The Ghost Town of THURMOND, WV - A Good Town Gone Bad

If you enjoyed this video, please consider joining my Patreon to help create more videos like this! / parttimeexplorer
To give a one-time tip, please visit: www.historicalfx.com/support
A playlist of all my ghost town explorations: • Ghost Towns and Ruins
Thurmond, West Virginia was built as a railroad town along the New River at a junction for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. First settled in the 1870's and growing as more trains came in, the founder of the town, William Thurmond, tried to keep the town clean and upright. However in the early 1900's, a seedy hotel opened up just across the river, and their "anything goes" attitude gave Thurmond a notorious reputation of treachery and murder.
The town began dying in the 1930's but never became truly abandoned. Even today, 5 people still call Thurmond their home. Thurmond is also located within one of America's newest National Parks - so new that it wasn't even a park yet when we shot this.
Trains still pass through the town and we got to see some incredibly long consists roll through, then we went up to do a bit of urban exploration in the abandoned houses behind the main commercial row.
If you do visit Thurmond, please be respectful of the history and any "no trespassing" signs. Report any vandalism and help preserve the site so that future generations can come and explore.
Watch Connor Exploring's video where he goes deeper into the tunnel under the coal tower: • Thurmond, WV Ghost Tow...

[@alexanderthurmond7172]

Thank you for making a video about this. My relatives are the Thurmond’s of Virginia and it’s very cool to see a documentary about their life!

[@YuriTarrdid]

I know your brother Merman!

[@testosteroneinc.3800]

@@YuriTarrdid And Herman too??

[@SillyPuddy2012]

@@testosteroneinc.3800 no relation to Berman, that’s a different Thurmond.

[@NYSteve]

@@SillyPuddy2012 i know there was also a Thurman Thurmond and his grandson is still around Thurman Thurmond the Third

[@brianarbenz7206]

My father's (much older) half-sister, who lived in Logan, W. Va., was named Mamie Thurmond (born Mamie Morrison). She was married to a man described as the police chief of Logan named Jack Thurmond. Mamie died in 1932 and age 32, and my father was just three at that time. I only in the last 20 years learned anything about her, but technically she was my (half?) aunt. Was her husband possibly related to you?

[@herbrv]

My family was from Thurmond. My paternal Grandmother, Wealtha Harvey was the last funeral at the Thurmond Union Church. My Dad's sister, Dixie (Harvey) Parrish owned the Captain Thurmond Home until her death in Dec. 1970. When I returned from Vietnam, I too, went back to Thurmond to live. First at Aunt Dixie's, then to the little two room shanty behind the Thurmond Bank and later to another house in Thurmond. I have the Thurmond Bank statement and receipts (hand written) where my Grandmother paid on her house. I also have the receipt from Collins Funeral home for my Grandfather's 1949 Funeral. Also several photos that are rarely seen on Thurmond sites.

[@bethewalt7385]

First, I thank you sir for your service, my husband is retired marine Somalia, bless you for keeping the history, I find this fascinating and quite interesting, I do hope you're well, I'd enjoy hearing from you, we must keep the history and facts accurate of where we're from and our ancestors 😊 peace and love to you

[@stephenclarke3990]

I can only imagine what you went through in Vietnam my friend. Let's hope and pray we don't have to experience what Biden & Co has in mind for the World. That really would be unimaginable horror❗️Stay Safe ☮️

[@herbrv]

@@stephenclarke3990 The peace and quiet of Thurmond was what I needed when I returned from that Hell hole.

[@stephenclarke3990]

@@herbrv I can only imagine. I hope you somehow found that peace and quiet, wherever it was.

[@MimiJoys]

Wow! Thank you for your amazing and no doubt terrifying service to our Country! I truly thank you! Also cool, that you lived here in this little town and had family here back in the heyday of its existence. I too would LOVE to see your family album of photos. Those photos are much needed to WV for their history made, and kept through photography! It would be great to have co0ies made into a book, for libraries, museums, and definitely to be displayed in that town, should it actually become restored! 🏚📸🏠🏘

[@1woodyjr]

Back in the early 90's, I worked for an environmental remediation firm. When the engine house caught fire, it was obviously was extinguished. However, the fire continued to smolder and burn below ground due to the old wooden ties and all the coil spoil in the area. My company was called on to remedy the situation as the underground fire was slowly creeping towards the CSX mainline. The fire was threating to shut off the million dollar coal trains passing through daily. To yield the fire from spreading, we installed a bentonite slurry wall between the mainline and the fire towards the river, keeping the fire from spreading. We then excavated the smoldering area, removed all the RR ties, and extinguished the balance of the fire. A super interesting place and project that we worked on. Because it was remote, we relied upon a lot of locals and their businesses to support us with equipment and supplies. Wow did the locals have so many stories about the place and the people!

[@user-xf2tl8ee3c]

Wow …super interesting work

[@zgopaul]

That's great

[@tomdavis3038]

If you get past the “dumb hillbilly” attitude you’ll find good people that are not nearly a dumb as people think.

[@OneMindis]

O Office the engine we can see we're walking right now

[@billygoldberg140]

My head is made out of coal…F.Y.I.

[@marvwatkins7029]

I like the way Tom superimposes old photos over existing scenes. Quite well done.

[@cjbalke8691]

I agree, more documentaries, and even museums, need to do that. It REALLY helps with placing where things were and remembering it.

[@ckind2098]

6:58 "the hotel burned down, which interrupted the poker game" the dry delivery of that line got a good laugh from me 😆 Really well done video!

[@timothylegg]

Back in 1982, my mother had a wreck in this town. She was driving up a street in a 69 Ford and there was a chain across the road. One of the poles was ripped from the ground and an irate man came out and said he owned the street. My mother challenged him that in the US, no one owns public roads, even if you bring a chain across it and he is responsible for the vehicular damages. He ran off to "call the police" and we never saw him again.

[@MimiJoys]

I'm glad your mother wasn't seriously injured. Just proves that even in a small town, idiots reside.

[@MimiJoys]

My First Car was a 1969 Ford Falcon. I learned how to drive in 1979 and the stick was on the steering wheel column. Wish I still had that car!

[@workingguy6666]

That sucks - and it's hilarious.

[@27Killermike]

Prove it

[@livelikedragons]

That's just Ol' Crazy Joe

[@twowickie]

Genuinely difficult to believe this is an amateur video. I feel like this is something I could catch on PBS. Wonderful work, both in front of camera and behind. Kudos.

[@itemushmush]

and the gorgeous drone footage!

[@VladamireD]

Totally agree, this is an excellent video. Sort of a mini-documentary on a nearly dead town.

[@rumbleisbetter]

"Difficult to believe this is amateur work" compliment. "I feel like this is something you'd see on PBS" Not a compliment.

