Before 1880, West Virginia was mostly made up of farms and small settlements. But in the 1880s, the coal industry changed the landscape. Railroads brought mining companies, which built company towns around the mines. These towns had houses, a company store, a church, a school, and a post office, but no government.

In these towns, the best houses were for the company leaders, while miners lived in simpler, smaller homes. The quality of company towns varied: some were decent, while others were poor or even dirty. These towns lasted as long as the coal mines were productive, often 50-75 years. Today, no company towns exist, but some remnants still remain.