New Salem Baptist Church, a historic Black church in Tams, West Virginia, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The church is the sole remaining building in the Black coal camp community established at Tams and is also a physical reminder of the once-bustling coal town’s racially segregated past. The congregation consisted of Black miners and their families who resided in the northern section of Tams, while white and recent European immigrant groups lived in separate areas.
The Gothic Revival style church was built in 1921 after the board of trustees of the congregation approached W. P. Tams, Jr., who owned the company town, requesting that a church be built for them. Tams obliged and provided the funding for the construction of the church. The congregation was able to repay Tams in 1928 and received a clear title to the property. Unfortunately, a reversion clause in the deed reportedly states that the parcel will revert to ownership by the present Western Pocahontas Land Company should it cease to be used as a house of worship. The church building currently serves a small congregation dedicated to the continued preservation of its built history with admittedly limited resources. Calls for its preservation have been publicly discussed through local news media for several decades, and in 2016 the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia listed the church as a West Virginia Endangered Property. In 2021, the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia received a grant from the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office to conduct a National Register nomination. PAWV is delighted to report that as of 2023, the New Salem Baptist Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Dr. Greta Rensenbrink
5/3/2023 12:28:06 pm
This is great news! Congratulations.
beth petrick
6/2/2023 02:27:49 pm
Before i came to west virginia, my friend was visiting and sent me a picture of small white church. She said it was in Tams. I found the small white church, but it didn't feel right. and i didn't see the tams sign. I was texting her to lead me the way and she said she never took a picture of a church and was never in Tams. Now i was freaking out, how did i know this church was there.When i saw the signs Tams, i stopped at a coal mining operation that was still in Tams and they directed me to this church. I immediatly felt the connection! Please i would like more information, I feel very connected to this church!!
beth petrick
6/2/2023 02:11:06 pm
i have recently been at this church and it called to me. It has always been on my bucket list to purchase a small church that i could fix up and use as a retreat for family and friends. How i knew this church, still remains a mystery to me, but when i got there I knew it was special, but unfortunatly I saw the grass was recently mowed and the soffets were being restored. If there Iis anyway i could preserve this church, I wppuld like to buy it and keep it as a national historic preservation site. Please contact me with any information you may have! West virginia has a special place in my heart, been going there for many years!
Della Carol Murphy
9/15/2023 05:54:11 pm
https://www.pawv.org/news/historic
Beth Petrick
9/16/2023 10:31:43 am
I am very glad that this church will be preserved and now is on the national register of historical places. I would like to be a part of this preservation of this church and would like to know what I can do? I am a resident of pa, but have been coming to West Virginia several times a year. 11/24/2023 04:09:33 am
It's always a pleasure to revisit your blogs, and the consistently remarkable effort shines through with every visit. Comments are closed.
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