Jefferson Co. Courthouse National Historic Landmark Nomination | P19AC00250

Opportunity Information: Apply for P19AC00250

The Jefferson Co. Courthouse National Historic Landmark Nomination opportunity is a National Park Service (NPS), Department of the Interior effort to fund research and documentation needed to prepare a National Historic Landmark (NHL) nomination for the Jefferson County Courthouse in Charles Town, West Virginia. The courthouse has been on its current site since 1803, but the existing building dates to 1872 and largely reflects late 19th- and early 20th-century character. While an earlier 1836 courthouse on the site hosted the famous 1859 treason trial of John Brown after the Harpers Ferry raid, that structure was badly damaged during the Civil War and substantially rebuilt in 1872, meaning the present courthouse does not have enough physical integrity to be nominated primarily for the John Brown trial association. Instead, the nomination is expected to focus on the courthouse's strong national significance tied to American labor history, especially the legal aftermath of the West Virginia coal mine wars and the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain.

The heart of the proposed NHL argument is that the Jefferson County Courthouse may meet NHL Criterion 1, which recognizes places that are exceptionally important for their association with events or broad patterns of national history. In 1922, the courthouse hosted nationally followed trials involving treason, murder, and conspiracy charges against about 120 coal miners connected to the mine wars and specifically the Battle of Blair Mountain, often described as the largest armed labor conflict in U.S. history. The proceedings drew widespread attention and criticism because the prosecution was funded largely by coal companies, raising questions about fairness, power, and labor rights. Early outcomes included only a handful of convictions in Jefferson County (two for second-degree murder and one for treason), and later trials were shifted to other eastern West Virginia counties (including Morgan, Greenbrier, and Fayette) in part to avoid the stronger pro-union sentiment common in southern and western parts of the state.

The nomination work funded under this opportunity is meant to do more than recount events. It must build a clear, well-supported case that the courthouse has "exceptional value or quality" in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States through its connection to the mine wars, Blair Mountain, and the public and legal consequences of those conflicts. The project will develop a strong historic context and make scholarly arguments that connect local events at the courthouse to wider national narratives about labor, industrial conflict, civil liberties, and the evolution of workers' rights. As part of that, the nomination is expected to engage directly with key comparative and contextual sources, such as existing National Register and NHL materials for places like the Blair Mountain Battlefield and the Matewan Historic District, along with the NHL American Labor Theme Study (final draft dated March 2017). These references help frame why the courthouse matters nationally and how it compares to other recognized labor-history sites.

A major portion of the work involves answering targeted research questions designed to demonstrate national significance. These include clarifying the broader importance of Blair Mountain and the West Virginia coal mine wars; explaining how the courthouse trials affected the struggle for labor rights and influenced legal outcomes or public relations for the labor movement; showing how press coverage of the battle and the trials shaped national awareness of working conditions in West Virginia coal mines and whether it increased public sympathy; and tying the West Virginia events into the broader arc of U.S. labor history. In other words, the nomination needs to show not just that something happened here, but why what happened here mattered to the nation.

On the documentation side, the project will include an architectural description of the courthouse and an inventory of resources on the property, including relevant landscape features and site characteristics. It will also provide a general development history for the property. However, NPS makes clear that the emphasis should remain on significance rather than producing an exhaustive construction or design narrative. The research should be deep enough to identify events and activities of clear national importance, while not needing to cover every locally or state-significant occurrence associated with the courthouse.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding action using a cooperative agreement (Funding Opportunity Number P19AC00250; CFDA 15.945) with an award ceiling of $49,965 and an expectation of a single award. Eligibility is limited to nonprofits with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). The notice also states it is not a request for applications because the agreement had already been competed under a prior cooperative agreement (P17AC01124). The opportunity was created June 10, 2019, with an original closing date of June 20, 2019, reflecting its administrative purpose in finalizing or continuing previously competed work rather than soliciting new proposals.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Jefferson Co. Courthouse National Historic Landmark Nomination" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 10, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 20, 2019 This is NOT a request for applications. This agreement was previously competed under Cooperative Agreement P17AC01124.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $49,965.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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