Old Thurmond West Virginia

The town of Thurmond was no more than a man’s dream in April of 1873 when Captain William D. Thurmond received 73 acres of land as payment for his... more

by Norma Brandsberg

Title

Old Thurmond West Virginia

Artist

Norma Brandsberg

Medium

Photograph

Description

The town of Thurmond was no more than a man’s dream in April of 1873 when Captain William D. Thurmond received 73 acres of land as payment for his services as a surveyor. With access to the newly completed C&O Railroad, as well as the rich coalfields of Southern West Virginia, the soon-to-be named town of Thurmond was positioned to become an important cog in both the coal and rail industries.

It was not until the late 1880’s with the completion of the Southside Junction railroad bridge that crosses the New River at the mouth of Dunloup Creek that Thurmond saw its prosperity and important to the area grow and it soon became a boom town.

With the huge amounts of coal brought in from area mines, it had the largest revenue on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. Many coal barons were among its patrons, Thurmond's banks were the richest in the state. Fifteen passenger trains a day came through town-its depot serving as many as 95,000 passengers a year. The town's stores and saloons did a remarkable business, and its hotels and boarding houses were constantly overflowing. With the advent of diesel locomotives, and less coal coming in from local mines, the town began a steady decline. The many businesses closed down, and most residents moved on. Today it is considered to be a charming ghost town with only a few residents.

Today, the town of Thurmond, part of Fayette County remains surprisingly untouched by modern development. It is a link to our past, and a town with many stories to tell. Much of it it is owned by the National Park Service as part of the New River Gorge National River. Today Amtrak serves this tiny village which I found surprising...tours and train connoisseurs make special pilgrimages here.

See my companion piece here:

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/thurmond-railroad-station-norma-brandsberg.html

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Uploaded

September 8th, 2019