Hinton, West Virginia

Hinton, the county seat of Summers County West Virginias. Today, when we see Hinton, its not hard to see it was a major train hub. Hinton itself was established in 1873, while Summers County itself was founded in 1871. Fun fact, in 1863 when West Virginia became a state, Summers County had yet to be formed.

My Mom grew up near Hinton, and every person I met all agreed, YUP, Hinton is all about the trains. You will see this in the pictures below. However, before showing that, the Summers County Courthouse has its own very 19th century feel. ANY time spent in Hinton leaves with the impression that in its day, thousands came through here and it was a vibrant industrial place.

This is a DRAFT. There will be many more changes. Please do feel free to comment and you can see the original image by clicking ion what you see below..

The Hinton Train Station which is still active on the Amtrak line, is still a show case for its major importance to the C&O line as well.

 Buckhannon, West Virginia

Buckhannon is a city and the county seat of Upshur County West Virginia. Of note, its the only city in Upshur County. The name Buckhannon is a derivative of a Native American Lenape Chief. While founded in 1861, Buckhannon is home of the Wesleyan West Virginia University and one of the largest Methodist churches in West Virginia. This is a DRAFT and there will be many more changes. Please do feel free to leave comments. IF you wish to purchase a print, I can be contacted via e mail 

To start, the Courthouse....

AND YES, the old Jail still stands just behind the county courthouse. 

NOTE the image below. Yes, its the Bethlehem Mines Corporation. IF you had any doubt that coal was not an impact here, this sign is one of the few relics downtown that says, ALOT of coal moved here. I was delighted to find it.

NOTE: The Wesleyan Church is the tallest building in Upshur County West Virginia. It is also the largest dedicated place of worship in the entire state as well as the home of the largest pipe organ in the entire state.

 Tams, West Virginia

Tams is a former coal town located in Raleigh County West Virginia. The main coal company at Tams was the Gulf Smokeless Coal Company. Construction of Tams started in about 1909 and yes, it is the namesake of William Tams. I will be updating this page more as it is a DRAFT. William Tams was a coal baron, with glaring differences from his colleagues. He lived in his coal town, he lived in a modest house and he made Tams a model coal town for its time period. Tams actually had its own school, and movie theater with paved roads. THAT was a remarkable thing at that time.

However, IF you were to drive to Tams today, the only building standing is the New Salem Baptist Church. This church is NOT in Stotesbury,  I am very tired of pointing that out. The famous St Johns church at Stotesbury was burned to the ground after it had started to collapse and pose a public safety hazard.

Below are pictures of the New Salem Church at Tams West Virginia, There will be much more to come, but please do feel free to look and comment.

CORNER STONE OF THE TAMS CHURCH