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[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], William Archer, Journalist, Research Papers regarding McDowell and Mercer Counties, A&M 4388, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.
William "Bill" Archer's papers represent his work as a journalist, historian, and musician. He grew up in Claysville, Pennsylvania. His parents provided roots in the Scotch-Irish heritage from his mother and Russian roots from his father, Carl Wesley Archer. After graduating from McGuffey High School in 1967, Archer attended West Virginia University where he graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor's degree in English. He also completed twelve hours of graduate work in English with WVU.
Although Archer's first writing job in southern West Virginia was with the Twin-State Marketer (Bluefield, VA) beginning in 1986, he contributed sporadically to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph beginning in 1983. In 1992, he joined the staff of the Bluefield paper and continued his work there as a reporter and senior editor until 2016. During this time, he was also a stringer from the State Journal, a West Virginia business publication, 1999-2003. Archer covered the news extensively not just in Bluefield but in adjacent counties in West Virginia and northwestern Virginia.
Due to Archer's important coverage of news events in Southern West Virginia and service to his community, he has received a number of awards:
1994 For his substantial contribution to news coverage, he received the Award of Excellence for Outstanding Editorial Achievement from Thomson Newspapers 2000 For his coverage of the collapse of the First National Bank of Keystone Bank, he received the Outstanding Journalist Award from the West Virginia Trial Lawyers Association 2003 The Mercer County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People awarded him the Merit Award The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9696, awarded him two Distinguished Service Awards 2007 Archer was dubbed "the consummate community newspaper reporter" by a former publisher of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph when he was named a West Virginia History Hero by the Mercer County Historical Society 2013 He received two awards the Shott Excellence in Media Award and the National Coal Heritage Area Research Documentation Award 2015 The local American Legion awarded him the Distinguished Citizenship Award
Archer authored a number of local history books and approximately 125 magazine articles in addition to his newspaper reporting. The books, in the "Images of America" series from Arcadia Publishing, document the history of the cities of Bluefield, Princeton, and Welch. His county histories include Mercer County (WV), McDowell County (WV), and Bland County (VA). He has written numerous articles for Wonderful West Virginia, and also has contributed to Goldenseal, The West Virginia Encyclopedia, Appalachian Heritage, Coal People, and Virginia Cavalcade.
Archer's interest in the varied music of southern West Virginia is reflected in some of his writing, but he also wrote poetry and songs. He recorded and performed original music compositions with Karl Miller for more than thirty years. He wrote the lyrics for the musical "Bramwell--100" about the 100th anniversary of the town of Bramwell.
After retiring as a writer, Archere extended his service to the community as a Mercer County Commissioner for the 2017-2022 term. This time of his life postdates the donated materials in this collection.
William Archer and his wife Evonda continue to reside in Bluefield.
The papers of William "Bill" Archer, newspaper journalist for the Bluefield Daily Telegraph and historian, document Archer's research and reporting of events in Southern West Virginia, predominantly Mercer and McDowell Counties. In addition to his reporting, Archer wrote a number of local history books as well as articles for publications other than the Bluefield paper.
The largest part of the collection, six boxes of records and three of artifacts, focuses on the historic collapse in 1999 of the First National Bank of Keystone in McDowell County; subsequent criminal and civil court cases; and Congressional oversight hearings. Another significant part of the collection, two boxes of records and three of artifacts, focuses on John Forbes Nash Jr., 1994 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics and a Bluefield native. The files document Nash's time in Bluefield and at Bluefield State College, his family, and his career. The Nash files also include reporting and research materials about the book and film, A Beautiful Mind , about Nash's life and work.
Archer researched all aspects of coal country life. Significant topics covered by him include music originating in the area, local African American culture and history, hometown heroes, disasters such as flooding and crashes, famous people connected to the area, court cases, coal mining and mining disasters, communities and their services, and transportation. Of particular note, the collection documents Archer's trip to Japan in 1996 for the Interassociation for Ecology Symposia (INTECOL) on wood and forestry.
