The Pocahontas coal field, located in southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia, was one of the most productive coal areas in the United States. The town of Pocahontas, in Tazewell County, Virginia, and for which the field was named, was granted a town charter by Virginia on January 31, 1884.

Less than two months later tragedy struck when the Laurel (East) mine suffered a series of massive explosions powerful enough to move homes off their foundations and uproot massive trees.

Today we tell the story of the Laurel mine disaster of 1884, a tragedy that cost the lives of at least 114 men and boys.

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