Visit Thurmond, West Virginia, Coal Miner's Ghost Town

Native Americans had a strong belief that the dark hollows of West Virginia were haunted by evil spirits. So it comes as no surprise that reports of supernatural encounters have grown over time, and thousands of sightings, many reputable, have been documented by eye witnesses, folklorists, and parapsychologists daring to visit the darker parts of West Virginia.

The dark hollow of Thurmond, West Virginia was once considered one of the greatest railroad towns along the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. This boomtown, located in the New River Gorge area flourished with the highest revenue in the state during the early 1900's with its overflowing amounts of coal brought in from area mines. Thurmond's banks were the richest in the state, and the town's stores, saloons, and hotels were loaded with customers on a daily basis. Trains continually passed through the town, and at one time the depot served as many as 95,000 passengers a year, but the town witnessed a rapid decline in population as the advent of diesel locomotives, and less coal coming in from local mines forced families to look elsewhere for steady jobs. Businesses began closing their doors, and soon only a handful of residents remained.

Thurmond, West Virginia is located in the southern heart of the state among lush scenery and winding hills. The ghost town is located just off of route 19 at the Glen Jean exit onto route 25, and is surprisingly untouched by the elements that have played havoc on the remaining structures over the years, and as I entered this miniscule ghost town I was immediately drawn to the left-over barren remnants of what was once booming businesses, now standing empty and lifeless, but begging to be explored. The streets are long gone and the ghost of a once booming railroad can only be detected by the tracks that still remain. The heart of the town faces the tracks almost as if it is waiting on passengers to stop by and visit. Luckily, the depot has been fully restored and sits in its prior glory of days gone by, and offers visitors a museum packed full of remnants from another era.