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Idamay, West Virginia

Coordinates: 39°29′49″N 80°15′25″W / 39.49694°N 80.25694°W / 39.49694; -80.25694
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Idamay, West Virginia
Census-designated place (CDP)
Location in Marion County and the state of West Virginia.
Location in Marion County and the state of West Virginia.
Coordinates: 39°29′49″N 80°15′25″W / 39.49694°N 80.25694°W / 39.49694; -80.25694
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia
CountyMarion
Area
[1]
 • Total
0.882 sq mi (2.28 km2)
 • Land0.881 sq mi (2.28 km2)
 • Water0.001 sq mi (0.003 km2)
Elevation
1,178 ft (359 m)
Population
 (2010)[2]
 • Total
611
 • Density690/sq mi (270/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
26576
Area code(s)304 & 681
GNIS feature ID1554762[3]

Idamay is a census-designated place (CDP) in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Idamay is located along West Virginia Route 218, 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Farmington. Idamay has a post office with ZIP code 26576.[4] As of the 2010 census, its population was 611.[2]

History

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The community was named after Ida May Watson, the daughter of Consolidation Coal co-founder James Otis Watson[5] and sister of Caroline Watson Fleming, wife of West Virginia Governor Aretas Fleming.[6]

Consolidation Coal began construction on their #87 Idamay mine and barracks in 1915.[7] As the mine thrived, ‘company houses’ sprung up either built on sight by the carpenter's crew or transported from closed mines in Pennsylvania.[8] The mine was fully operational by 1917 bringing the railroad, teams of migrant workers, and an established, fully self-sustaining town. Miners and their families were supplied with a recreation hall, company store, first class school,[9] community gardens, concerts, and picnics. Company nurses and doctors were always on call, and the street car system supplied an easy means to the cities of Fairmont and Mannington.[10] Throughout the 1920s and 30s, Ida May was most notable for her championship miner's league team, the “Ida Mae Fence Busters.” Both mine league teams and professional baseball teams from across the country traveled for an attempt to usurp the champions, most failed.[11]

In the early 1950s, Bethlehem Coal bought the mine renaming her the Bethlehem #44, for which she is most well-known today. Under Bethlehem, the Idamay mine was among the first to successfully utilize a roofing bolt system making her a working model for new mines.[12] As unionization took hold and mine scrip dissolved, Bethlehem started selling company houses to miners. In order to maintain the communal way of life, the Idamay Improvement Association was founded in 1953 establishing by-laws for the development, general maintenance, and future of the town.[13] When Bethlehem closed the mine in 1971, much of the remaining properties were deeded to the Association. The Idamay Improvement Association continues to oversee the town today.

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  • Idamay postmark
    Idamay postmark

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Idamay, West Virginia
  4. ^ "Free ZIP Code Lookup with area code, county, geocode, MSA/PMSA, population". www.zipinfo.com. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  5. ^ West Virginia Encyclopedia-James Otis Watson
  6. ^ Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, WV: The Place Name Press. p. 323.
  7. ^ "Fairmont to Have a Prosperous Year". The West Virginian. May 6, 1915. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  8. ^ Kisner, John (September 4, 1916). "Help Wanted-Male". The West Virginian.
  9. ^ "Ida May's New School is Ready". The West Virginian. December 20, 1918. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  10. ^ "New Line of Street Cars is Ready to Be Operated by the Traction Company". The Daily Telegraph. November 27, 1916.
  11. ^ "Fairmont Elks Will Play Port Knight's Famous Fence Busters". The West Virginian. August 29, 1922.
  12. ^ Flowers, A. (1953). "Successful Roof Bolting at Idamay". Coal Age. 10: 76–80.
  13. ^ Certificate of Incorporation and Power of Attorney Book No. 19. Office of the Secretary of the State of the State of West Virginia. July 8, 1953. p. 205.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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