When retired attorney John Woodhouse decided to delve into the rich history of coal mining in Appalachia, he turned to University Libraries at Virginia Tech. He is working on two books about early 20th century influential figures. His first book is a biography of Virginia Tech alumnus, forgotten hero, and coal mine operator Maj. William Purviance Tams Jr., who bucked industry trends by prioritizing worker welfare.
“Maj. Tams was unique,” said Woodhouse. “He was anything but the typical money-hungry coal mine owner. He cared about his miners, used the most up-to-date techniques, and lived in the same town with his employees. He established a profit-sharing plan for his miners and urged other mining firms to do likewise. He viewed the technically trained as key contributors to the economic uplift coming from the industrialization of America and thought Virginia Tech men should lead in those fields.”
In those days, ambitious men were willing to take leases on promising coal-bearing lands and then build whole towns from scratch along railroad lines that wound through the hills of West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky. In 1908, Tams received a lease from Beaver Coal Co., which owned 50,000 acres in Raleigh County, just below Beckley, West Virginia.
Tams hauled a sawmill over the hills and cut the first-growth timber for the houses that would become the town of Tams, West Virginia. Located in the town’s center, next to the coal tipple that poured coal into railcars, sat Tams’ four-room cottage that served as his home and office. Other than a stint in the Army during World War I, Tams lived in his town for the rest of his life. He became rich enough to live anywhere, but he stayed with his miners. Even after selling his mines to Westmoreland Coal in 1955, he still contracted with the company to allow him to stay in his cottage until he died in 1977.
From the Courtroom to Coal Mines
Woodhouse first learned about local mines when working with law clients connected to the coal business. Intrigued, Woodhouse read about Montgomery and Pulaski county coal mines known as the Valley Coal Fields of Virginia.
“As I sought to learn more about the active mines farther to the west in Virginia and West Virginia, I stumbled upon a monograph written by Tams about the coalfields just over the state line in West Virginia, where he got started in the business in the early 1900s,” Woodhouse said. “Tams was not your average coal mine operator, and as I learned more about the coal industry, it seemed to me that a Tams biography was a needed contribution to the existing history.”
Because Woodhouse was busy with his law career, he knew any writing would have to wait for retirement. In 2016, Woodhouse retired from the BASF Corp. law department, and in 2018, he began his Tams biography.
Digging Into the Archives
Woodhouse’s journey began with Special Collections and University Archives in Newman Library. After some research, he discovered that all of Tams’ school records were stored there and Tams had been a generous Virginia Tech supporter. Woodhouse uncovered a wealth of information about Tams and his brother, Frazier. Both were 1902 graduates of Virginia Tech, then known as Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute. They graduated summa cum laude with degrees in mechanical engineering and were first lieutenants in the Corps of Cadets.
“That early jump-start on understanding the ethos of Virginia Tech in the days when all students were in the Corps of Cadets allowed me to see the Tams brothers in the context of America of that period,” Woodhouse said.
The library’s resources proved invaluable throughout the research process. “Newman Library allowed me seamless access,” Woodhouse said. “A biography is only as good as the surrounding history and any biographer worth his salt does a lot of cross-checking.”
The library’s physical collections proved helpful and its expertise invaluable. Woodhouse credits Marc Brodsky, retired archivist, for pointing him toward crucial resources and a treasure trove — The Bugle yearbooks from 1898-1902.
Woodhouse’s book on Tams is still seeking a publisher and is being considered by two university presses in states with long histories in the coal business. In the meantime, he’s already begun work on a second book focusing on Joe Burk, a champion Olympic rower, coach, and decorated World War II veteran. Though not directly related to Virginia Tech, Woodhouse has continued to rely on Newman Library’s resources to provide historical context for this work as well.
The author’s library user experience highlights the often-overlooked role that academic libraries play in supporting local scholarship and creative endeavors.
