Thurmond Historic District

Thurmond Historic District is a preserved railroad town stretched along an active rail corridor in the New River Gorge. The town itself is the attraction: its depot, brick Commercial Row, railroad works and foundations tell the story of a coal and rail hub. Give it about an hour for the half-mile walk if industrial or railroad history interests you. If you expect lots of open rooms or a full museum, this is a quieter outdoor visit.

The self-guided route is 0.5 mile round trip and takes about an hour. It links the 1904 depot, commissary, water-tank foundations, Mankin-Cox and Goodman-Kincaid buildings, National Bank, remains of the Lafayette Hotel, coaling tower and engine-house site. A few stops are foundations rather than standing buildings; interpretive displays in storefront windows help bring the town back to life.

The route is flat but uneven, with pavement, brick and gravel, plus road and active-rail crossings. Use the designated crossing and never walk on the tracks. The coaling tower is dangerous, so view it from a distance.

From US 19, take the Glen Jean exit and follow signs seven miles down WV Route 25. The road is narrow and winding; large RVs and trailers are discouraged. There are no automotive services in Thurmond, and no current food outlet could be verified, so plan fuel and meals before heading in. Parking is available by the depot, though space and fees aren't listed.

The depot serves as the visitor center, with exhibits, a park store, an elevator and an accessible flush restroom when open. Its schedule changes by season. The town walk is outdoors, so the streetscape remains visitable when the depot is closed, but the indoor exhibits and facilities won't be available. Amtrak still stops at the depot.

The Chesapeake & Ohio mainline reached Thurmond in 1873, the same year Captain William Dabney Thurmond bought 73 acres beside the railroad. The location grew into a shipping and service hub for the region's coal and timber industries. In 1910, freight tonnage through Thurmond exceeded Cincinnati and Richmond combined, and 75,000 passengers passed through that year.

At its peak, the town had two hotels, two banks, restaurants, stores, a jewelry shop, a movie theater and railroad offices. With most flat ground claimed by the railroad, many residents lived in apartments above businesses. The Great Depression, fires, automobile travel and the switch from steam to diesel all helped shrink the town. Thurmond remains incorporated and former residents still gather for an annual reunion.

The current depot opened in 1904 after two earlier depots burned. Only 15 feet wide, it gained a 15-foot extension on its east side in 1915. Ticketing, baggage and waiting rooms filled the first floor; railroad signal, telegraph and other offices were upstairs. It remains a visitor center and an Amtrak stop.

The concrete coaling tower went up in 1922 and could hold 500 tons of coal. Elevators lifted coal from below into chutes over the tracks to refuel steam locomotives. Nearby water works included a 100,000-gallon tank and a later 210,000-gallon standpipe, feeding water columns for the engines. The tanks were removed in 1998, leaving their foundations. The 1905 engine house once repaired 60 to 100 railcars a day at peak before closing in 1963; it later burned in 1993.

The approach bridge gives you the classic view: rails lead toward the yellow depot and brick storefronts, with the wooded gorge rising around town. You don't need a separate hike for that streetscape. Keep to the road and designated pedestrian crossing; the tracks belong in the view, not underfoot.