THURMOND, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Located deep within the New River Gorge sits the historic town of Thurmond, once the heartbeat of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in the early 1900s. Although the boom days of the railroad town have come and gone, the legacy and history still remain.
The National Park Service (NPS) acquired most of the town in the 1990s and began the restoration of structures that remained. One significant project that the NPS undertook was the complete restoration of the Thurmond Depot in the mid-90s.
The depot once served as both a passenger depot and C&O offices. The yardmaster’s office on the western end overlooks Thurmond’s West Yard and has been authentically restored with furniture, fixtures, and equipment from the early 1900s.
The train master’s and ticket master’s offices have also been revitalized and now house a museum and interpretive exhibits regarding Thurmond and the railroad.
In 1883, a freight station was constructed in Thurmond by the C&O, followed by a railroad bridge connecting coal mines to the main line. After the first station burnt down in 1899, the current building was erected.
Incorporating in 1903, Thurmond became a key railroad hub for the C&O, one of the two primary shipping points in the New River Gorge, a significant coal-producing area during the 20th century. Thurmond’s contributions to C&O’s revenue were substantial, surpassing cities like Cincinnati, Richmond, and Charleston.
Its business district, nestled around the railroad tracks functioning as Main Street near the riverside depot, featured banks, hotels, stores, a drug store, a jewelry shop, medical practices, churches, and railroad offices.
During its peak in 1910, around 76,000 passengers boarded trains in Thurmond, and almost one-fifth of C&O’s revenue that year came from shipping approximately four million tons of freight. At that time, fifteen passenger trains passed through the town daily.
During summer, the National Park Service utilizes the 119-year-old depot as a welcome center for New River Gorge National Park and Preserve visitors. The depot is open daily from June through August, and weekends in September.
The town of Thurmond is still home to approximately four residents and is accessible to the public year-round even when the visitor center is closed.