The New Salem Baptist Church, now on the National Register of Historic Places, is all that remains of a Black mining town.
TAMS, W.Va. — Most folks who come across the New Salem Baptist Church in southern West Virginia believe it to be abandoned. In cosmetic disrepair and seemingly far from any habitation, it routinely evokes strong feelings among the visitors who happen across it and share their fascination on social media.
However, the church has not been abandoned: it has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, though its congregation has dwindled to a literal handful of members, and services are held there only a few times a year.
An ATV tour at Burning Rock Outdoor Adventure Park leads past the historic New Salem Church (Photo courtesy Burning Rock Outdoor Adventure Park)
In addition to its strange remoteness is the remarkable fact that the church building is all that’s left of a Black community that had once numbered in the hundreds and whose home once lined streets in a mining town that’s long since disappeared.
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Historian and West Virginia business leader David Sibray, who’s been working with several groups towards preserving the structure over the last decade, says better days are ahead for the church, which is among the most important historical landmarks in the region.
“I get an uncanny feeling whenever I’m at the church alone,” Sibray said after a visit to the site. “For one thing, there’s the charm of the country church in the wildwood, but then there’s the lamentable fact that it’s the only thing that remains of an entire town.”
According to Sibray, the neighborhood that once surrounded the church was demolished in the 1980s by the coal mining company that owned the land.
Most of its residents had already moved out of the neighborhood, which had been a Black mining community established in 1909 when mine workers and their families were housed in segregated living areas.
The land for the church was provided by the owner of the mining company, William Purviance Tams, Jr., who loaned the church organization funds for its construction. The building was built in the Gothic style, which featured large window areas with pointed arches.
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“There are a few other old structures left in the white mining camp, yet nothing remains here but this fantastic old church, and that’s part of why this landmark was deemed eligible for the national register,” he said.
“It speaks to me because it recalls a time when institutions segregated people in the U.S. and because the boom-and-bust economy of mining saw the creation and demise of places in which people lived out much of their lives.”
With the increase in tourism in the area, however, Sibray says he expects the landmark’s profile to increase, and its inclusion on the national register has increased funding available for maintenance and development.
“Tens of thousands of ATV riders visit the church annually, I’m sure, and thousands of those share photographs on social media,” he said.
“That’s a sizeable audience; more than enough than is needed to help the congregation and the church as a historic landmark.”
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Sibray said the church will unveil a website in 2024, and historical information will be provided at the site to help illustrate its importance.
New Salem Baptist Church is located at 2197 McAlpin Road, Rhodell, WV 25915 and at Google coordinates 37.67422102473812, -81.3004526196257.
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Four people died in a fire at this mobile home in Junior PHOTO: Alan Coberly
JUNIOR, W.Va. — A late night fire in Barbour County has claimed the lives of four people.
The State Fire Marshal confirms the four adults died in the blaze at a home in the town of Junior. The fire department was alerted just before 11 p.m. Wednesday. They arrived to find a mobile home fully engulfed in flames along River Avenue in the town.
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The fire was out in 15 minutes and the bodies discovered.
The Fire Marshal has investigators on scene. All four victims were adults, but further information is not known.
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — The Moundsville Police Department is investigating a pharmacy break-in that led to the theft of a large amount of narcotics.
Police said the burglary happened in the early morning hours of June 30. Investigators said the suspects broke a window, went behind the pharmacy counter and stole the narcotics.
Authorities believe the suspects are from outside the area.
Police said the suspects used a stolen Infiniti Q50. The vehicle was later recovered by Ohio authorities near Cambridge.
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The investigation is ongoing and involves law enforcement agencies in multiple states.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Moundsville Police Department at 304-845-1611.
The United States Supreme Court issued its long-awaited opinion in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox on Tuesday, ruling that states may exclude transgender athletes from competing on women’s and girls’ sports teams.
The justices were unanimous in their analysis that the laws do not violate civil rights laws. However, the court was split on whether West Virginia’s law stood up to constitutional muster.
The ruling concludes this chapter in the ongoing cultural debate. The Save Women’s Sports Act was overwhelmingly approved by the legislature and signed by then-Gov. Jim Justice in 2021, and was almost immediately challenged in court. The legal battle trudged on for the next five years on its way to becoming a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Tuesday’s ruling settled the legal debate, but the court of public opinion weighed in on the issues long before the justice issued their legal opinions. According to Pew Research, 66 percent of U.S. adults support laws requiring athletes to compete on teams that match their biological sex. A Gallup poll found similar results, with 69 percent of adults supporting such laws.
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West Virginia is not alone in passing a law to protect women’s and girls’ sports. Twenty-six other states have recognized the basic fact that there are differences between males and females and have chosen to pass legislation acknowledging those distinctions in athletic competition.
Lawmakers, who campaigned on protecting women’s and girls’ sports, can now tell constituents that they have fulfilled their campaign promise. The Save Women’s Sports Act is now the law of the land in West Virginia.
“I would say that for the foreseeable future, we have a very certain future for women’s sports. And here in West Virginia, we know what the rules are, we know what the law is, we know that it’s constitutional,” said West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey on Talkline.
Tuesday’s ruling also presents an opportunity for legislators to move on from the issue. Discussions surrounding the topic during the legislative session have been known to grind momentum to a halt, and Republicans running for office over the last five years have made it a centerpiece of their campaigns.
The issue is now settled, at least for now.
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As J.B McCuskey cautioned,
“In the world of constitutional litigation, Dave, there’s never an end to any chapter.”
