are ‘mostly’ cut correct, except you’ll want to make a one inch (1″) cuff at the bottom of the legs.

Red Bandannas: A characteristic of the miners in the Coal War of 1920-21 was the red bandanna that was worn around his neck; it was a part of the revolting miner’s “uniform.” Not only was it used to identify one insurgent from the next, but it also helped unify the group. Paisley on cotton and wool in the 19th Century was major and by the beginning of the 20th century the paisley pattern was being printed, rather than woven, onto other textiles, including cotton squares which were the precursors of the modern bandanna. Being able to purchase printed paisley rather than woven paisley brought the price of the costly pattern down and added to its popularity. Avoid modern “railroad” paisley patterns or modern bandannas, these are not correct for the era.

A variety of jackets appear in photos of the civilian population. The most common type appears to be that of a suit coat or chore coat style in a variety of colors, styles and materials. Chore coats were generally loose fitting. Most had three-four buttons and had 3-4 patch pockets, these were usually made of cotton drill or denim. If you use a suit coat it should have 3-4 button front, no splitin the back, one breast/two lower pockets with flaps, or patch pockets, and ideally in a darker plain tone. A vest should have six to eight buttons, so that when worn with the coat you can see the top of the vest. Pockets should be w/o flaps. The bottom of the vest should meet in an offset ‘V’, suggesting a ‘W’.

There were a variety of shoe styles in use at that time. Any sort of leather round toed ankle boot is the norm. Leather soled shoes are preferred. You can find them online through various vendors. They run anywhere from about $80 – $110, so shop around. May boots had captoe (though many also did not have them), ankle height, all leather sole sometimes w/rubber heel (however, all rubber soled boots did exist). Black and browns are useable.

It appears that the most common type of general head gear is what is often referred to as a “newsboy” “newsie” “cabbie” and are a hat made out of various materials with multi panels and a visor on it. There is also another type by that name which is different and is not made of multi panels. They are wide than modern soft caps. These should be of period materials and design. The “Newsboy” hats are easy to find new and used and are inexpensive. Some wide brim fedora-like hats do show up in a lot of photos. However, they should be in poorer shape than the classy gangster style.

There are reports of former soldiers from the Spanish American War and First World War that wore their uniforms into battle. There was also one former Italian officer that showed up in his uniform and commanded the miners in battle. It seems that the US bordie helmet was in use by many men. We personally avoid using too much military items besides for gas mask bags, boots, headgear, and in some cases firearms.

Footwear

 

Footwear is pretty straight forward when it comes to the 1920s. Any sort of leather round toed ankle boot is the norm, black and browns were the most common. Many examples have toe-caps on them. The uppers of the boots were leather. Rubber was used sparingly, mostly seen on the heel. The work boots worn into the coal mines had to be as tough as the demanding conditions. These boots were built with a top cap over the toe to provide the miners an extra measure of safety.

Socks were made made out of cotton, wool, and other materials that were strong enough to survive the harsh working conditions in mines.

Many of these socks were created in mills in the upper Midwest. John Nelson, a Swedish immigrant to the United States, patented the sock-knitting machine in 1869, and began manufacturing work socks in Rockford, Illinois in 1890. Nelson Knitting was an innovator in the mass market work sock field, creating a loom that enabled socks to be manufactured without seams in the heel. These seamless work socks were so popular that the market was soon flooded with imitators, and socks of this type were known under the generic term “Rockfords”.1

1.  Robinson, Mike; Silverman, Helaine (2015). Encounters with Popular Pasts: Cultural Heritage and Popular Culture. New York: Springer. pp. 109–111. ISBN 978-3-319-13183-2.

Denim Trousers

 

 

By the late 19th century, weavers in America were making twills in the same fashion as the European denim, adapting to use cotton, instead of a cotton/linen blend (often called “jean wool”). The solely cotton material had a reputation for being very strong and not wearing out quickly. Levis Strauss became famous in the late 1840s creating clothing of various materials to the Gold Rush miners. However, these trousers were not the same material as the denim we know today.

