https://www.wboy.com/only-on-wboy-com/rednecks-and-their-ties-to-the-battle-of-blair-mountain/
According to haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu, “the term redneck has strong agricultural ties. Originally used in the latter half of the 19th century, redneck was a slur used by upper class whites to describe lower class white farmers (Huber 1995). These lower class workers would often have sunburnt, red necks from tending their fields all day; hence the name.”
However, the term would soon turn away from its prejudiced roots and instead come to represent unification. At first, the term was used on pro-union southern coal miners “due to their communist ties,” grinnell.edu said. However, the labor unions took the term and transformed it into a symbol of unity, donning red bandanas to identify themselves.
In 1921, this “Red Neck Army,” a force 10,000 strong, marched from Charleston, W.Va. to Logan and Mingo counties, “the last two non-union counties in West Virginia,” according to appalachianhistory.net. The ultimate result of this march would be the Battle of Blair Mountain, where the striking miners would face off against state, company and federal forces.
Now... beyond the wierdness of a local news outlet ... citing a website instead of a person as a source...
Uh basically, yeah, the Battle of Blair Mountain is also very much associated with the term 'redneck', yeah, whole bunch of these guys wore red bandanas or kerchiefs around their necks.
In the subsequent century, we've as a society mostly completely forgotten about this, redneck just means dumb bubba hick out in the boonies...
... not armed combatants literally shooting and fighting and dying for better working conditions and pay.
Isn't the memory hole fun?