Editor’s Note – In recognition of Labor Day and the role that southeast Kansas played in Labor’s history, we are happy to share this article by teacher, writer and historian, Linda O’Nelio Knoll. PITTSBURG, Kan. -- Almost five decades ago, the city of Pittsburg and the broader southeast Kansas region could lay claim to just one piece of public artwork that celebrated our area’s coal mining history. Donated to the Pittsburg Public Library in July 1976 by the McNally MFG Corporation to mark the nation’s bicentennial and the city’s centennial, the modest-sized bronze statue, titled “Home,” depicts a coal miner on his knees embracing a child.