In 1873, Levis and Davis created the first true “blue” jeans as we know them. By adding metal rivets to the highly stressed seams.  Proper denims of the 1920s were still high waisted, going up to the navel. At this period in time, many men still wore suspenders to keep their trousers up, so stud buttons were often used to hold them up.. However, many laborers opted to not wear suspenders because they can be restrictive while working and thus the waist belt and belt loops became more common. Most work wear was still button flied, as the zipper didn’t see the height of popularity until the advent of WW2.  They also started to be called blue jeans around the start of the 1950s.

Miner’s Double Buckle Boots

 

Since trousers tend to be the first piece of clothing that suffers from day to day wear, workers came up with some pretty inventive ways to keep their clothing in the best of shape as possible.

If one looks closely at these photos of five male employees of the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company in Colorado (circa: 1910-1930), some of the miners have ankle boots similar to the M43 US combat boot.

Boots with ankle gaiters were sometimes worn by workers in the early 20th century in order to prevent the trousers from getting caught up in debris, branches, etc.

This ad from the mid-to late 1920s also shows an example of the double buckle boots from the era.

Chambray Shirts

Chambray material originated in Cambrai, Northern France, where the fabric was first designed and used to create sunbonnets in the late 1500s AD. Chambray is a strong fabric with a smooth surface, designed with a tight weave. The material is soft and comfortable. It has a very soft coloring, which causes it to appear with a faded look. Chambray is easy to sew and wears well, yet wrinkles easily unless crease resistant. This makes it ideal for work wear. It was famously adopted by the US navy in 1901 right through to World War II.

 

Don Chafin’s Militia

Most of Don Chafin’s private army was made up of the recently created WV State Police, WV National Guard, hired guns, citizens from Logan, members of the American Legion, strike breakers, and a variety of others. For those that wanted to wear a uniform, khaki was the most common color. Khaki generally meant what we would consider Olive Drab now a days. Like the miners, many of these men were also veterans of the Great War and would have worn their service uniforms. In many pictures, these men are seen wearing the campaign hats, which was a common head gear for the state police and soldiers of the US Army. The other option was to wear a white armband to “counter” the red scarves that the union men would wear. Since these men were armed by the coal companies, they were almost exclusively armed with the M1903 Springfield rifle and to a lesser extent, the M1917 Enfield rifle. In addition, they were also armed with Winchester lever action rifles, Thompson sub-machine guns, Colt and Browning machine guns, and even ex-military light artillery. In the end both sides did minimal damage to each other since both sides were under disciplined and many were not trained in military warfare; over a million rounds were fired in five days resulting in less than 50 dead on both sides.

Re-Enactment Suppliers

Vendors and suppliers of reenactment or living history items. BUYERS BEWARE!! This sites is not responsible for content of ads posted or conduct of sale.Please Read this Guideline for what the clothing should look like. Certain items haven’t changed much in the past 90 years in men’s fashions, so some items can be found for cheaper than what is listed here. Thrift stores, such as Goodwill and ones run by various charitable organisations, usually have quite an array of options for 1920s civilian re-enactors. Do consult the guidelines above before buying things, though – while it’s possible to kit yourself out at the thrift store, it’s not going to be the perfect look. For that, you need to visit the clothiers listed at the bottom of the page. Don’t forget the closets of elderly relatives. It is somewhat creepy to point it out, but your great-uncle’s wardrobe isn’t doing him any good after the funeral. Ask for permission if you can look through his or her closet. That way you can keep his memory alive as well as save some money!

If you have any questions about the suitability of an item please contact us.

Clothing

Old Town is a clothing manufacturer producing approx. 50 garments per week from our own workshop using British cottons, woollens and linens wherever possible.The shop and workshop is at 49 Bull Street, Holt, Norfolk NR25 6HP. Yes, a pair of trousers from Old Town will cost $130, but it’s better to spend that $130 once on a pair of perfectly correct trousers that’ll wear like iron than a lesser amount on trousers that are not only incorrect but will wear out after three events.

