Commercial Row - Thurmond, West Virginia
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Commercial Row - Thurmond, West Virginia
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Tucked away in the abandoned town of Thurmond, West Virginia, lies the remains of Commercial Row. In this unique business district, the bustling Main Street diverged from the traditional road format and flourished as a network of railway tracks. The idea of locals navigating their daily lives just inches from the roaring locomotives that traverse these tracks captivates me.
A boomtown in the 1900s, Thurmond, West Virginia, was one of the busiest railroad towns along the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. Right in the heart of the coal country, all the coal mined in the area was brought to Thurmond to be shipped out. Over fifteen passenger trains traveled through town daily, and the depot served around 75,000 visitors a year. When the diesel locomotives came along, and coal was not as widely used or mined, the businesses closed down, and residents moved on.
Today, Thurmond is not much more than a ghost town with only seven residents (2005). Located along the New River, what remains of the town is owned by National Park Service and is part of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
Like a time capsule, Thurmond still possesses all the characteristics of a 1920s Appalachian coal town. The town has been designated a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.
Copyright 2023 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
September 12th, 2023
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Viewed 191 Times - Last Visitor from Monmouth Junction, NJ on 09/28/2023 at 7:45 AM
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