The Sam Fama Hotel
About the year of 1921 or 22, after the Virginian RR Company
had completed its branch road from Maben to Glen Morrison and
Glen Rogers coal companies, Sam Fama brought his family - a wife,
son Tony, about 18 years old, and a daughter, Nelly, about 14
years old from Italy. Sam and son Tony may have worked on the
railroad as section hands or in the mine at Glen Morrison, saving
their money and during their spare time building a two story cement
building and called it the Sam Fami Hotel. As many railroad workers
and coal miners came from Southern Europe and found work in West
Virginia, Sam's hotel business probably was good, but by 1923/24
it was on the decline.
Sam built his hotel back into the steep bank in Punkin Town &
mouth of Peanut Holler. He later built an Italian style bread
oven in which his wife made and sold the best light bread to be
found any where. He served it at his tables and sold it in his
store located on the ground floor.
The Fami's sold out and moved away about the year 1932 because
of a death which occured in the store. There were a few Fami families
listed in the Beckley telephone directory for a few years afterwards.