Frontier Outfitters: Have mostly Western Wear but certain items will work.

Walton & Taylor Mercantile-Model 1870″ Blue Jeans

Hamiliton Dry Goods.

1920s Wool Caps

Levi´s® Vintage Clothing 1915 501 Cone Mills Colab Rigid. Do note that these people are fashion designers.

Levi´s® Vintage Clothing 1920 201 Jeans Rigid. Do note that these people are fashion designers.

Period Underwear.

Worker’s Undershirt.

1920s Inspired Newsboy Caps.

Canvas Shell Coat, good for winter.

Work Jacket Cotton Drill JK01.

Bib and Brace – BB01
100% cotton drill Bib and Brace overalls, with concealed button fly, Bib pocket, rear patch pocket, two side pockets, rule pocket, access to undergarments.

Classic Old West Styles. Have some trousers and shirts that would be acceptable. Please email us before ordering, though.

Hats in the Belfry News Paper Boy Caps. I’d stick to dark or neutral colors.

Accurate Cotton Bandannas, if you so choose to use this style.

Footwear

Early 20th Cent. Work Boots.

Iron Ranger Work Boot.

Military Items

Eureka Arsenal. Vendor of reproduction gear and hats from the Spanish American War and WW1.

What Price Glory. Has US military items from the early 1900s that would be accurate for a miner’s impression, if they were veterans.

Schipperfabrik. Vendor of WW1 reenactment supplies and uniforms.

Mining Items

Welsh Miners Safety Lamps. Sells reproduction lamps that were used throughout coal mines in the US, United Kingdom, and Canada.

“Mother of Purl” and “Coppersmith.” They make “dog tags” that are made out of brass and are exactly the same as the ones used by Miners. Sometimes makes overalls.

Madison Antique Mall: 369 Main Street. Madison, WV 25130 304-307-4409. Has original miner’s helmets, lanterns, company scripts, and other period times.

Others

The Victor Trading Co. & Manufacturing Works LLC. Hand crafted tin cans circa 1850-1920. Labels are 1880-1920. Period tin cans. Labels are laser color copy reproductions. Excellent quality! Cans are made of tin plate, using hand powered antique equipment. We only use lead free solder. The cans are of the ‘hole-and-cap’ design (bottom has relief for stacking). They do not open.

Firearms

Collector’s Armoury Blank Firing Guns. They have a M1894 Lever action rifle and various pistols that would be perfect for the impression labelled under “Old West” guns and “20th Cent. Revolvers.”

Blockade Runner’s Cartridge Guns and “Western” rifles

GunBroker.com is an informative, detailed, secure and safe way to find guns for sale, hunting / shooting accessories, and much more. GunBroker.com is an online gun auction that promotes responsible gun ownership.

For Firearms, we also recommend going to a local sportsmen stores or gun shows in order to find them.

Once again, you’ll notice that some of these items are not cheap but they are almost dead on accurate for doing impressions. It’s better to save up ahead of time before spending hundreds of dollars on items that are not accurate and then having to spend more to replace them. It’s generally always more difficult to do civilian looks than military, since there are no true vendors for reenactors out there for the 1920s.

On the Topic of WW1 US Uniforms

If you watched the UMW’s video, “Into the Darkness,” one of the narrator’s mentions that some of the miner’s wore the uniforms that they had worn in France during the Great War. There is enough evidence to prove that this statement is correct through picture’s taken during the ten days that the battle took place and the surrender to Federal forces.

From what I can tell, the most common items would have been the “Bordie” helmet, M1910 ammo belt, and occasionally the M1903 Bandolier. Some men did wear the full uniform into battle, though. My general opinion of guerrilla fighters, however; is to keep full military dress to a minimum

Since the subject of US Army uniforms is rather detailed I’d highly recommend visiting theHeartland Doughboys. They are an American Expeditionary Force reenactment group based in the upper-Midwest.

