Thurmond

tonyturley

Legend
Location
Scott Depot, WV, USA
Name
Tony
Nestled deep within the bowels of West Virginia's New River Gorge, Thurmond was non-the-less a railroad boom town in its heyday of the early to mid 1900s. It is claimed that during the first two decades of the 1900’s, Thurmond handled more freight than Richmond, Virginia and Cincinnati, Ohio combined, and the railroad depot hosted over 95,000 passengers yearly. The town once held a meat packing plant, an engine house, restaurants, hotels, banks, and other businesses. It is also claimed that at the town's peak, its banks had more wealth than any town in WV, including the state capital. Like many small towns in WV, it began a steady decline during the Great Depression, and key town structures have been ravaged by fire several times throughout the years. With an official population of 5, the Thurmond Historic District is now part of the New River Gorge National River, and managed by the NPS. The town's buildings have been stabilized and restored to preserve a glimpse into the area's culture. There are also several very nice hiking/biking trails around Thurmond, and rafters can often be seen floating the New River. All photos taken with the Fuji X30. The depot photo was taken very early in the morning before the fog had burned away.

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