[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 131 (Friday, September 20, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11101-S11102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 WEST VIRGINIA'S TRIBUTE TO JOHN HENRY

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, on July 12-14, 1996, a 6-foot 
replica of a stamp honoring legendary railroad worker John Henry was 
the centerpiece of a weekend of festivities in the small town of 
Talcott in Summers County, WV. This stamp was part of a set of four 
folk hero stamps recently issued by the U.S. Postal Service also 
honoring Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and the Mighty Casey. The Postal 
Service had initially only planned to announce the stamp in Pittsburgh 
and issue it in Anaheim, CA, at an annual show. However, I am proud to 
have been part of an effort launched by my colleague, Congressman Nick 
Rahall, and the residents of Talcott to ensure that this folk legend 
and this great town which gave him birth were honored with a 
personalized unveiling and stamp cancellation ceremony.
  In the latter part of 1995, the townspeople of Talcott were 
disappointed to learn that the U.S. Postal Service announced in 
Pittsburgh, PA, instead of West Virginia, the design of a 1996 stamp 
honoring John Henry. I asked for the rationale behind this decision and 
was advised by the Postal Service that this site was selected because 
of the city's linkage to railroad yards. While I could easily 
understand such a ``thematic'' or ``geographical'' approach--a Steel-
Driving Man being recognized in the ``Steel City''--virtually all of 
the residents of my State strongly believed that John Henry's legend is 
based on the classic tale of his competition against the mechanical 
steam drill at Big Bend Mountain in Talcott. So it only would make 
sense for West Virginians to be able to celebrate the legend of John 
Henry and the issuance of his stamp with an appropriate ceremony of 
their own.
  I asked the Postmaster General to plan a special ceremony in West 
Virginia for the John Henry stamp. I also urged him to organize a 
specific event in Talcott related to the 1996 John Henry stamp as the 
home of this folk legend.
  The fact that West Virginia is the true home of the John Henry legend 
made it a natural choice for a special recognition ceremony to 
celebrate the emergence of this new stamp. John Henry's fame has 
fascinated millions of people throughout the world and continues to 
interest new generations to this day. He is a symbol of the importance 
of human determination and skill, which is increasingly meaningful 
given the rise of technology in today's culture. His significance in 
representing human labor and a tireless work ethic also play a 
compelling role in West Virginia's history.

[[Page S11102]]

  But overall, to emphasize why this issue is so important, it is 
necessary to understand the legend and his link to West Virginia. Let 
me share with you a little of the history.
  The details of the John Henry folklore sprang from the construction 
of the Big Bend Tunnel on the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad in Talcott 
in 1873. Various stories led to the legend of John Henry; but, 
unfortunately, no documentation exists because earlier C&O Railroad 
records were destroyed in a fire in 1880. Local historians do know that 
from 1870 to 1872, a gang of hand-drillers working from the railroad 
actually carved out rock from the Big Bend Mountain for the railroad. 
This tunnel stands as proof today that the legend of John Henry has 
roots in reality, and a statue of this folk hero tops this tunnel.
  John Henry was assumed to be an African-American slave who worked on 
the team of Big Bend Tunnel drillers. Famed Appalachia folklore 
historian Dr. James Gay Jones of Glenville, WV, noted in his 1979 book, 
``Haunted Valley, and More Folk Tales of Appalachia,'' that of all the 
railroad workers in the area of the time, a man known as John Henry was 
held in the highest esteem because of his prowess, immense size, brute 
strength, and great labor ethic. John Henry ``became known as a driver 
of steel,'' that is, he used these great sledgehammers to drive steel 
rods deep into red shale rock walls. The rods were then removed, 
explosives were placed in them, and portions of the wall were removed 
blast by blast.
  When a new steam power drill, the Burleigh, was brought to the Big 
Bend Tunnel for testing purposes, legend has it that John Henry agreed 
to a wager to see if he could drive more steel and clear more tunnel 
than the machine. A contest was held, and the legend is that John Henry 
drove a deeper hole than the machine. It is the contest in the 
mountains of West Virginia that created the legend and made the point 
that man can triumph in the competition against machine.
  There is some controversy over how and when John Henry died. Some 
claim that he died because of the contest when a blood vessel burst in 
his head. Others say he was killed in a rock fall in the Big Bend 
Tunnel. Regardless of the circumstance, his legend was born and 
nurtured by West Virginia to share with the world, and it lives on 
today. It is a bit of West Virginia's contribution to basic folklore 
which has enriched our Nation's culture and heritage, and West 
Virginians like me are very proud to take an active part in recognizing 
and preserving this heritage.

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