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West Virginia Miner’s Memorials
Item 6 of 39
This is a contributing entry for West Virginia Miner’s Memorials and only appears as part of that tour.Learn More.

The Fayetteville Post Office was constructed in 1938 using federal Treasury Department funds. The building is a simple rectangular structure made of brick. Large linteled windows define the front facade, which features a particularly expansive glass entry portal. A flat roof contributes to the inherent blockiness of the structure. Functionality, rather than aesthetics, was clearly the architectural goal of this Works Progress Administration (WPA) building. Despite the relative austerity of the exterior, the interior of the post office is adorned with a large oil on canvas mural by Nixford Baldwin. Baldwin was a Massachusetts based artist known for his inspiring painted and sculpted works. Though he completed several WPA commissions, “The Miners” in Fayetteville is his most famous work. The piece depicts a variety of scenes of life in a mining camp. On the left, men work in mines to extract coal and deliver it to the surface. On the right, a parent and their child walk through a busy industrial site. The color palette, well-outlined nature of the figures, and emphasis on labor suggests that Baldwin was strongly influenced by Mexican Muralism in creating this piece. Like most WPA sponsored works, the piece is calm and non-confrontational. The hardships found in coal towns are avoided, but so too is glorification of the work occurring eschewed.


The Fayetteville Post Office.

Sky, Plant, Window, Building

“The Miners”

Picture frame, Wood, Interior design, Art

Emerson, Jimmy. Fayetteville Post Office, New Deal Art Registry. Accessed June 23rd 2021. https://newdealartregistry.org/map/Fayetteville/WV/#.

Kostoulakos, Peter. Nixford Baldwin, Ask Art. Accessed June 23rd 2021. https://www.askart.com/artist/Nixford_Baldwin/122603/Nixford_Baldwin.aspx.

Lorance, Nancy. New Deal/WPA Art in Fayetteville, West Virginia, WPA Murals. Accessed June 23rd 2021. http://wpamurals.org/Fayettev.htm.

Park, Marlene. Markowitz, Gerald E. Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Temple University Press, 1984.

Post Office - Fayetteville WV, The Living New Deal. Accessed June 23rd 2021. https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/post-office-fayetteville-wv/.

Stover, Tabitha. Fayetteville Mural Trail, Visit Fayetteville. September 4th 2020. Accessed June 23rd 2021. https://visitfayettevillewv.com/fayetteville-mural-trail/.

Wendell, Pat and Michael J. Pauley. Fayetteville Historic District, National Register of Historic Places. September 10th 1990. Accessed June 23rd 2021. http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/fayette/90001845.pdf.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

The Living New Deal. Accessed June 23rd, 2021. https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/post-office-fayetteville-wv/.

Emerson, Jimmy. New Deal Art Registry. Accessed June 23rd, 2021. https://newdealartregistry.org/map/Fayetteville/WV/#.