Thurmond Historic District!

What Is the Thurmond Historic District?

These are the remaining historic structures from the coal mining boomtown of Thurmond!

What Makes It Historical?

The Civil War left William Dabney Thurmond a rebel without a cause! This former Confederate captain refused to swear any oaths of allegiance to anyone for the rest of his life, and when he got commissioned to survey some land on the proposed route of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, he made his own town on 73 acres to manage by his rules, or so he thought!

The location on the railroad made Thurmond a coal shipping powerhouse, producing more freight tonnage than either Richmond or Cincinnati by 1910! Folks flocked here to live, to work, to play, and though Mr. Thurmond was a strict Baptist, his town developed a reputation for letting off steam! There were hotels, saloons, shops, and even a movie theater, attracting 75,000 visitors a year at the town’s height!

Like with most boomtowns, though, the bust came for Thurmond as trains moved from coal to diesel, and the United States began its long love affair with cars and highways! As the coal fields dried up, so did Thurmond by the mid-1940s. Today, Thurmond is a historic part of New River Gorge National Park with an active Amtrak station and regular reunions for folks who used to live here, plus their descendants!

How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?

Volunteer at Thurmond Historic District!
Donate to Thurmond Historic District!
Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!