[@6Haunted-Days]

Just so ya know…the DEFINITION of professional is…..YOU GET PAID FOR IT. He’s making fairly good $$ no doubt tho that doesn’t matter…..even if he got only $25 for the video….that’s still getting $$. Sooooo yea this isn’t an amateur video nor an amateur channel…. It is obviously professional. What exactly do people like you who can’t grasp what these words mean ….what do you think professional even MEANS exactly?! 🙄😂🤣🤷🏼‍♀️

[@6Haunted-Days]

@@rumbleisbetter ya we can tell you don’t watch Anything on PBS Christ so is it what…NBC or who who has this o so amazing crap?

[@donalmeadows794]

Thank you both for "respectfully" sharing the History of Thurmond WV. I was born and raised in Charleston WV. When one is a West Virginian, your always a Mountaineer. I remember (I'm 77 now) an uncle that was an Engineer operating a coal fired steam locomotive in the 1940's and 50's. He worked out of the Raleigh Yard just outside of Beckley WV. I wish everyone that shares West Virginia's History was as respectful as you. COAL, the railroads and coal miners were/are responsible for aiding in building America. (Steel industry, heating, coal generated electricity and more) Again, thanks.

[@michellehull7720]

Jawtooth,,,,,hedidthefirstrainvideo,,amtrakstopstherealsoawesomelydone,,,heisthereasonthatpplnowvideothetown,,,,,,,,onyouyube

[@PaintHerWhite]

You don't need quotation marks around respectfully. That implies that he was NOT respectful.

[@donalmeadows794]

@@PaintHerWhite Thanks 😉. Intention was to (+) emphasize. A proud WV'n that loves my state & mountain family heritage. You folks have a good Thanksgiving 👍

[@silvesby]

@@donalmeadows794 very beautiful state, and one of my favourites to visit. I spend most of my time there hiking, so I don't see many people, but when I do, they're often very genuine and lovely to chat with.

[@ElizabethBattle]

I was born and raised in Charleston, too. Still here.😊

[@rebeccafantstegall1899]

Now THIS is what KZbin should be used for. Excellent!! I could watch videos like this all day. Love the history.👏👏👏👏👏

[@keithhodgson6489]

From a UK perspective this is a fascinating story about a town unknown to us. Especially like the way old photos are superimposed on current visuals. Many thanks - most enjoyable.

[@kathypriest95]

Read the comments. There's many with first hand accounts. Pretty cool stuff😊

[@jdburris4455]

From an American perspective im fascinated with English history. Sorry about how we were late to the ww1 and ww2 parties.

[@keithhodgson6489]

@@jdburris4455 Not late....just in time!

[@jjbigfoot9077]

@@jdburris4455 Uh...sorry? Europe should apologize to US for starting two world wars only twenty years apart. What a moronic comment.

[@greysson2933]

@@jdburris4455 Better late than never - especially if you send gifts ahead of your arrival!

[@BikesNThings]

I remember coming across this place on a solo motorcycle trip around WV. Won't forget Thurmond any time soon. Absolutely beautiful country, and no better of a place to get lost if you asked me. Fantastic video as always.

[@alan6832]

Think it's a good place to takeover by ideologues? Like Antelope Oregon, Colorado City Arizona? Provincetown MA? Grafton NH? or Ave Maria FL? I'm antinatalist, using town abortion funding to save school tax, but it requires a tax base and a small school district is helpful.

[@justletmecomment6453]

What in the actual fuck am I doing see you in random video comments?

[@BikesNThings]

@@justletmecomment6453 Hey Buddy :-) Rubber side down *sip*

[@thetruthandnothingbutthetr6484]

Go get your ass lost there then …you can write your manifesto in private

[@johnnybgood1169]

@@alan6832 It's a great place! They've got a mental hospital and everything, which I strongly suggest you visit... IMMEDIATELY.

[@locofoto75]

I'm a Mexican immigrant living in Chicago and I'm fascinated by documentaries such as this one. You're doing a superb job, please keep putting out content like this one. I subscribed!

[@24sch42]

look into natives of the past in and near Chicago

[@meganr9280]

@@Alright397 what nonsense are you speaking? Are you on meth? Take that nonsense elsewhere

[@imperialmotoring3789]

@@24sch42 I am a Chicago Native!

[@allergictostupidpeople7893]

How you like Chicago

[@24sch42]

@@allergictostupidpeople7893 the wild west...cant go anywhere or do anything because mfs are just shooting constantly

[@dawnmorris3718]

My husband and I visited Thurmond a few years ago. We were visiting New River and just love to drive around. This is a fascinating place and there are still people living there, up behind all these buildings.

[@powdies]

This is the sort of KZbin Explorer video many others should aspire to! Respectful, informative and fascinating. I loved the superimposition of historic photos over contemporary scenery. Overall quality material. Thanks! I'll be watching more of your stuff.

[@tommyriam8320]

"KZbin" hasn't a thing to do with it; just a site online that this dude chose to post his material.

[@neville132bbk]

Agreed...the commentary is at a good listening speed and does not resort to exaggeration or overblown language. Reviewed from Levin NZ.

[@jaemastermind108]

There is no sunrise so beautiful that it is worth waking me up to see it." Somerset WV"..... I'm afraid what's next

[@randomrazr]

is that his girlfriend?

[@nonelost1]

@@randomrazr I presume that was Emma, his wife.

[@JohnMacAulay]

I remember when I white water rafted on the New River, one of our guides told us about a train which is still under the water causing a rapid. He said it was an old locomotive that fell off the bridge overhead. He said it was never removed because the area where it fell off was not accessible to equipment to remove it because the steep stone embankments on either side of the river. I would love to see a documentary about that train wreck.

[@The_Kiosk]

I rafted that river in 1997 or 98. We visited that train depot.

[@SobaOfPulaski]

Yeah, its one of the last ones. I have rafted it three times, once when I was in Boy Scouts, and twice while in an Outdoor Leadership Program

[@jessed1586]

@@jtukbb No it’s true. We went white water rafting there too. There were getting heavy rains and they parked the locomotive on the tracks thinking the weight would keep the bridge from being damaged ( that’s how high the water gets there). It didn’t help though and the swell of the river took out both the bridge and train. When the river is shallow enough you can actually see train wheels on the banks, which we did.

[@swordfish54]

That’s a story and not true.

[@swordfish54]

@@jessed1586 it’s not true. One of many stories that get told by guides which are mostly outsiders that don’t know the history of the area.

[@kamikazitsunami]

I don't really know anything about West Virginia but it kills me to see old towns like this with all the history behind them and these beautiful old buildings left like that.

[@gstrdms]

Leave the States. You'll see much older, much more beautiful towns completely abandoned.

[@kingsavagebruh147]

Wv Is a good place

[@calvinbraxton9459]

WHAT A GREAT PLACE TOO PLACE TOO SOLVE THE AMERICAN HOMELESS PROBLEM NOW WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT 🤧🤔🤔🤔

[@noellewestfield6849]

I grew up in Northern WVA in a steel town. It is becoming neglected but hanging in their. I like to visit the state especially down state, such beauty and sadness together.

