The United Mine Workers of America pushed for better working conditions for coal miners, but organizing miners in West Virginia was difficult because coal companies exercised overwhelming control and used the Baldwin Felts Detective Agency to enforce their power with force and brutality. The 1912-13 Cabin Creek-Paint Creek Strike became the first major conflict of the West Virginia Mine Wars, fought over wage increases and against mine guards, blacklisting, and the denial of free speech and assembly. After two years of mounting bloodshed, Governor Henry Hatfield forced a settlement that gave miners a wage increase and the right to unionize, though the mine guard system remained. Dissatisfaction continued through the 1921 Miners March and the Battle of Blair Mountain in Logan County, and labor agitation went on for decades as unions sought better conditions for coal miners and their families. The Whipple Company Store functioned as both store and fortress, with architectural features that helped Baldwin Felts guards hide, watch approaching visitors, slow entrants, and overhear conversations inside. Mother Jones, an Irish-born UMWA organizer who began her union work at age 60, played an active role in the 1912-13 strike after miners asked for her by name; she was jailed in 1913 and placed under house arrest in Pratt, and she continued working for miners’ rights afterward. The Whipple Company Store also contained unusual features, including a hidden second floor once used to house coffins until the 1930s and other unexplained discoveries that remained mysterious.