The Secret Under Thomas, West Virginia
If you walk the streets of Thomas, West Virginia, it feels like a quiet mountain town with a rich past. Old buildings line the streets, the railroad cuts through the valley, and the surrounding hills tell the story of its coal heritage. But what most people don’t realize is that the real story of Thomas isn’t just what you see—it’s what lies beneath your feet.
Thomas was founded in 1883 by brothers Thomas Beall Davis and Henry Gassaway Davis. The two built their fortune on coal, establishing the Davis Coal and Coke Company and turning the area into a booming mining town. Within just a few years, rail lines were laid, mines were opened, and workers poured in looking for opportunity. By the early 1900s, Thomas was thriving. At its peak around 1915, the town was producing nearly one million tons of coal. More than 1,600 miners lived and worked in the area, supporting a rapidly growing community. Above ground, Thomas was alive with industry, families, and daily life. But below ground, something even bigger was taking shape.
Beneath the town, a vast network of coal mines spread out in all directions—a spiderweb of tunnels carved deep into the earth. In total, there were around 74 mines operating in and around Thomas, with miles of passageways running beneath the streets, buildings, and nearby land. Even today, it’s estimated that nearly a hundred miles of these tunnels still exist underground. Some of these entrances can still be found if you know where to look. Along the railroad trail that winds through town, there are remnants of old mine portals. One of them, known as Portal 29, still marks where miners once entered the underground world. Over time, many of these entrances have collapsed, been buried, or sealed off, slowly disappearing from view.
The underground doesn’t stop at Thomas. Nearby Davis, West Virginia, also sits above old mine workings. There are even stories of homes where the ground beneath gave way—cellars reportedly collapsing into abandoned tunnels below. Whether every story is true or not, they reflect a very real fact: much of this region is hollowed out beneath the surface. By 1956, the mines were shut down and abandoned. Left behind were empty tunnels that eventually filled with stagnant, acidic water. Today, that water still seeps out in places, affecting nearby streams and the Blackwater area, a lingering reminder of the town’s industrial past.
Thomas today is known for its charm, outdoor recreation, and access to trails and winter activities. Visitors come for the mountains, the scenery, and the history they can see. But hidden below it all is a forgotten world—dark, quiet, and stretching for miles. So the next time you walk through Thomas, take a moment to think about what lies beneath. Because under every step, there’s a piece of history most people never see.