[@Engine33Truck]

The surviving buildings in Thurmond are mostly owned by the National Park Service. The ones that aren’t are on the highest street, they’re all private residences, and constitute WV’s smallest municipality. They initially intended to fully restore them, but because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, they only had the funding to restore them to the point of sound integrity. Since the whole Gorge is a national park now, my understanding is the NPS plans to get the restoration project back underway. Fun fact about that: the NPS has been in a fight with CSX over the coaling tower for the better part of 30 years now. CSX wants it gone, NPS refuses to allow that due to its historical value. Same can be said for a lot of surviving structures in the New River Gorge

[@Frenchylikeshikes]

This video is extremely well made and narrated. Very interesting to hear about this time period, and that city I had never heard of in my life before.

[@FreightmareFTW]

Repent and follow Jesus! Repenting doesn't mean confessing your sins to others, but to stop doing them altogether. Belief in Messiah alone is not enough to get you into heaven - Matthew 7:21-23, John 3:3, John 3:36 (ESV is the best translation for John 3:36). Contemplate how the Roman empire fulfilled the role of the beast from the sea in Revelation 13. Revelation 17 confirms that it is in fact Rome. From this we can conclude that A) Jesus is the Son of God and can predict the future or make it happen, B) The world leaders/nations/governments etc have been conspiring together for the last 3000+ years to accomplish the religion of the Israelites C) History as we know it is fake. You don't really need to speculate though because you can start a relationship with God and have proof. Call on the name of Jesus and pray for Him to intervene in your life. - Revelation 3:20 Revelation has been unfolding since Jesus died. The Popes have claimed to be equal to God and set themselves in Jesus' place (antichrist(s)). Vatican City (Which is its own nation BTW) have risen up to fulfill the role of the false prophet Regarding the man of lawlessness or antichrist, 2 Thessalonians 2:4 says “Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” The restrainer that the Apostle Paul was referring to in 2 Thessalonians was the Western Roman Emperor, who held back the Popes from taking power. Once the last Western Roman Emperor was removed from power in 476 AD, the Pope was given civil and ecclesiastic authority over Rome; healing the deadly head wound of the beast in Revelation 13, as they took the Emperors title of Pontifex Maximus, leader of the church and state. “We may according to the fullness of our power, dispose of the law and dispense above the law. Those whom the Pope of Rome doth separate, it is not a man that separates them but God. For the Pope holdeth place on earth, not simply of a man but of the true God.” (Source: “Decretals of Gregory IX,” Book 1, chapter 3.) Pope Pius V blasphemed, “The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth.” (Source: Pope Pius V, quoted in Barclay, Cities Petrus Bertanous Chapter XXVII: 218.) Pope Leo XIII declared, “We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.” (Source: Pope Leo XIII Encyclical Letter, June 20, 1894) The antichrist sea beast of Revelation points to the office of the papacy, the Popes of Rome, who controlled the Roman beast for 1,260 years, from 538-1798 AD. Daniel 7:25 says “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” The Popes of Rome spoke against Elohim and proclaimed to be God. They reigned for 1,260 years, from 538-1798 AD. during which they caused tens of millions of saints to be killed. The Pope’s title is Vicar of Christ, which in Latin is ‘Vicarius Filii Dei’, and equates numerically to the number 666

[@EMILYHERRERA]

Let's hike in Washington!

[@dasaniwaterdude9439]

West Virginia is full of towns like Thurmond. Truly a time capsule. Beautiful state. Great video!

[@johndoesen1718]

@@realpoopypants Why? In the entire history of the USA there's been literally thousands of small towns like this, towns where people and companies came in and ripped the area for all values, and then left again. They are usually located in mining areas, and as said, there's literally thousands of them, yet The USA is still standing. ;)

[@jprosey]

WV is kind of a sad state. I traveled through WV and only saw a few nice cities areas . Mainly the college towns have services and things to do. The rest of the state just seemed very poor. But hey

[@filippocorti6760]

@@realpoopypants

[@filippocorti6760]

@@jprosey Do they have many areas where opiates are in vogue?

[@petert1692]

VW is a crap hole with many idiot voters.

[@billbergendahl2911]

Fun fact: There was a Congressional Medal of Honor winner who came from Thurmond. His name was Charles Rogers. He attended a black school in Mount Hope called Dubois. There is a bridge in the Chimney Corner area of Fayette County that is named after him.

[@PartTimeExplorer]

Ah, I was trying to find someone of note who may have been from Thurmond, and Charles Rogers would have been a great inclusion in this video. Thanks for sharing!

[@franksylva9031]

What did he do?

[@daveb224]

@@franksylva9031 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Calvin_Rogers

[@kqr573v2]

I've never been to Thurmond but it looks very familiar. My ancestors on my mom's side of the family were VA and Carolina Rev War vets who took their families over the hills after the war and settled in western VA (now WVa) and what had been the County (then District) of Kentucky, VA, and later became the state of KY. My mom was born in WVa coal country in the '20s and lived there until the WW2 coal boom ended along with many of the jobs, and a lot of people had to leave to find work in other states. I was born elsewhere, but in the '60s and '70s we used to travel back to the area along the WVa - KY border where many of my relatives still lived. The railroad tracks and two lane roads snaked along the river valley and we passed through many dried-up former rail and coal towns along the way, most very similar to Thurmond. My grandparents lived in a very nice house on a big piece of land between the river and the double C&O/N&W main line following the Tug River north out of the coal fields. As kids, we and our cousins used to sit on their porch and watch the long trains rumble by with full coal cars going north, empties coming back south. The video talked about the house with a coal chute to the basement. Having coal delivered directly to the house? A furnace in the basement? My mom would have considered those things extreme luxuries. Her first house as an 18 year old bride in the mid 1940s was a one room cabin that did not have electricity or running water. It had an outhouse, lighting came from oil or kerosene lamps, water came from a hand pump, and all of their cooking and heating came from a coal stove. For fuel, she had to take the "scuttle bucket" and walk along the railroad tracks and creeks collecting coal. In the winter she had to break the ice to collect coal from the creek beds. Water had to be carried in a bucket from the outside hand pump and heated on the coal stove if hot water was needed for bathing or clothes washing, all of which was done in a tub on the porch with the clothes scrubbed on a washboard. My oldest four siblings were born at home with the assistance of only a midwife. The nearest town with a doctor was 25 miles away. Loretta Lynn is a distant cousin of ours, and my mom said the first part of the movie Coal Miner's Daughter was very realistic and similar to how she grew up at that same time as Loretta and not far away.

[@kennethwright1700]

It is WV not WVa. Get your BS western Virginia out of here with your know-it-all book of a comment. 🤡

[@Timrathmore]

This was an absolute treat. You are a Modern day historian. Railroading is tied into West Virginia more than I could have imagined plus a plethora of other things that distinguish the state from others.

[@zweispurmopped]

The tale of the town was fascinating, the pictures of the abandoned houses left me deeply melancholic. Houses in dire need of life in them. This is the kind of places where ghosts would roam.

[@mericanignoranc3551]

@Lantlo It's totally not. Ghost don't exist and there's no evidence .

[@jamesong.a.7695]

Why would ghosts choose to roam here more than any other place? Aren’t ghost dependent on the spirit and circumstances surrounding their life/death, rather than a particular place?

