West Virginia is full of ghost towns that will either scare you or make you want to learn more. Thurmond is a small town that is almost always empty. It may do a little of both for most people. The surveyor W.D. Thurmond set up home there in 1844 and later joined the Confederate Army. The town of Thurmond became a city in 1901.
Most people don’t know that Thurmond could only be reached by train until 1921. The town didn’t have any roads, so the only way to get in or out was by train.
Still, the town grew until it had almost 300 people living in it by 1920. There were about 500 people living in Thurmond in 1930, after the first road was made. The town became a bit of a resort.
Not THAT kind of vacation, though. In fact, W.D. Thurmond made it illegal for people to drink in town. Soon, a hotel popped up just across the river. It was full of gay people and other bad people.
There is a story that across the river there was a card game that went on for 14 years. There was probably a lot of drink on that card table, that much is clear.
Also Read: The Most Dangerous Texas Cities List Can Surprise You Now
It’s like walking into a dead town these days when you go to Thurmond. Everyone has left. For photographers, many of the buildings are in bad shape, and the trains still rumble through Main Street, just feet from the front doors of the stores that are now closed.
You won’t have to take a train to get to Thurmond, which is good news. The New River leads into town across a unique one-lane bridge for cars and trains. A one-of-a-kind bridge leads to this coal town in the Mountain State in the 1920s. It’s a great place to start any trip back in time.
On the other side of the bridge, the Thurmond Depot, which is now a tourist center, is ready to go. The National Park Service owns and runs almost all of Thurmond, which is a “almost ghost town.” The train station is where people can go to see them.