Schipperfabrik and What Price Glory are amongst the best and most recommend vendors for items.

Red Scarves

A characteristic of the miners in the Coal War of 1920-21 was the red bandanna that was worn around his neck; it was a part of the revolting  miner’s “uniform.”  Not only was it used to identify one insurgent from the next, but it also helped unify the group.

When people bring up the wearing of red bandannas, most people tend to be drawn to the fancy paisley patterns that are out there. So the question is, where the miner’s handkerchiefs the “railroad” style or were they something else?

This requires a quick look at the history of paisley. Though the recognizable paisley print pattern was originally crafted by Indian artisans, it was brought to Scotland in the early 19th century, where it received its name. Paisley print was named after the Scottish town of Paisley, where printed cotton and wool fabrics were heavily manufactured.

Paisley on cotton and wool in the 19th Century was major and by the beginning of the 20th century the paisley pattern was being printed, rather than woven, onto other textiles, including cotton squares which were the precursors of the modern bandanna. Being able to purchase printed paisley rather than woven paisley brought the price of the costly pattern down and added to its popularity.

I don’t recommend using this style since it appears to have come out later than the 1920s.

However, the paisley print, as we know it, didn’t see its first acclaimed popularity until when the Beatles decided to wear it during the “Summer of Love” in 1968.

These styles are an example originals found in the 1800s-1930s.

Proper styles should be made from old material, such as shirts that were no longer wearable or from scraps not used. I’d recommend going with a basic solid red color made from wool or cotton. I’d recommend checks, non-railroad style paisley patters, or calico prints.

Here is a slight update, this is one of the Hatfields from Matewan, WV in the late 1800s. Note that he is wearing a paisley neckerchief. Do keep in mind that the Hatfields were a colorful group, so they could afford fancier items; however, notice that it is different from the railroad ones you see in most shops.

Lectures and Presentations

 

Important reminder: At this time we are a very new unit that has members scattered throughout the US; our main base is currently in SE Wisconsin.

Learn what a miner had to go through during the early 20th Century. Hear of the tales, the hardships, and livelyhood of a coal miner as you watch history unfold before you. What was life like for the average rural person in the 1920s? What things were important to them? What did they wear? What did they eat?

As part of our community engagement and broader educational goals, we are more than happy to come talk to you and your group. We have experience and can talk to diverse audiences such as K-12 students, college undergraduate classes, graduate seminars, professional academic conferences, labor organizations, and community groups.

We prefer having at least a month’s notice ahead of time before any lectures or presentations are proposed. Please note, we will need to know what your schools or conference buildings’ policies of firearms are, since they are a part of the display aspects. It is preferable if class sizes are no larger than approximately 30 students. The presentation runs approximately from 30 minutes to an hour. The program can be shortened or lengthened to meet specific needs. We are always open to questions after the program. Performance fees are very reasonable, based on the length of program and distance traveled.

For living history events, we have our Travelling Museum. Items will include tools used by miners, historical memorabilia from the region, military items, and other 90+ year old items. The set up will also consist of plaques used to describe these items and to give our display a quality museum-like setting. We love to use Living historians/Historical interpreters. It’s our belief that it’s one thing to stare at displays and artifacts, but it is another to actually interact with, and see it come to life.

Because of other activities, we may not be able to respond to all requests. But, if you would like to contact us  or message us on our Facebook page and set up a meeting to get more information and any general questions you may have.

Aside from basic compensation (this various for events), travel expenses might also be levied depending on where and when your event is taking place, as fuel is not cheap these days. You may specify how many members you’d like to attend, if you want a display, if you want first person or 3rd person narratives, etc.

Please Note: No Commercial Photographs or Video of our unit members or displays are allowed, without prior permission or a signed release.