[@OriginalBongoliath]

@@jamesong.a.7695 Depends on the spirit and their circumstance. Both are reasons that spirits stick around.

[@tw2800]

Ghosts are not real. Demons and angels are. ✝️🕊🙏

[@krto7663]

@Lantlo you think nowadays gosts will get pissed off if you misgender them?

[@rispatha]

In 1980 my foster father took me on a camping trip around the railroad areas of WV, PA, OH and we stopped in Thurmond to see the sights. The general store and restaurant were still open and I had one of the best steaks I had ever eaten in my life at that time. The residents were very friendly and were always willing to sit and talk about the history of the town. Many of the residents also said that they would more than likely be the last of them since their children had no interest in remaining there. There really was nothing there for anyone anymore beyond the historical and nostalgic value of the location. Even back then during our 4 hours visit there at least 8 trains had run through. To a railroad buff this would make a great addition to a train layout especially int he hey days of the steam engine era.

[@qjtvaddict]

Then service got worse now it’s a pitiful 3 per week

[@curtiswebber1220]

I work for the C&O we replaced all of the rails in the 80s we live on camp cars there in Thurmond. Upriver did a lot of fishing at SandStone Falls just south of Hinton.

[@karlstreed3698]

The Banker's Club was in the bank of Thurmond in the early '80's and served great steaks. We used to kayak the New River and The Banker's Club was a favorite stop on Saturday evening.

[@LemThurdy420]

@@qjtvaddict Why would you need more than 3 times a week? camon now

[@briancrawford8751]

@@LemThurdy420 Someone might want to commute to a job daily on a train because they could do work or sleep, things that you can't do while driving in a car.

[@jackimareena7]

I love how you actually visited the town that you're talking about... That sets you above all others!

[@ChidiAnyikwa]

I have give u the ogugu

[@my12spoonswithrose43]

All that original shiplap that you hardly see anymore is so beautiful & it's pretty much a forgotten art. Looking at those houses, it would be so awesome to start the town up again as maybe a working museum in conjunction with the rangers. I love old houses like that, you can see so much of the craftmanship is still sturdy.

[@rickriffe7515]

I worked for the Chessie System as a Carman at Thurmond in the early to mid 1980’s. If I can assist you in your research, feel free to contact me and THANK YOU for doing this story.

[@crotalusatrox7931]

Most people don't know much about a Carman and the logistics involved in aligning a train. I used to conduct FRA and DOT checks on HazMat tankers. You guys were always professional.

[@laszlonemet4425]

, and Antotio Motel...? , excuse!

[@rossco76tait48]

You're very fortunate to have worked in such a beautiful part of the U.S.

[@risenfromyoutubesashesagai6302]

@Terri Wells Joe Veazey!? Joe Veazey The 304 Easy!?!? That dude crushed the Belly Burden challenge like nothing!!! Dude ate 4 whole rotisserie chickens, guzzled 6 pitchers of beer, and finished 2lbs of peas, 2lbs of carrots, and 3lbs of fried ocra within 1 hour!! Dude won a carton of menthols, a case of Busch, a $20 bill, and a tee-shirt that says "I Crushed the Belly Burden at Thurmond Challenge." Swell guy. He's still kicking today, working as a highly sought after professional trainer at the local Thurmond "Curves" gym!!! His daughter, Monaya, is well on her way of taking down that very same Belly Burden challenge herself, keeping that legacy alive!!!

[@keithirtenkauf5563]

Great video and history, thanks for making it. Back in 1981, I went whitewater rafting in Thurmond and I recall that there was still a restaurant in the town. If I recall correctly, it was located in the old Thurmond bank building. You couldn't just walk into the place, you had to knock on the locked door, and the ancient proprietor would open the door, give you the once-over and then let you in. A very strange, but memorable experience.

[@christenewhitener6083]

You sure you weren’t in Cock Co , TN sounds like?

[@kelseychangesthesubject4281]

I live a few miles from this ghost town! And it truly is that: a GHOST town! We always loved to explore in October and get spooked by the unexplainable. Such a Beautiful and spooky place!

[@bluesira]

I'd love to hear some stories!

[@kelseychangesthesubject4281]

@@bluesira my favorite was a few years ago when a bunch of my friends packed in a car and headed into Thurmond to try and get spooked. We got exactly that! As we pulled into town in front of the train depot, we parked, about to get out when we spotted a man with one of those old cameras that you had to put your head under the cloth and press the button? Hard to explain that one haha and he was taking a photo of a woman dressed in Native American clothing. They both turned their heads to look at us, it felt very uneasy. The man started cantering towards us, so we peeled out as fast as we could. As we turned the car around, which took about 3 seconds, we looked back and the couple had disappeared. No camera. No sign of them. Nothing. At that time the depot was locked and no one was able to get inside. They weren’t even near the door even if they had some sort of access to the inside. We all Scooby Doo screamed and drove out of Thurmond at about 70 MPH!

[@kelseychangesthesubject4281]

@@bluesira every time I go I see something unexplainable. I’ve seen men dressed as coal miners sitting on the train tracks just to disappear moments later. We’ve had our brand new car stall out and cut off completely, unable to get it to turn on. Once when that happened, the car cut off and we heard a few screams over the mountains in the distance. Once it was quiet, the car cut back on. I didn’t used to believe in ghosts until I started exploring Thurmond. But I love it. I even got my senior pictures done there! It’s truly beautiful in the daylight. Spooky by night. Hope you enjoyed!!

[@bluesira]

@@kelseychangesthesubject4281 That sounds really fascinating! Scary in the moment but really interesting to reflect on afterwards. Thank you for sharing!

[@EMILYHERRERA]

What kind of drugs are preferred to enjoy town exploration, and is there a teeth requirement to participate? What about inbreeding?

[@MarcFalferi2a]

This is amazing, i'm from France, and i really love stories about small towns in the USA. Thank you !

[@eaglescout1984]

Just one minor correction, Amtrak actually comes through 3 days a week. It is the Cardinal which runs between New York and Chicago (via DC, Charlottesville, Charleston, Cincinnati, Indianapolis). There's both a westbound and eastbound that goes through on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. (Provided both trains are on schedule) the eastbound goes through in the late morning and the westbound goes through early evening. Also, a quick clarification, Thurmond is a "flag stop". The train ONLY stops if you have purchased a ticket to depart or arrive at Thurmond. If no ticketed passengers have done so, the train just rolls on through.

[@markalexander3487]

3 a week! London to Paris, a similar distance as Thurmond to Cincinnati, has 98 trains a week. Obviously London and Paris have bigger populations, but I think 12 trains a week, Monday to Saturday, should be the absolute minimum.

[@mtanyctrainatlantamartatra7164]

It's impossible for a Amtrak train to run between Chicago and New York thru wv

[@boofert.washington2499]

@@markalexander3487 ok..... and?

[@RCAvhstape]

@@mtanyctrainatlantamartatra7164 It most certainly is not impossible, a quick visit to Amtrak's website to look at the route map for the Cardinal would've saved you the correction.

