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    Thurmond Depot Landmarks & Historical Buildings Photos

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    Recommended Reviews - Thurmond Depot

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    Brandy G.

    Abandoned ghost town? Say no more. The old Thurmond Depot and accompanying ghost town are located in the New River Gorge National and operated by the National Park Service. My sister and I found out that the NPS offers a ranger guided walking history tour of the town on certain days (make sure to check online for hours) and I'm so glad we were able to do it. The town itself is interesting to explore on your own, but having the additional context and history on this quintessential Boomtown gave me a much deeper appreciation for it. The town prospered at the peak of the coal mine and railroad industries and for decades was prosperous and packed with people passing through the town. When looking at the remnants of the town today, it's hard to imagine when the depot served as many as 75,000 passengers a year and was bustling with industry. Today Thurmond is just a whisper of its former glory days that saw its decline during the Depression before finally going bust in the 1960s. The town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is in the heart of the National Park.

    Visitor's Center
    Ta'Brechi H.

    Yelp 100 - #12 March 2023 Thurmond Depot is an abandoned area located in the New River Gorge National Park. It was the heart of the New River Gorge carrying coal and shipments to surrounding industrials areas nationwide. Thurmond declined during the Great Depression with the change from steam engines to diesel. Amtrak uses the tracks so please be careful while walking around. There is a one lane bridge entering and exiting the area so please be careful. The visitor center is only open during the summer but, you're still able to visit and walk around.

    John B.

    This town was built around the railroad (not the coal mines per se), and while the trains still run to this day, the town is mostly (but apparently not completely) abandoned and is part of the national park. I saw a CSX train carrying coal go by, and apparently this is listed as an actual Amtrak stop. It must be an incredible train ride but I struggle to imagine under what circumstances anyone would actually get off at this stop, which has a ghost town with no amenities and is a long hike from civilization. The more conventional way of getting here is a steep and narrow road of dubious quality, which I don't take off stars for because it's typical of Appalachia in my experience; it just isn't that easy to build roads in this sort of terrain, and I judge it worthwhile to brave the difficulties. One lane runs for cars across the rail bridge at the bottom. The only open building is a former depot that is now a small museum, which does have electricity and running water. A walk across the tracks leads to some abandoned but intriguing buildings. There are some informational signs but not a ton to actually do here. Conversely, if one goes to the side of the river opposite the town (the bridge has some platforms with great views), you end up being able to go down to the riverside, where a rocky, shallow portion of the river offers sights and sounds aplenty. A swarm of butterflies was quite majestic. The numerous crawfish I saw were not interested in being photographed, unfortunately. There was some sort of aquatic snake that also disappeared before I could get a shot of it, though this might have been for the best. Traveling south from here leads to a stone wall and a campground, but the road turns to gravel thereafter. The map shows a road leading east out of Thurmond as well. For the casual tourist like me driving a sedan, I do not think either of these routes is a good idea, particularly given that if anything goes wrong you're likely to have a historic experience of what it was like before cell phones (no service down here). The road leading down from the highway (Thurmond Road), while not great, is likely your best option. Some of the locals had ATVs. Regardless of how one gets here, it is a unique experience.

    Dawn R.

    The town of Thurmond is such a historical place and Ranger Chase did a great job with his historical facts and sharing. We enjoyed the tour and the town. This is a must visit spot when as well going to see the New River Gorge National Park as they go hand in hand.

    Melissa B.

    This is an active Train Depot. It is also a visitors center with tons of history of Thurmond available and information of stuff to do in the area. This is a lovely area. The signage and there is a lot of it, tells you of the area and town history. There are some old photos to enjoy and see views of the past. The train depot is sitting on the banks of the New River near the old metal train/car bridge. This bridge is split so both train and cars can cross at the same time...interesting!!!! and scary at the same time!!!!

    Downtown
    Bill W.

    Happy Halloween from a Ghost Town Several times a year, the travel magazines will run a series on American Ghost towns. First one I remember was in Travel and Leisure although I have seen similar lists elsewhere There is one here on the East Coast that shows up in most if not all of the pictorial series and that is Thurmond WV. Located about 10 to 15 minutes off of US Hwy 19 NE of Beckley, WV it's an easy drive. I tried to find it the hard way by trying to follow the New River downstream from I-64 but the roads don't necessarily lead that way. The US Hwy 19 is by far the easiest way to get there. Thurmond was a prosperous small town on the Chesapeake and Ohio RR in the late 1800's but started to go downhill and loose population in the 1920's and only progressed from there. Town is not completely deserted but the 2010 census was a whopping total of 5. Owned by the Park Service now, the remaining commersial buildings date from probably the 1920's or around that time. Not much room in the town because between the New River, a small parking lot, at least six sets of RR tracks and the remaining buildings, you're up against the side of a Mountain. The remaining folks who live here live up the hill on the Mountain. Don't get me wrong There is still plenty to do here. Part of the New River Gorge, there is kayaking, tubing, white water rafting, picnicking, bike trails and beautiful scenery just waiting to be explored and photographed. The National Park Service has converted the old train depot into a very nice Visitors Center as well that is well worth your while to explore. Very nice place, off the beaten path to relax and unwind. If you have the time, highly recommend. You'll love the bridge over the New River to get into the town. One side of the bridge is a one lane passage for cars and the other side is for trains.

    Train depot
    Troy B.

    This is a pretty interesting place to visit, but there is not a ton to see and nothing much to do. Plus it takes a bit of a drive to get there... but if you like historical towns this is interesting. It is still an active train depot with Amtrack so some trains still come through. You can walk down the main sidewalk, which is right next to the old tracks and see the old buildings. It is hard to imagine it being a bustling rail town but I guess diesel engines did that to a lot of towns. Now the population is 5 or 6!

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    1 year ago

    It's a stop in time. The town history is amazing but it's not abandoned except about 3 residents that do airbnb

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    Ask the Community - Thurmond Depot

    Am I able to get all the info I need without the ranger guide? I really wanted that tour but they say they aren't doing them Mondays and Tuesdays and those were the only free days I had on my trip there.

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    Review Highlights - Thurmond Depot

    You can join a ranger led tour of the ghost town which will provide you with background and context .

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    Thurmond Depot - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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