Tams, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tams, West Virginia
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Unincorporated community
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New Salem Baptist Church at Tams West Virginia
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 Tams, West Virginia
Location in West Virginia
Tams, West Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Raleigh |
| Elevation | 1,719 ft (524 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Area code(s) | 304 & 681 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1555778 |
Tams is a small place in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It's called an unincorporated community, which means it's a group of homes and businesses that isn't officially a town or city with its own local government.
Tams is located along West Virginia Route 16 and near a place called Winding Gulf. It's about 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest of a town named Sophia.
Discovering Tams
Tams was built a long time ago, starting in May 1909. It was created by a company called Gulf Smokeless Coal Company. This company needed a place for its workers to live because they were mining coal nearby.
A Town for Coal Miners
The main reason Tams existed was to support the coal mining industry. Miners worked to dig up coal from a special layer underground called the Beckley coal seam. This was a very important job for getting energy back then.
Growing Up in Tams
When Tams was first built, it had 125 houses for the miners and their families. A railroad called the Virginian Railway helped connect the town to other places. By 1920, Tams had grown quite a bit. The number of houses increased to 185, and about 1,250 people lived there.
The town also had modern conveniences for its time. Homes in Tams had running water, which came from the town's own water supply. They also had electricity for lights, powered by a local power house. This made life easier for the people living and working in the coal community.