[@RCAvhstape]

@@markalexander3487 The Cardinal takes a very scenic roundabout route to get from NYC to Chicago, serving rural areas. The Lakeshore Limited will take you on a more direct route, it is the modern version of the old NY Central Railroad's 20th Century Limited, the "water level route". In any case Amtrak cannot fill enough seats these days to run every train every day, and since the pandemic have had to cut back the schedule on some routes.

[@shelzp7272]

Couple of years ago I was taking Amtrak from Chicago to Charlottesville, Virginia. I didn’t know about Thurmond and I was amazed when I saw it out the window, even without knowing a darn thing I realized it is special…

[@WVRailroadPapa]

Very well done video. As a rail historian I just want to make a couple of comments. First, when the C&O was first formed, "Railroad" was in the name. After the 1878 reorganization, it was renamed the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company. Secondly the line across the New River was a C&O branch to Mt Hope and beyond. The branch was purchased by RJ Corman Railroad Company in 2005. It is now RJ Corman - West Virginia Line.

[@olivei2484]

Did you cath the usage of the Buster Keaton film, the General? Some of the rail footage was shot on the OP&E out of Cottage Grove OR.

[@Engine33Truck]

I live in that area. My understanding of the Loup Creek Sub (line to Mount Hope) is RJ Corman has it on some odd long term lease rather than outright ownership. Basically CSX pays them to maintain the line, pick up empty coal trains in Thurmond, run them to Pax to be loaded, then take them back to Thurmond. That way, RJ doesn’t have to worry about bringing in their own rolling stock except for two SD units, CSX doesn’t have to worry about maintaining the right of way or loading the coal trains (since we all know CSX views everything that isn’t intermodal an inconvenience), and both make money. The way they explained it to me, if they outright owned the tracks, they’d either have to bring in their own rolling stock, or CSX would have to pay per train to use the right of way.

[@robertwest3093]

I am glad to see the National Park Service finally taking interest in places like this. You can't get places like this back once they are left to disintegrate. This content is BETTER than TV quality! I appreciate the actual on site footage vs a collage of photos collected from online sources. A lot of people don't have the time or means to visit these interesting places and an online tour video is the next best thing.

[@Arterexius]

Please don't apologize for being nostalgic. Nostalgia and a love for what has been, is exactly what has preserved so much of Europes historical sites, from ancient Rome to a mere 10 years ago, 2000 years of history that's still being added to and preserved for the future to experience. As a European (Scandinavian too), I've always thought it terribly sad that the majority of the US is so hyper focused on what is to be, that they forget what used to be and forgetting what used to be, is equal to forgetting what they as humans once were, but which changed through experience and a desire to improve themselves to their perceived better. I believe that when physical history of a country is destroyed, a part of that countrys soul and spirit dies with it. If that country ever falls, there will be nothing to truly state what brought that country into being. All that would be left would be what caused it to fall. Not what caused it to be great. Keep being nostalgic about what once was. Even if you didn't live at that time, you still show the ability to remember and cherish what made you into the person you are. We cannot meet the future in proper fashion, if we do not remember and cherish the past.

[@freespirit6209]

Well said Sir! Greetings from the UK.

[@notjimpickens7928]

idk man, whenever i hear about europeans talking about american nostalgia, it almost always ends with "oh yeah?! well the oldest structures in america is a cave town! go back to your cave! europe has thousands of old homes!" since i guess europe matters more then the entire histroy of the native american people, who they seem to hate for the most part outside of germany.

[@Arterexius]

@@notjimpickens7928 If that's how the conversations ends, it's either because you've pissed of a European historian or because a 12 year old feel like flexing. I will though give you some advice. Don't compare all Europeans with each other. We're not all the same and we're far from equal. It might not look like it from a distance, but just like Florida and Alabama aren't the same, neither is Germany & Italy (or in my case, Denmark & Germany). As for the native Indians, it's not a hate against what they were and who they are. It's a massive dislike towards their street music and need to consistently play street concerts every single day, playing the same songs over and over. That's what's hated. Not the people themselves.

[@Arterexius]

@@mariebussinger6565 It doesn't really matter what it's from, just don't do it. That was my point. Don't equalize people of different countries.

[@LilyWasHereMB]

How can this be? Stumbled across not one, but two EXCELLENT Part-Time Explorer videos in one sitting. In addition get this: WV and the New River Gorge area is a day trip for us. Now I know about Thurmond and its on our list! Thank you

[@PartTimeExplorer]

Glad you’re enjoying them, and I’m sure you’ll love the New River Gorge. I’m hoping to return there and camp sometime

[@codybarry8204]

West Virginia has so much documented and I hope it really stays that way. Its one area that people don't tend to wander into and start wrecking and tearing it up. They will kill you and its a damn good thing. I haven't been there since about 25 years.... and the flooding is quite often, flash and heavy; often built in a wrapping, winding style as is done in old villages and how it is done around the castles.... and keeps things morphing; as fences and structures will be knocked down and then rebuilt. So many names of Settlers from the old Country, Virginia and Michigan, (last names, I wrote down 10 or 12 from a fictional "psychic" movie about some monster.) It was interesting; paused a freeze frame there were 10 or so names that were very real, I researched; and indeed they were traceable; shortened and so on. Also its very close to The Mothman turf....the Ohio River and many sighting of the so called "creature." Its got so much cool history! New Subscriber....a lot of great history to preserve....similar to places like Newfoundland and Nova Scotia; the Great Explosion of 18__{??} I'd have to look up the exact year, I was raised 15 years up there snd it was in no historic books that you would think of! it, but I went to the museum and very impressive.

[@markratony7630]

That's what I love about the east coast. So much history and so much of it is somewhat preserved in the buildings still standing. I used to live in upstate New York. A small town named Nichols off of state route 17. The town town has been there since the early 1800's or possibly earlier. I was born and raised in California where anything older then 20 years, it's replaced with a new structure. Now I live in Phoenix Arizona where it gets so hot that buildings just spontaneously combust in flames. Not much history in Arizona unless you live up north around Flagstaff or Kingman. However West Virginia has always left an impression in my heart. It's such a scenic state with it's rolling hills, thick forests, green meadows and historic and antique structures make it one of the most inviting states. It's also very reasonable in property prices but not so good job wise. Maybe it would be a good place to retire. Anyway, I do miss living in the eastern part of the United States. I think when I hit retirement age, I might go back.

[@bigorange2082]

I went to college in Athens, WV. I’ve been to a few of these places. I had friends who lived in a valley that only received a few hours of sunlight everyday. One of my friend’s house had an active coal mine running under it. It was crazy to eat dinner and sleep knowing a mine was being worked underneath you. West Virginia is an interesting place. I’ve camped in places I could never find again. You drove into the mountains and then hiked even deeper into the mountain. It is a beautiful place and it has many secrets. Thank you for this video.

[@alancarnell2747]

I'm from a little further south I'm McDowell county and I knew someone who had a mine entrance in their basement and a garage on the 2nd floor of the house. That house made into Ripley's Believe It or Not once.

