In the early morning of Feb. 26,1972, a coal slurry impoundment on Buffalo Creek collapsed, sending millions of gallons of wastewater rushing into the valley below. Hundreds of people died or were injured, and thousands were left homeless. The cleanup, investigations, and lawsuits that followed further strained the community.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Buffalo Creek disaster, WVU Libraries and the Department of History partnered on a project to curate exhibitions and conduct community outreach in Logan County.
In February 2022, the project team joined more than 200 people at a memorial event in Logan County. Graduate student Crystal Coon presented on curating the “Buffalo Creek Disaster” exhibit, and Dr. Jessie Wilkerson and graduate student MaryAnne Steinmiller collected 16 oral history interviews, which will be donated to the West Virginia & Regional History Center. The Center also plans to digitize and preserve newspapers and community newsletters related to the disaster on loan from the Buffalo Creek Memorial Library.
The project team included Public History Graduate Assistants Crystal Coon and MaryAnn Steinmiller, and Research Apprenticeship Program undergraduate student Noah Boylen. Project faculty advisors were Melissa Bingmann, Danielle Emerling (PI), William Hal Gorby, and Jessica Wilkerson.
The Buffalo Creek Disaster 50th Anniversary project was made possible by a grant
from the WVU Humanities Center.
Photograph of a Buffalo Creek family surveying the damage done by the flood to personal property, 1972 | from the Arch A. Moore Papers
The exhibitions are viewable online and in the Downtown Library’s Atrium through December 2022. “The Buffalo Creek Disaster: 50 Years from Flooding” exhibits feature photos, letters, newspaper articles, and audio dating from the 1970s as the valley absorbed the shock of the disaster and began its attempt to recover. The materials encourage reflection on how tragedy has shaped the community and what it means to support a community that has experienced tremendous loss. They highlight the significance of the coal industry and debates over its regulation within the history of West Virginia. Materials for the exhibits come primarily from the archives of Governor Arch A. Moore Jr. at the West Virginia & Regional History Center.
“A bridge collapses. An airplane crashes. A coal mine explodes – and a dam fails. And people die. Such are the methods by which tragedy has, in recent years, traced a pattern of human misery and suffering in West Virginia’s history.” Governor's Ad Hoc Commission Report
In February 2022, the project team joined more than 200 people at a memorial event in Logan County. Graduate student Crystal Coon presented on curating the “Buffalo Creek Disaster” exhibit, and Dr. Jessie Wilkerson and graduate student MaryAnne Steinmiller collected 16 oral history interviews, which will be donated to the West Virginia & Regional History Center. The Center also plans to digitize and preserve newspapers and community newsletters related to the disaster on loan from the Buffalo Creek Memorial Library.
The project team included Public History Graduate Assistants Crystal Coon and MaryAnn Steinmiller, and Research Apprenticeship Program undergraduate student Noah Boylen. Project faculty advisors were Melissa Bingmann, Danielle Emerling (PI), William Hal Gorby, and Jessica Wilkerson.
The Buffalo Creek Disaster 50th Anniversary project was made possible by a grant from the WVU Humanities Center.
Cover Photo: Photograph of property damage done in the Buffalo Creek area by the flood, 1972 | from the Arch A. Moore Papers