Historic Mother Jones photographs shared at Illinois Coal Museum
The 28 photographs include images of the 1936 dedication of the Mother Jones Monument and coal mining in the region.
GILLESPIE — Scott Millick of Carlinville presented James Goltz, a board member of the Friends of Mother Jones Museum, with digital copies of 28 historic photographs taken by Millick’s grandfather, of Cassens Studio in Litchfield, during a Nov. 2 meeting at the Illinois Coal Museum.
Most of the unseen photographs document the Oct. 11, 1936, dedication of the Mother Jones Monument in Union Miners Cemetery in Mount Olive. The collection also includes coal-mining photographs that museum curator Dave Tucker is researching.
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Millick arrived around 11 a.m. and gave Goltz a USB drive containing the photographs. Tucker opened the museum specially for the Monday meeting, when visits are available by arrangement or for special occasions.
The photographs connect the legendary Irish firebrand Mother Jones with the region’s coal mining and rich labor history. By sharing his grandfather’s work, Millick is helping bring those historic images to a new audience.
Goltz is gathering historical photographs for a JASE Media Service documentary featuring an interview the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival in Ireland conducted with former United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts about his family ties to Mother Jones and her influence on the formation of their union.
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