[@ugiswrong]

Secrets like grannies on meth getting railed by runaways?

[@bigorange2082]

@@alancarnell2747 that’s cool. I had some friends from McDowell. It’s a totally different world than where I grew up in Virginia.

[@alancarnell2747]

@@bigorange2082 the first 30 seconds of this trailer is Welch. They didn't do a thing to make it look like that. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKnaZX58rbWWpbs

[@stephenellis2866]

Love your story! Camped in places I could never find again!

[@IrishAnnie]

West Virginia is the most beautiful state! Mountains, waterfalls, lush green hills. And, the people are so nice. My family is from there.

[@jmiller1717]

I lived in a house built in the early 1900s for a good chunk of my life. I remember the distinct smell of all of the plaster and wood lath as we tore it down to put up insulation and drywall. The way the walls crumbled as you hammered it all out. The weird damp and gloomy basement with a cistern still in it, one single bathroom for all of the people in the house, small rooms, etc. It was a cool old house. This video brought back memories of all of that.

[@bluepacificsurf]

Tom and Emma, thank you for making and posting this video. Your efforts to document and record our American history are appreciated. This is a fascinating look at a town I had not previously known about.

[@briancrawford8751]

I rode through Thurmond on the Amtrak Cardinal line last Sunday, and I wondered why I'd never seen anyone stop there on that route. I looked it up and found out barely anyone lives there. This is a good video explaining and showing what happened to Thurmond and what is still there today. I knew the bridge was old when I crossed it, but I didn't know it was 107 years old! They really built them to last.

[@avancalledrupert5130]

Lol Americans. 107 years ! I can't imagine thinking 100 years is old . You talking 500 years old before a European thinks o that's pretty old. All the Houses I've ever lived in and allot of furniture in them way older than that bridge .

[@briancrawford8751]

@@avancalledrupert5130 It's an old, riveted steel train bridge. For a bridge that was purpose-built for the railroad, it's an old bridge of that type no matter where in the world you are. Most such bridges in Europe didn't survive the World Wars intact. The university at which I received my undergraduate education predates the founding of the United States itself and all but two universities in England, Oxford and Cambridge, and four in Scotland, St. Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh. I don't really understand why you're talking about the age of things in Europe in the comment section of a video about a small town in West Virginia.

[@AdamBorseti]

@@avancalledrupert5130 I wonder if you could be any more condescending.

[@jackmehoff7430]

@@briancrawford8751 Good comment. He is talking because there always has to be an uppity twat reminding the rest of us how smart he is.

[@avancalledrupert5130]

@@briancrawford8751 it's just interesting culturally . There's saying . Americans think 100 years is a long time and European think 100 miles is a long way . Idk I see Brunel's bridge regularly . I used to walk across a iron bridge across the Trent built in 1820 . It just doesn't seem significant most things I see are Victorian or older . But yea 100 miles is a long way . Wouldn't drive it for anything but a holiday .

[@TheJoaniejoancansew]

I'm from Charleston WV. The whole state is a ghost town because state and local politics have bled the life out the mountain state. I had an amazing childhood, and I'm proud to be MOUNTAINEER

[@lorddrayvon1426]

For reference, $4000 in 1904 is only $134,000 today. Quite cheap for an entire parcel of land.

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

That area should be declared a national park it's like a time capsule of the process of America when we had steam trains

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

@Karl with a K I'm sure those train communities could be turned into train not retirement communities who Among Us would not love to listen to Train and restore those old buildings to their former glory and all those abandoned houses could be filled with people on Social Security who would not have to worry about having to work and would be able to support a local economy. Don't laugh I know of retirement homes just for model railroaders.

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

@Karl with a K in today's cities you cannot afford to have a car even if you had it for free you could not find a place to park it. If America changes from housing and businesses located near mass transit should use that as their best asset the fact that there are poor neighborhoods are only because there are undesirables who are bred by the Liberals welfare system. Now when everybody wants green transportation Subways mass transit are even in more demand than ever. If you hate trains so much why do you watch this video?

[@evangelinewandering9547]

Sad to see when houses are abandoned, becoming derelict, lifeless. Houses need people, like people need a house.

[@YOUR-LOCAL13]

I agree. It makes me feel sad, also.

[@pmccoy8924]

Yes. Childhoods, memories, laughter, family meals. Mothers and fathers worked their fingers to the bone just to keep that roof over their heads. Likely restless nights wondering how they were going to keep tax current. Now, much like their caretakers, fading away into dust.

[@Engine33Truck]

Great video! I’m from nearby Mount Hope, got a lot of stories about Thurmond. My great grandma once lived in the Thurmond Hotel, and somehow got involved in the world-record poker game at the Dun Glen hotel. According to her, the poker game ended because of the owner. Her story (as is often corroborated by local legend) that the owner ended up putting the title to the hotel in the pot. He lost, and mysteriously the Dun Glen burned down that very night. Despite the seedy reputation of the Dun Glen, it was also known as a very opulent hotel, sometimes being called the “Crown Jewel of the New River”. Also, Dr. Mankin and his wife weren’t necessarily the only surgeon, merely the only ones available to the general public. A few miles down the line towards Prince was McKendree miner’s hospital, however the current location of the ruins is only known to a few. I remember the engine shops and the water towers. Also, the coaling tower was for refueling locomotives.

[@abbyw8113]

Does Mount Hope still exist? Sounds like a cool place to live by the name

[@Engine33Truck]

@@abbyw8113 yes. It used to be a town of around 3,000, but there’s only about 800 left there now. The new Boy Scout camp is the only thing keeping Mount Hope even halfway relevant in the region.

[@abbyw8113]

@@Engine33Truck Is high speed internet available?

[@curtiswebber1220]

Also nicknamed the Dodge City of the East

[@Engine33Truck]

@@abbyw8113 yes, there is high speed Internet. Also, while all carriers have cell service there, AT&T has impeccable service and 5G because there’s several dozen AT&T towers at the boy scout camp. Some are (poorly) disguised as trees.

[@ClassCiv]

Having travelled across US in over 40 road trips across the last 29 years, it never fails to amaze me how many buildings and how much stuff has ended up being abandoned - all once people's homes and livelihoods and from a UK perspective often not very long ago either, yet there are the decaying buildings, old equipment, and rubbish all quietly rotting away and all the people gone. Dripping Springs, Las Cruces NM, is a favourite spot we've walked to many times which is in a similar state. This Thurmond WV video is well put together and presented with some interesting history especially the outlaw Dunglen hotel. Very interesting. I guess some of these places have very rare pieces in them which have otherwise been scrapped or lost elsewhere.

[@bajajoepoker]

The US NPS would do well to put a QR code to your video on their site. Visited Thurmond in ‘23 and when I saw those incredibly well built brick buildings , I knew there had to be quite a story. I had no idea… An amazing tale wonderfully told! New sub!