Photographs in the collection, mostly contemporary, detail many events during the time of Archer's reporting. Of particular note are those by Melvin "Mel" Grubb, a long time photographer for The Bluefield Daily Telegraph . The collection also includes a number of other media formats such as films and recordings.
And finally, throughout the collection there are a large number of Archer's newspaper columns which demonstrate the process of writing newspaper stories beginning with interview notes and ending with the final articles. Also included are his writings in other literary forms such as local histories, stories, poems, and songs. Some stories and a cookbook were written under the pseudonym Richard Lucas.
Twelve compact discs of performances by Archer and Miller are found in Box 28. Particularly represented in the collection is Archer's work on the musical "Bramwell--100" about the 100th anniversary of the town of Bramwell. A compact disc of the music and narration is one of those in Box 28. Digital files of his compositions include 131 files consisting of the compact disk recordings as well as the text of an essay reflecting on music; and songs, written and performed by Archer and Karl Miller.
In addition to the compact discs, Box 28 also contains handwritten and typed Archer compositions and includes love songs to his wife Evonda.
The collection consists of the following series:
Series 1. Keystone Bank
Series 2. John Nash
Series 3. Subjects
Series 4. Photographs and Other Media
Series 5. Writings
This collection (A&M 4388) contains a partial copy of the Matewan Trial transcript.
See also:
A&M 3608, Matewan Trial Transcript
Pages 2012 to 3958 (February 12, 1921 – February 23, 1921)
Plus 1 page of index of witnesses
Compare to:
A&M 4388, William Archer Papers, Box 8, Folders 1-7, Matewan Trial Transcript
Pages 1 to 11, list of witnesses, in Folder 1
Pages 3340 to 4671 (February 22, 1921 – February 28, 1921)
West Virgina Archives and History in Charleston, West Virginia appears to hold the entire transcript:
Mingo County, Case file State vs. Sid Hatfield et al., transcripts, jury selection, witness statements (originals and photocopies),
1921 January 19 to March 16, 15 boxes
Items transferred to the Rare Books Librarian:
Wilderness by Vance G. Martin
The Crozers of Upland by David A. MacQueen -- Rare book
Legendary Local of McDowell County by William Archer
The Bramwell Breeze 1911/1912
The Keystone Bank files (Boxes 5, 9-13) consist mostly of facsimile copies, sent by fax machines, of court proceedings regarding the historic collapse in 1999 of the First National Bank of Keystone in McDowell County, as well as research materials and handwritten notes of court proceedings and interviews. The series also contains artist sketches of court proceedings; two baseball caps; a bomber jacket; and other memorabilia (Boxes 20-22).
The John Forbes Nash, Jr. (1928-2015) was born in Bluefield, and was the 1994 recipient of the Nobel Prize for Economics for his work in the mathematics of game theory. His biography, A Beautiful Mind (1998) by Sylvia Nasar, frankly discussed his struggle with paranoid schizophrenia and led to a major motion picture by the same name (2001). His materials (Boxes 15 and 16) consist of numerous tributes to him; correspondence between Archer and Nash and correspondence with Nash's sister, Martha Legg; correspondence with Sylvia Nasar; and promotional and press materials for the film A Beautiful Mind. Artifacts (Boxes 25-27) for the film include a jacket, two T-shirts, and a baseball cap.
Digital materials include: identifier: 4388_digitran_4, which contains 24 jpeg photos related to Archer's work on John Nash. Identifier: 4388_disc6_b16_f14 contains the files for the DVD of the 2002 Bluefield Chamber of Commerce Dinner.
Series 1 and 2 document the specific subjects of the Keystone Bank and John Nash respectively. Series 3 covers a wide range of subject matter relating to Mercer and McDowell Counties including community events; people in and connected to the area; and the history of local communities, including extensive coverage of the African American community and Bluefield State College among other topics. Formats for additional subjects include original newspaper clippings and copies from microfilm, handwritten interviews and story notes, correspondence, and original and facsimiles of research materials. Archer's research materials and reporting on various topics are scattered throughout the collection (Boxes 1-3, 5-9, 14, 17-20, 22-23).
