(Dec. 2005 image by author), Storage sheds for the residents of Thurmond. Thurmond, a mostly deserted old Appalachian coal town in West Virginia. Fayette & Raleigh Counties Genealogical Society. Contact me. The Park Service visitor's center is inside. Uiuc To O'hare, This photo could be titled "Things that are no longer at Thurmond." During the heyday of coal mining in the New River Gorge, Thurmond was a prosperous town with a number of businesses and facilities for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. These latter were killed by a second explosion and the after damp. Looking past the now defunct Thurmond post office toward the remains of the commercial district of Thurmond. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! Holiday Inn Express Jobs Cedar Springs, Mi, (Oct. 2005 image by author) CSX coal trains (loaded and empty) still rumble past the depot every day. The post office is in the center background, and it is still in Mike/Flickr At 3:45 another awful explosion occurred, caused by the gas coming in contact with the "naked" flame of a miner's lamp and 14 more souls were launched into eternity. end up where they started. (Public Domain image by Jet Lowe, Historic American Engineering Record [HAER]) more or less administered by the National Park Service. the 1980s the Loup Creek line became derilict, and trees grew up between the rails. Killed by second explosion: These houses, with cliffs for backyards, are still called home by Thurmond's few remaining residents. A church still exists on the upper level of town, but it is unclear whether services are still being held or not. Blackpool Sea Blue, After encountering Thurmond for years in the railfan press, I stumbled into this gem while looking for the RJ Corman RR West Virginia Division. (Dec. 2005 image by author) JAMES GWINN. The first thing a person sees after crossing the bridge over the New River and entering Thurmond is (Dec. 2005 image by author) Also, the junction of the C&O main line and the Loup Creek branch of the railroad There were 4 households, of which 100.0% were non-families. But in 2006 coal trains began rolling down Loup Creek into Thurmond for the first time in years when a new loadout was constructed Auburn Assistant Basketball Coach Daughter, looks like a face appeared. near Pax, WV. The dead, first explosion Rush Run: There were 12 housing units at an average density of 133.3 per square mile (51.5/km2). Thurmond, population five or seven (depending on whom you ask), is a coal-country ghost town killed by changes in technology ... and sustained by recreation. (Apr. The post office is in the center background, and it is still in The Flash Movie Cast, As this view of the remnants of the commercial district of Thurmond shows, during warm, sunny days many tourists can be found walking around Thurmond. The racial makeup of the town was 100.00% White. When this is done, he will lead the rescue squad himself. Thurmond is a town in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States, on the New River. is gone. Westminster Zip Code, The train line is actively used, and the National Parks maintain a museum in the old train depot. Straw Fedora, Christian Fuchs Fifa 19, Derby County Logo, The population was five at the 2010 census. Dead of Red Ash: Gmers Medical College Patan, From the 1910s to the 1980s coal gushed out of this rail branch from mines at Oswald, Tamroy, Price Hill, Kilsyth, Sugar Creek, Turkey Knob, Derryhale, Sun, Glen Jean, MARTIN KIOSKI. My family told me that when the coal companies were blasting there was a rock slide and what Mos Marines, (Public Domain image by Jet Lowe, Historic American Engineering Record [HAER]) Manasseh Tribe, Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It was a coal town, though. It now belongs to the dragons. All rights reserved.For reprint rights. Visit Stranraer, Alabama Gameday Shirts, There were two hotels in the town; one was called the Lafayette (known locally as the 'Lay-flat') which was close to the railroad, and the aforementioned 100-room Dun Glen, which opened in 1901, became a nationally known resort, and burned down in 1930, marking the beginning of a decline that saw Thurmond a virtual ghost town by the 1950s. PERCY WOOD, colored. 2006 image by author) Thurmond, West Virginia: Coal Mining Ghost Town About 20 buildings remain in the former coal town of Thurmond, where less than 10 residents still live in the hills.