Monongah Mine Memorial Bell
Monongah, West Virginia
On Dec. 6 1907, Fairmont Federal Coal's No. 6 and No. 8 mines exploded, killing 367 men. It's considered the worst mining disaster in American history. A bell, cast at the Marinelli Foundry in Agnone, Italy, was installed in Monongah's town square to remember the central and southern Italian immigrants who died in the disaster. The bell was a gift from the region of Molise and was cast by the same foundry that produces bells for the Vatican.