Music CD containing one track by Darnell Miller called, "If Swinging Doors Don't Get Me, Lonesome Will". Identifier: 4388_disc2_b1_f9
This folder also contains a floppy disk with two files containing information about Bluefield, WV in the 1950s and 1960s by J. Franklin Long. To access these files, request identifier 4388_disk2_b2_f10.
Includes brief biography and photo of Herbert "Hub" Hunter; photo Tazewell, VA; photo telephone operators; aerial photo of mine operation; photo of former Welch Lions Club members; football themed sketch of "Stubby;" computer CD of photos of elderly African-Americans at a birthday party (identifier: 4388_disc1_b7_f15); facsimile of 1911 NY Times about Bluefield incident and offer of an historical accounting; rescue squad recognition program, facsimile of web page about child survivor of Buchenwald and Max Kammer photo exhibit newspaper article; "Songs of Yesterday" booklet.
An Adobe Pro pdf file sent by William Archer as an attachment to an email. The facsimile was probably scanned from an original. It is accompanied by an html file which is a copy of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History's webpage on Tyler Edward Hill, whom Archer believes authored the booklet. The booklet also includes a brief mention of the story that inpsired Archer's unfinished writing, "White Slavery in Cinder Bottom". Identifier: 4388_digitran_3
The collection contains a significant number of photographs, negatives, and some photos on CD and are dispersed throughout William Archer's papers. Most of the photographs date from the 1990s and early 2000s, although some are older, of places, events, and people in Mercer and McDowell Counties. Other formats include a motion picture film, books, videocassette recordings, sound audiocassette recordings, phonograph records, maps, and artwork. Artifacts include jackets, t-shirts, baseball caps, and other objects. (Boxes 1-3, 6-7, 17, 20)
This folder also contains a floppy disk with two files containing information about the Gary Country Club in McDowell County. To access these files, request identifier 4388_disk1_b1_f6.
The identifier for the image on CD, Vera Pocahontas Mine, No. 3, "Day Shift" Landgraff, WV, July 9-19, 1940, is 4388_disc3_b1_f35.
Oral history content consists of two published CDs titled "Folks Are Talking: Oral Histories from the 1970s Gathered by Garret Mathews". Garret Mathews was a writer for the Bluefield Daily Telegraph. The identifier for the oral history content is 4388_disc5_b7_f10 and the discs contain 33 tracks total.
"Four for Bluefield", identifier: 4388_disc22_b17_f10 is a copy of a CD in box 28 and can be accessed by requesting Identifier: 4388_disc18_box28. "J.E. Martin House Project", identifier 4388_disc21_b17_f10, consists of videos of the J.E. Martin House in Bluefield, WV and work on the house.
Two jpeg images of six individuals, one of whom is William Archer, in formal attire. The files were originally found on a disc, however, the disc was unable to be found. Identifier: 4388_disc23_missing.
This series includes newspaper columns written by Bill Archer on various topics (Boxes 1-6, 8, 14, 19, 24) as well as magazine articles and liteary forms he wrote. Additional examples of his writing are scattered throughout all the series. Most of the newspaper articles are original clippings, but some are facsimiles. Box 4 contains an extensive collection of his opinion pieces, and Box 28 contains magazine articles written by Archer. The articles are from Coal People Magazine , Goldenseal , Wonderful West Virginia , and a few other publications. Literary foms found throughout the collection include stories, poems, lyrics, and histories, both typed and handwritten.
Digital files of his compositions include 120 files consisting of the text of an essay reflecting on music, and songs, written and performed by Archer and Karl Miller, copied from 12 compact computer discs.
Two electronic files, one a proposal for a book titled The Under Thirty Minute Meals of Richard Lucas , a pseudonym for William Archer, and the other a section of the book "Wok like a Man." The book proposal seems to have been a compilation of previously written columns. Files are in Microsoft Word format, as sent by William Archer in 2019. Identifier: 4388_digitran_2.
