A day trip adventure into the historic town of Thurmond, WV. A once bustling railroad town that saw 15 trains pass through daily as well as thousands of dollars exchanged at the National Bank of Thurmond. Their once grand hotel now no longer stands after being destroyed by fire as well as their second hotel which sat across the river from the train depot. Now stands as 7 lone buildings and the remains of a train coaling tower that still serves as a stop for Amtrak in the midst of a National Park!

The new train depot seen here was built in 1904 to replace the original after it was devastated by fire in 1899. 

A CSX engine pulling a line of coal cars passes over the single lane car and train bridge into Thurmond. CSX Railroad was once the C&O Railway that served this town originally.

Stopped to manually switch the tracks!

Looking down the tracks on the backside of the train depot where passengers and luggage would exit the depot to board their car. Now the passenger and luggage doors are used as exits for the visitor center and Amtrak ticket counter in the first floor of the depot. 

The Mankin-Cox building built in 1904 by Dr. J.W. Mankin marks the southern limits of the commercial district which is also the oldest district. The right side of the building housed The Mankin Drug Company, the left was the New River Banking and Trust Company. Inside of the buildings, the original tile floors and metal wallcoverings can still be seen although in severe disrepair, the National Park system is working to restore or preserve what they can.

The Goodman-Kincaid building built in 1906 by the Standard Dry Goods Company. The top two levels were used as apartments, the second floor included the offices of the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Exchange Company and Dr. C.F. Ridge. Over the years, the main floor has been two stores and several restaurants, including Mrs. McClure's.

The remains of the coaling tower built in 1922 as you can see in the next photo, the datestone can be seen but is severely weathered. Here, coal hopper cars would deposit coal into a pit underneath the tower which was then moved via an elevator from the pit where it was dropped through chutes into the coal tenders of the engines. The tower was abandoned in 1960 by the C&O Railway.

A rusted manual rail cart sits outfront of the US Post Office building.

The US Post Office building that was constructed in 1929 by Fitzgerald & Company was originally a Commissary to supply the hundreds of railroad workers in Thurmond. It later became the post office after fire destroyed the Lafayette Hotel, site of the previous postal service. The current post office was closed in 1995.

Behind the tracks are the foundations of the water tanks that provided the water supply for the steam that powered C&O engines. They served 5 water columns, the engine house which sat on opposite the tracks where we stood to take the photo until it was destroyed by fire in 1993 after being abandoned in 1985, and the fire hose house. The tower was built in 1914 with a 100,000 gallon capacity, the standpipe was built in 1927 and held 210,000 gallons. CSX Railroad removed the tanks in 1998.

The 3 remaining buildings of Thurmond's commercial district. The blank space in the foreground is the site of the engine house built in 1905 and serviced 60-100 railroad cars daily, which later became a repair shop in 1963 and was abandoned in 1985. Fire destroyed the structure in 1993. 

The open space to the far left of the buildings was the site of the Lafayette Hotel which replaced the original Hotel Thurmond. This 35 room hotel had a veranda that extended to the railroad tracks and housed several businesses and shops. The hotel boasted 7 bathrooms, steam heat, and 400 electric lights! It was also rumored that the hotel's veranda was so close to the tracks that patrons could reach out and touch or spit on passing trains.

The National Bank of Thurmond relocated in 1923 from its original site in the Hotel Thurmond to this building completed in 1917 by the Bullock Realty Company. Originally this building housed a jewelry store, clothing store, the Western Union Telegraph Company, and apartments. Most recently this building housed the Banker's Club Hotel and restaurant which served boaters and other visitors.

An old telephone and power pole sits just beside the road, still holding 2 antique glass conductors!