Thurmond West Virginia

The Chesapeake and Ohio Depot

These days, three days a week, Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, two Amtrak Trains, # 50 (Eastbound) and # 51 (Westbound) The Cardinal, pass by this station located in one of West Virginia’s, and I would submit America’s, most famous Ghost Towns. Because this town (yes, under the laws of the State of West Virginia it is still an “Incorporated” town with a mayor city council etc.) is a well-known White Water Rafting mecca, Amtrak still lists Thurmond as a flag stop. And sometimes, occasionally, the Cardinal, will stop, but only occasionally. But it was not always so. During the first two decades of the 20th Century, the Thurmond Depot hosted 15 trains a day, and handled as many as 95,000 passengers a year (note: for FY 2008 Amtrak reported the grand total of Boardings and Alightings at Thurmond WV came to 405)!

Thurmond WV began its existence in post Civil War West Virginia. It was the offspring of the fertile mind of Captain William Dabney Thurmond. He was called “Captain” because during the then “recent unpleasantness” had had led a group of Confederate “fighters” known as “Thurmond’s Rangers.” (Note: for much more of the historical background on the town click on: http://www.wvculture.org/history/wvhs1403.html. This is an article by Jessica Fair on Thurmond which appeared in the West Virginia Historical Society Quarterly in 2000.) Nowadays, in addition to having the town named after him, he has an extreme sport triathlon, consisting of whitewater rafting, biking and running events, named in his honor: “Captain Thurmond’s Challenge.”

In 1873 when the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad was finally completed through the Allegheny Mountains, Captain Thurmond built a railroad depot on some of his land in Fayette County WV. All of his holdings, and the Depot in particular, were located on a small spit of land on the north side of the New River. Then he and his sons went into business hauling produce and passengers in, and passengers out on the newly completed Richmond to Huntington rail line. His “town” never grew to more than about 75 people. But it was a complete town with a general store, post office, Western Union office, Adams Express office, and after 1891 a hotel in addition to the depot. But one thing it didn’t have was liquor.

Captain Thurmond was a strict Baptist and he wanted that evil “firewater” kept out of “his” town. As part of his plan to do this he had his town Incorporated in 1901. He wanted to be sure that if you lived in his hamlet located on a narrow piece of land on the north side of the New River, deep in the heart of the New River Gorge, you would never be in temptation’s way. With “Incorporation” he insured that this would remain the situation in Thurmond. Now that he was sure he had Satan under control, in 1904 the old depot was torn down and a new one was built. This depot is the one pictured above.

Oh yes, the Liquor, it never did come to Thurmond. But it came close. A commercial rival of Mr. Thurmond’s, a Mr. McKell, saw a “business opportunity” and opened a rival hotel to Mr. Thurmond’s establishment but on the south side of the New River, not within Thurmond itself, but literally within sight of the Thurmond C & O Depot. This hotel, The Dunglen Hotel, became known as a “Little Monte Carlo” because it not only had liquor, particularly for miner’s on the week-ends, but also gambling, “the world’s oldest profession’ (ahem it is hard to maintain a family-oriented blog these days isn’t it), and 100 rooms. Among other activities, there are those who claim (a claim published in that noted historical authority: “Ripley’s Believe it or Not!”) that the Dunglen Hotel hosted the worlds longest running poker game. This Gaming Marathon lasted, it is claimed, for 14 years. (Too bad they didn’t continue on so they could have hosted a show on the Travel Channel.)

In the 2000 Census the town of Thurmond had a population of 7 (click on the site if you don’t believe me). I really don’t think there has been much of an influx since then, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see a decrease in next year’s counting. Most of the buildings are vacant and not open under normal operations (don’t worry, from what I have heard and seen, there is nothing in them anyway, unless you are into the paranormal world). The Depot is owned by the National Park Service and is part of their New River Gorge National River operation.

The Thurmond Depot is a National Park Service Visitor’s Center. It is opened during the “tourist season” (generally during the summer and a few “high tourist weekends” such as the fall foliage season). It has a few exhibits downstairs and a few more upstairs as well. On the second level, in the “Bay Window” extension on the track side (the above shot is of the other side) is a recreation of the railroad telegrapher’s office complete with a manikin dressed in his C&O uniform and a recorded message wherein this “agent” tells about what he did back when Thurmond was a classic American Mining Boomtown.

You can still travel to Thurmond West Virginia today. The National Park Service directions are as follows:

“To reach Thurmond, take U.S. Route 19 to the Glen Jean exit, north of Beckley. Follow the signs to Thurmond, seven miles down WV Route 25 (Route 25 is a narrow, winding road and is not recommended for RVs and trailers). No automotive services are available in Thurmond.”

Those of you who may travel into this area in an RV or even a small truck with a trailer note the warning about Route 25 well. I drive this road 1 or 2 times a year. They are not kidding and yes, I have seen several “rigs” driven by “experienced” drivers come to grief on this road. Yes, the curves ARE that bad. But other than that, I do urge you to come, not only to see the Depot, but also “Downtown Thurmond.”

Special note: The Hotel Dunglen, mentioned above, burned to the ground in 1930. The site is now a parking lot used by the National Park Service and its visitors. As with most National Park Sites, I am sure the use of alcohol is prohibited and the Rangers probably would not want card games or any other shenanigans going on either. Ahh . . . Captain Thurmond would be pleased.