Almost a Ghost Town, Thurmond, WV.

We drive along the narrow winding roads of West Virginia in search of the ‘Ghost Town’ of Thurmond. It has received this reputation due to its lack of citizenship. Last count there was a grand total of 5.

The scenery fills your eyes and your mind and translates it into one word, beautiful. The road hugs a stream on one side, the other side is accompanied by a train track. The three exchange positions on the pathway created by a small gorge, the road crosses a bridge and now the water is held between the hands of rail and road. Then it widens and cascades down rocks foaming and flowing with great speed in its rush to meet up with the New River.

We cross a rail bridge with a single lane for cars and as I peer out of the window, I can see the river below through the criss-crossed network of steel. On the other end we arrive at Thurmond Station. Not many passengers embark here, it is America’s least frequented station. Everything looks well kept, not at all like the dilapidated town I had envisaged.

Most of the buildings are boarded up. A short walk leads to finding clumps of pitch black coal lying scattered in the brushes besides the train tracks. It confirms what this station’s main use was – transport of coal. Across the tracks we discover the Town Hall – a 5mx5m building possibly big enough to house the town AGM with a roll call of 5.

The one road, a dead end, snakes up the steep embankment next to the tracks. There are a few houses, some people playing with their dog and going about their normal day. There is even a church building, possibly no longer in use but still in usable condition.

If you want some peace and quiet, this is certainly the place to move to, however, they may then need to invest in a larger Town Hall.