Two electronic Word documents emailed by William Archer. One is a synopsis for a "fact-based work of fiction" titled "Cinder Bottom." The other is the start of a story titled "White Slavery in Cinder Bottom" and is about a young woman lured into prostitution by promise of a job. Identifier: 4388_digitran_3
Manuscript, edited by Archer's wife Evonda, for a story about protesting the Vietnam War and titled "What Did You Do?" The document, a Adobe Acrobat Pro pdf file, was sent attached to an email. At the end of the digital file are facsimiles of a 1967 Bluefield Daily Telegraph newspaper article in two pages about the youth protests against the war. Another digital file is a photograph of a war protest button, "Confront the Warmakers, Oct. 21st, Wash. D.C. Support Our Boys in Vietnam--Bring Them Home". Identifier: 4388_digitran_1.
Compact discs include:
Stu and Bill Archer, the Archer Brothers , 21 songs; track 5 "Cackleburr Drive" written by Archer in 1971, all other songs assumed to be by written by others.
Bramwell 100 Year Celebration ; music and narration
Coalfield Visions, 1990 ; 10 songs, "Cha[r]lton Singers featured on track 7, 'Route 52'
Two for Pocahontas ; 2 songs: '114 Miners' & 'Pocahontas Mine Song'
Gaining Momentum ; 7 songs
project duo ; 17 songs; "Most songs were re-recordings except John Nash song
Merry, Merry Christmas ; 10 songs written by others
Four for Bluefield ; 4 songs; "Remix of 4 Bluefield songs from Project Duo , 'Land of Misted Mountains,' 'Lemonade Song,' 'Route 52,' 'John F. Nash of Bluefield'
Sounds of the Hills, Volume 1 or 2 , 9 songs; "Music celebrating our region's history and heritage, as performed live on April 18, 2007, at the Ya'Sou Deli in
Kimball, West Virginia
Glory in the Gospel, Volume 2 or 2 , 10 songs; "Music of praise and worship in His holy name, as performed live on April 18, 2007, at the Ya'Sou Deli in Kimball,
West Virginia
Solid as the Bank of Kimball and the Wheelbarrow , 2 songs; "Remix of 'Wheelbarrow Song' and 'Bank of Bramwell' to promote re-open of Bank in 2007"
All content is retained as digital files, as well. These CDs are part of 4388 ADD 2020-02.
Identifier: 4388_disc9_box28. "Music & Narration from Bramwell 100", the 100th anniversary of the founding of Bramwell. Dated July 30, 1988 with "Remix 2020" written on the CD. 16 .wav files.
Identifier: 4388_disc10_box28. "Gaining Momentum", 7 .wav files. Album by Bill Archer and Karl Miller. Recorded 1992.
Identifier: 4388_disc11_box28. "Solid as the Bank of Bramwell", 2 .wav files. Album by Bill Archer and Karl Miller.
Identifier: 4388_disc12_box28. "Coalfield Visions Remake 1993", 10 .wav files. Album by Bill Archer and Karl Miller.
Identifier: 4388_disc13_box28. "Two for Pocahontas", 2 .wav files. Repackaged 1990 recordings by Bill Archer and Karl Miller.
Identifier: 4388_disc14_box28. "Coalfield Visions", original recording, 10 .wav files. Recordings by Bill Archer and Karl Miller.
Identifier: 4388_disc15_box28. "The Archer Brothers" by Stu and Bill Archer. 21 .wav files.
Identifier: 4388_disc16_box28. "project duo" by Bill Archer and Karl Miller. 17 .wav files.
Identifier: 4388_disc17_box28. "Merry, Merry Christmas" by Bill Archer and Karl Miller. 10 .wav files.
Identifier: 4388_disc18_box28. "Four for Bluefield" by Bill Archer and Karl Miller. 4 .wav files.
Identifier: 4388_disc19_box28. "Sounds of the Hills: Live from Kimball, Part 1" by Bill Archer and Karl Miller. 9 .wav files.
Identifier: 4388_disc20_box28. "Sounds of the Hills: Live from Kimball, Part 2" by Bill Archer and Karl Miller. 10 .wav files.
Identifier: 4388_add_2020-02_digtran_05. Word doc titled, "Bill Archer Songs 1971-1995" by Bill Archer. Autobiographical writings on his musical works, including historical background and lyrics.