Edwina Sheppard Pepper | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edwina Neihl Sheppard April 5, 1893 Grew up in Huntington, West Virginia |
| Died | November 11, 1988 (aged 95) |
| Known for | Conservation of Appalachian Mountains resources[1] |
| Spouse |
Curtis Gordon Pepper
(m. 1916; died 1930) |
| Children | 4, including Curtis "Bill" Pepper |
| Parent(s) | Lydia Goings Sheppard and John Alexander Sheppard |
Edwina Sheppard Pepper (April 5, 1893 – November 11, 1988) established the John A. Sheppard Ecological Reservation near Marrowbone Creek in Mingo County, West Virginia, which included a homesteading community. The intention was to protect the natural resources on the land and the mountain culture, which had changed significantly after many locals moved north to work in factories or served in the military during World War II (1941–1945). She led and participated in groups formed to make electricity and phone service available to the mountain community.
People banded together to have a stronger voice for improvements and to address concerns like strip-mining. Ralph Nadar said of her, "As more and more land has been stripped or deep mined the inhabitants of these mountains have lost not only their homes but also their self worth. Mrs Pepper has tried to restore the feeling of community resourcefulness the inhabitants' forefathers knew." Pepper also had a voice as publisher of The Mountain Call.