Appalachian Ghost: A Photographic Reimagining of the Hawk's Nest Tunnel Disaster

In the early days of the Great Depression, the search for steady work drove thousands of migrant laborers—many of whom were African American—from all over Appalachia to a rural area near Fayetteville, West Virginia. Union Carbide Corporation had begun construction on a three-mile tunnel to divert the New River, and many hands were needed.

Toiling for five years in confined spaces with poor ventilation, no means of dust control, and limited use of personal breathing protection, the workers w...