Charles Town, WV
The trial of the defendants was held in the other end of the state, Charles Town in the Eastern Panhandle, from where the labor violence took place. The theory was that holding the trial far from the scene of the events would prevent tension in the courtroom from stirring up the local population again. A few years ago after a number of appeals it was decided to demolish the jail where the defendants had been held. It was a concrete structure that was part of a municipal building next to the famous courthouse where John Brown was tried. It was said the jail had no particular aesthetic value and its only claim to fame was being where the miners were held--that in a town full of early American and Civil War sites. A few days after 9/11 the town was full of Union re-enactors while a scene for the film "Gods and Generals" was filmed at the courthouse. My commute to work was redirected through town for two days because dirt had been put on the main street.
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