By Associated Press - Monday, April 27, 2015

POCAHONTAS, Va. (AP) - Residents of Pocahontas gathered over the weekend to honor 114 coal miners killed in an explosion in 1884.

The ceremony honoring the victims of the East Mine explosion is held annually on the last Saturday in April.

The Bluefield Daily Telegraph (https://bit.ly/1PLo02O ) reports that Pocahontas Mayor Benjamin Gibson and Lee Potter with the United Mine Workers of America placed a wreath honoring all coal miners who have died on the job. Local students read a history of the disaster and lighted luminaries.



The explosion occurred on March 13, 1884.

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Information from: Bluefield Daily Telegraph, https://www.bdtonline.com

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