The town of Whitesville is still on the mend two years after the Upper Big Branch tragedy, rocked many to the core. Tuesday symbolic markers were put into place to continue to let people heal.
It took months of planning and funds to be collected to get the Upper Big Brand Miners Memorial erected.
Six granite slabs totaling more than 11,000 pounds have silhouettes of the 29 miners who were killed in a mining explosion on April 5th 2010. On the other side of the slabs is history of coal mines from the area.
Those who were instrumental in getting the memorial completed were pleased to be a part of the process.
Sheila Combs is the president of the memorial project and said it was something everybody wanted, "we needed something to signify the huge event, and in place for people to heal and move on and remember at the same time. It wasn't just important to me, but everyone here."
Combs, organizers and numerous other benefactors help to raise more than a half a million dollars to go towards the memorial fund.
Bill Wenz with Rock of Ages who designed the slabs said this memorial will be here well before those who assisted in making it a possibility, "a hundred years from now, future generations will know what happened on that day."
The official dedication of the memorial is taking place on Friday July 28th at 2:00 p.m. in Whitesville.
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