[@B-and-O-Operator-Fairmont]

"R&J" is actually the R. J. Corman company; they took over the old C&O Loup Creek Subdivision several years ago. The station was still open one shift a day, five days a week into the 1980s with an operator on duty to handle train order and agency work for the branch (the main line switches and signals were controlled by a dispatcher in Huntington after the 1950s and now by CSX in Jacksonville, Florida). The semaphore signals at the end of the station platform used to be "train order signals". Green and verticle indicated "No orders", Yellow and 45 degrees indicated slow down and snag orders "on the fly" from the operator standing trackside and holding them up in a hoop or delivery fork, and red and horizontal indicated stop and pick up orders in the station. The steam locomotive was probably one of the greatest employers ever created and once they went away, thousands of jobs disappeared almost overnight.

[@kathypriest95]

😪

[@MimiJoys]

😮‍💨☹️🥺😪😢

[@qwopiretyu]

Nah man, pyramids

[@brental1]

Not many of us left who remember hooping up orders!

[@patriciayoung3267]

This was a wonderful video. The music was perfect, not at all intrusive with just a touch of melancholy. I also live in a historic railroad town that has long since lost it's luster. The Village of Fonda in the Mohawk Valley of New York was once a booming place as it was the gateway to the Adirondacks and many wealthy people from New York City used to get off the train here and stay in one of the numerous hotels waiting for transport further North. All the wonderful things that you describe in Thurmond was in use, and though most of the structures here are now gone, it was fascinating to see what once was. The CSX trains and Amtrak still go through here multiple times a day and two mile long freight trains are nothing unusual. I live in a massive house lavishly built with lots of beautiful hand carved wood details that was built in 1885 right next to the tracks. Every time a freight goes past, my house still shakes down black coal dust that has been trapped in the walls and ceilings for generations.

[@MimiJoys]

I'm so jealous!

[@larryparis925]

Whoa!

[@johnhaggart9376]

I once lived in Palentine Bridge across from the Post office. I attended school which we would ring a bell in the bell tower.

[@patriciayoung3267]

@@johnhaggart9376 Palatine Bridge is a lovely little village about 10 miles away from me.

[@johnhaggart9376]

@@patriciayoung3267 11

[@WesternAustraliaNowAndThen]

I might not be from the states but I am fascinated by old abandoned places. Love the filming and the history. Great work.

[@danunited8007]

same! I'm from the UK & abandoned places don't really last long enough to explore properly before they're knocked down 👎🏼

[@AjaySharma-me1sy]

It's so interesting how so many towns in the US went through a fire in late 19th or early 20th century to be remodeled but some parts that didn't burn stay there as marvels of history. Wallace in Idaho with a closed Silver Mine is another one of such towns. I've been there, it's a beautiful small town.

[@Trakeso]

I love how you overlay the old photographs on your own present day footage! Though in that last shot of the Dunglen hotel, I would have liked to see what was behind the old photograph, comparing then to now.

[@Bobby-mg1uj]

Nearly identical to story of my old hometown, from wide spot on a dirt road to thriving city with ice cream parlors, movie theater, doctors and dentists, butchers and bakers, milliners, tailors, and an abattoir. There was a yearly festival, with crowds arriving by train. People would camp on the river or stay at the hotel or boarding house after hours of music and dancing. For residents, several one room schools dotted the area, including one for former slaves. The house of ill repute still stands, albeit vacant. I had a chance to walk through and admire the old wallpaper, beautiful woodwork and staircase. Rooms at top of the stairs had padlocks ...on outside. Very unsettling. Today? There is a bank, part time post office, tiny general store, and gas station. Many old homes still stand, survivors of the deadly Flood of ‘93. High percentage of homes were delivered by train, in flat packs, purchased from Sears catalogs. Amtrak service discontinued decades ago, depot is razed, but those two mile long freight trains still rumble through the valley.

[@ydoomenaud]

Not to doxx you but what state is this?

[@jayharper1894]

Incredibly sad seeing all that now no longer used.. thanks for sharing, 🇬🇧

[@FriendlyKat]

Something about the quiet shots of the old places that makes it feel awe inspiring, like you’re looking over 100 years into the past. That’s so cool! Thank you for this well made informative video!

[@billhopen]

A major film, directed by John Sales.."Matewan" was filmed in Thurmond in the 80's. The story was about the coal strike wars and strife in early 1900's after WW I. Thurmond had more authentic architecture as a backdrop and film set, it was about events occurring in Matewan, a town still inhabited today, but too much changed to be suitable as a set for the film.

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

I really loved watching this John Sayles movies, titled: MATEWAN! The movie was filmed here in Thurmond. I would love to take Amtrak here so to spend up to a couple days so to explore the former town. Thing is that I would be doing it on such a small budget, whatever I could come up with for money. I would risk staying somewhere under cover for up to two nights. Who knows?!

[@freeipodify]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGLTgKaLl91mmZo

[@sunburnRohman]

When I think of Thurmond, WV takes me back to a sad time when friends and I were going to go whitewater rafting on the New River but one died from a terrible fall from the night before we were to go on the river trip. We did finally made that trip but it wasn't for about a year later before we did

[@crappyatlife]

Cool story bro

[@judeinLA.]

Saddening. My condolences

[@lauraduplooy]

I had never heard of Thurmond, WV before today. I'm so pleased I watched! The history, the camera work, the drone footage, and the narrative style are all incredibly appealing. Thank you so much!

[@rosiemcnaughton9933]

I've seen other short documentaries about Thurmond. This is the best I've seen so far. It must have been a beautiful place to live, even with the railroad. There are such beautiful views from the houses. There is a memorial to Homer Nicely on the Find a Grave site. It says he was born in Thurmond and was a career railroad engineer for the C&O Railroad. Thank you for the interesting and informative video.

[@polarityrecords]

I just shared this video on Facebook, and wrote this: Of course there’s 20 million tons of metric crap on the Tubes of You, but I’ll be damned if I’m not always discovering some absolutely wonderful stuff. Like this thing here. I’d never heard of Thurmond, West Virginia, even though that particular state holds a certain interest for me, due to its rugged landscape, rough and ready history, and… being the birthplace of Patsy Cline. But you stumble upon something like this, and your faith in KZbin humanity is once again restored. Excellent historical information, expertly delineated in video form. Old movie footage (including plenty of my hero, Buster Keaton!) is deftly intertwined into the narrative, to a degree that is truly impressive. Top notch editing, for sure, and that also includes the skillful juxtaposition of old photographs onto contemporary locations. This is good stuff, y’all, and those of you interested in obscure Americana (and I don’t mean guys dressed up as farmers playing banjos in Brooklyn) will find well worth your time.

[@hittitecharioteer]

One good video doesn’t excuse the censorship and propaganda by this platform. Google is very embedded in the globalist plan.

[@Pants69]

Why do Americans write that something is metric when they mean something is big, a lot etc?

[@kevindean1327]

@@Pants69 It doesn't make any sense to this Canadian.

