Two-time Grammy award winner Kathy Mattea visited Charles Town Friday morning to tour the city’s newly renovated historic jail.  The visit included a tour of the jail and a press conference at the Old Opera House.Mattea’s visit highlighted the efforts made by citizens to preserve the jail, which Jefferson County Commissioners tried to demolish due to budgetary constraints eight years ago.  A group of activists formed an organization of residents who successfully worked to get the county to preserve and restore the building.
Carol Gallant was president of JCPASH, Jefferson County Preservation Alliance to Save our Heritage, a group that formed in January of 2001 after the county commission had voted to demolish the jail.  Gallant said their efforts showed that the jail was part of the historic district and on the national register, and so by law required an historic review from an independent party.  JCPASH fought to save the jail for five years taking the case all the way to the West Virginia Supreme Court.

The Old Jefferson County Jail temporarily housed the union leaders arrested after the historical Battle of Blair Mountain in 1922, one of the nation’s earliest violent labor conflicts. Mattea is a West Virginia native.  Both of her grandfathers were coal miners and her brother still works in the coal industry.  Mattea’s newest album is called coal.  She said it was written after the Sago Mine Disaster and is about how she dealt with the disaster.  During the press conference Mattea stressed the importance of preserving historical landmarks because they are a part of our heritage and tell about who we are as a community.  She also spoke to her work to oppose mountaintop removal in West Virginia through non-violence.
Mattea’s stop in Charles Town followed a performance in New Jersey.  She left Charles Town and went to a performance at the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival.

Kathy Mattea Tours Jail and Signs an Autograph

Categories: Local News
Tags: Coal, Gallant, History, JCPASH, Mattea, Preservation