Thurmond: The Ghost Town of the New River Gorge

Most who know of the New River Gorge in West Virginia immediately think of the impressive bridge that crosses far above the river and the world-class outdoor recreation opportunities on and next to the river. It is difficult to imagine the New River as a working river today, winding between hardworking mining towns, defined as much by the railroad tracks as by the river itself. Thurmond offers a rare glimpse into the past of the gorge.

The journey to Thurmond, for most who venture there today, begins at a wholly modern Exxon station next to wholly modern U.S. Route 19 above the town of Glen Jean (though when I'm here I always think of Hank Williams, who was discovered dead a few miles up the road at Burdette’s Pure Oil, a now demolished service station, in Oak Hill). But the modern experience ends as you descend into Glen Jean. Things are largely as they were 50 years ago in Glen Jean and after a few turns and the blink of the eye you're passing through Red Star and Harvey while weaving back and forth across a rail line and Dunloup Creek. It is quite evident that the railroad beat the road through here, because they definitely have an easier right of way. Then again, no one in a hurry goes to Thurmond anymore.

While the trip from Glen Jean is only about seven miles, getting there the first time seems to take forever. Between the narrow, serpentine road, the scenery, and the ruins--there is a lot to take in. Immediately before the town of Thurmond is a one-lane, open grate bridge shared with the short-line railroad to carry you over the New River. Here you are at the beautifully restored Thurmond Depot. The depot being the other way to find this town--Thurmond is a flag stop on Amtrak’s thrice weekly Cardinal.

The beautifully restored Thurmond Depot (July 2010)

A few people still live in the hills above Thurmond, but more trains pass through the town each day on the CSX mainline than live in the town. But through the painstaking efforts of the National Park Service and numerous volunteers, the town site is stabilized and a large part of downtown Thurmond is intact.

One of the most notable characteristics of the town is that rather than have a “main street,” the town was built along the railroad. Only a sidewalk separates buildings from the railroad tracks. Though the trains do run through town much faster than they have in days gone by! There are few towns who still have a main drag not dominated by the automobile, one example being Renovo, Pennsylvania. Others have main streets where tracks used to be--towns defined by the rails but were superseded by cars.

When Thurmond was a thriving mining and hard-working town the beauty and tranquility seen now was not present, this is challenging to imagine. At that time the gorge had been logged bare and a thick haze hung in the air. Indeed the bountiful timber served as a primary driver for the Chesapeake and Ohio to build the rail line through the gorge. There were also homes and businesses dotting both sides of the river. Signs of human life surrounded people in the narrow gorge. It is difficult to envision that the foundations of old homes and businesses not only represented people’s lives, but their pride, their joy, and their dreams. It is also amazing to think of how quickly nature reclaims the land after humans walk away.