A Window to the Past

A Window to the Past. Thomas, West Virginia. , Thomas's National Register Significance , The Thomas Commercial Historic District was listed as a National Register Historic District in 1997. In order to qualify for the National Register of Historic Place, a property must be at least 50 years old and meet at least one of the following criteria for historic significance:, A: Historical Events: Properties that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history., B: Important People: Properties that are associated with significant people in our past., C: Architecture and Design: , Properties that embody distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method construction, or that represent the work of a matter, or that possess high artistic value. This includes historic districts in which the individual buildings may not have distinction, but as a group they are special., D: Archaeology: Properties that have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. This criterion usually applies to archaeological sites., The Thomas Commercial Historic District is eligible for the National Register under Criteria A and C., The city is a fine example of a turn-of-the-century coal and railroad boom town. The arrival of the coal and railroad industries made Thomas a hub of commerce and culture for the surrounding region. It is also significant for its sizeable immigrant population, ethnic diversity and embodiment of the American "melting pot.", The architecture of Thomas reflects a variety of styles, including Renaissance Revival, Greek Revival, Italianate, Gothic, and Craftsman. These buildings contained both businesses and residences, and unique features such as glass storefronts, balconies and rear yards., What is Integrity? , To qualify for the National Register of Historic Places, a building, property or district must have historic integrity, which means that people can still see and experience the important aspects of the property and that they haven't changed too much. There are seven aspects of integrity: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association., Determining if a place retains integrity depends upon the reasons it is historically significant. Though the buildings in Thomas have undergone some alterations, over the years, the commercial district retains most of its original buildings. It is still easy to imagine how Thomas appeared at its peak.