NPR is looking for relatives and descendants of African-American workers who died at the Hawks Nest Tunnel project in Fayette County, West Virginia between 1928 and 1932.
An estimated 764 workers died of silicosis while working on the tunnel. Two-thirds of those workers were African-American — many of whom migrated to West Virginia from states farther south, like Georgia and Alabama.
The deceased were often buried in unmarked graves, and some families were not notified of their loved one's death or given the chance to bring them home.
Have you ever heard family stories about an uncle or cousin who left to find work in West Virginia and never returned? Do you know that your grandfather died tunneling at Hawks Nest? Do any of the following names look familiar to you? Please fill out the form below, and an NPR producer may follow up with you for an upcoming story.
This callout was closed.
Partial list of workers*:
*Please let us know in the form if your relative is not on this list; we have access to a longer one.
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