[@polarityrecords]

@@Pants69 Hi there, Pigdog! I'm here to answer your question! There are actually several answers, so I will list them all here, in numbered fashion, and you can accept the one that best suits your personal temperament! 1. Americans (well, Americans who actually know what "metric" means, and they number in the hundreds!) say "metric tons" because metric tons are HEAVIER than "tons". Did you know that? Well! Happy day! Now you do! 2. The particular American whose comment you addressed (that would be me) wrote "20 million tons of metric crap" in order to emphasize the great weight of crap here on KZbin. Just as a metric ton is heavier than a ton, "metric crap" is heavier than just plain old "crap". 3. The final reason is that Americans are just, you know, prone to certain colloquialisms, and the use of the word "metric" in situations like these is but one example. One of many! Of course, no other citizens of any other nation on earth utilize these kinds of colloquialisms. It is well know, in fact, that Canadians, for example, never use any colloquialisms at all. Ever. I hope this clears it all up for you. Glad I could be of service, and here's wishing you a metric ton of happiness, forever and ever! I remain your steadfast American friend, Samm Bennett. Now please go to my channel and check out some of my music.

[@remix7345]

@@Pants69 usually stems from the fact that a metric ton represents more weight than an imperial ton, so we usually say something like "a metric fuck-ton" for extra emphasis and hyperbole. i'm... not sure how much a metric crap describes but a less abrasive version we use is "crap-ton", but i suppose it relates to this. edit: welp just read the reply above; now i feel redundant.

[@lucasberry2765]

I am SO happy to see you came to Thurmond! I live no more than a half hour from Thurmond and it is my favorite place to go. Big fan of yours Tom. Also the reason trains stop to let others pass is because beyond Thurmond the line is single track. Thurmond has become effectively a choke point on the railroad now. Movie fans may recognize Thurmond as it filled in for the title town in the 1987 film Matewan starring James Earl Jones.

[@abbyw8113]

Can you get internet service in Thurmond? I'd like to move there

[@CurCam713]

I thought it looked very familiar. I have calendars with railroad scenes on them, for one. Then I thought it looked like a good place for a period piece movie set. Now I see why. Thank you for pointing that out.

[@georgeharleydavidsonrider156]

Thank you for posting this video I am a motorcycle rider and this town has been on my bucket list travel through for years.

[@randallculp2414]

Nick obviously doesn’t like brag about his success ,which tells you a lot about the man . That in my books makes him a good human being. We already know he and his crew insists on high quality workmanship in his shop and when he doesn’t it upsets him greatly. Love the channel. Cheers 🍻

[@jakemoeller7850]

As a child, several years of my life were lived in a tiny town in rural southwest Minnesota. My father managed the grain elevator with trains stopping to load corn, wheat and beans. After a new elevator was built miles away, the old wooden structures were torched and the rail lines removed and returned to farmland. Very fond memories are about all that remain. Thank you for your video.

[@Localmotivemedia]

Your abandoned videos are so fantastic, I’ve watched every one multiple times. when I’m watching all the worries and concerns about life fade away and I start to imagine living alongside those hardy folk. They had to be overflowing with passion to venture into the wild and build a place to call home. Empathizing with what our ancestors had to endure can be very useful, especially these days. And you do a fantastic job going into all the small details that help us understand what they went through

[@email4664]

Far better than politics...

[@davidweyant9356]

I feel the same way.

[@donniemayer]

This is at the heart of the problem with so called progress, many parts of culture are lost. And now look at us, a micro plasticized ocean, boy ain't that progress! Great story of Thurmond, L am from Virginia, used to hp the train to Purcellville, VA? Been all over West Virginia driving in the 60's and 70's, it's such a beautiful state.

[@supercededman]

Fascinating production. I'm an Aussie, and am amazed at your research and editing. AND awesome narrating skills. Bravo!

[@robertjames6640]

W.A is a beautiful state but one of the poorest in the USA. This splendid documentary epitomizes the state: hard worked, now neglected and possessed of too much poverty. Thurmond is not alone. Great documentary but so sad.

[@alyssamarie5871]

This is very true. I was born and raised in WV and I'm still here.

[@WouldntULikeToKnow.]

The fossil fuel industry profited from the state and people and went on their merry way when the resources ran dry. They didn't bother to reinvest into the communities with green tech and your politicians are in the fossil fuel industry's pocket.

[@jenevans9004]

Washington state? Sure there are some rough areas but I wouldn’t say it’s neglected or wholly possessed by poverty. My family is from Kalama WA (>3000 people) and very similar to this town (factory’s and mills centered around the railway track). Even it and surrounding areas are getting better and most people who still live there, enjoy it

[@cleverpsyche115]

@@jenevans9004 think they meant WV.

[@bcubed72]

Just FYI...in that poem, _"Where handy is the blackjack"_ is likely not a reference to a card game, but rather a sap: a leather pouch, weighted with lead shot, and used as a concealable weapon. The old-timey footage superimposed seems to imply the former.

[@chizaa8]

I hope you make more content like this in the future because I absolutely love how you weave the history of these places into your videos! I’m obsessed with urbex related content but adding that extra layer of giving the story behind a place is *chef’s kiss*

[@dogmom2023]

I used to live in a ghost town I grew up in it the name of it was Steans Ghost Town in Lordsburg New Mexico. My stepfather bought the ghost town my sister and I live there for about 4 years with our mother. My stepfather became a recluse and removed from the town. Romors are that he used to shoot at people when they would stop to come check it out. It had all the original articles people just up and left everything it used to be a train depot town.The town was bought by another couple and they allowed tours there. I have a lot of stories and I know that there's pictures of me there growing up. We had no running water no electricity and only heat was wood and coal. The buildings were wood and Adobe.

[@heatproofslinky8539]

I live in West Virginia and I love seeing videos about our historic towns. There's so much history here in nearly every valley. Some of it playing a part in the history of our nation. Especially here in my hometown, where we have the largest salt producing location in the United States. First discovered in 1817, and still pushing out the best salt in the world today.

[@lulumoon6942]

Good stuff.

[@apriltaylor2296]

What part of W.Va are u in.? I’m in WV Too

[@johburale4991]

West Virginia is one of the most poorest state, and has the most cancers in the country you guys need to run from there like every one is doing.

[@danbailey96]

@@apriltaylor2296 me too Beckley about 12 miles from Thurmond

[@apriltaylor2296]

@@danbailey96 I’m in mason county

[@reckerrit3103]

I've rafted the New River and Gaully River many times and I've been so fascinated by the town of Thurmond. Thanks so much for making this incredible video!

[@DSGreen]

Same, best rafting I've had so far. Love hearing a more detailed documentary of this early memory.

[@mikekaszynski8731]

My parents went rafting in the early to mid 80's and stayed in downtown Thurmond. Since I was a railroad buff and my dad told me all about it, including where they stayed.

[@ntatenarin]

I used to pass West Virginia all the time on Amtrak and never really thought about the towns I passed through (except for the beautiful mountains and the gold Capital building). Granted, not sure if my train actually passed through Thurmond, but this was so interesting! You got a new subscriber!

[@brilliantman79]

Yes, Amtraks Cardinal still passes through Thurmond and is still a stop for Amtrak.

[@phillippearson5472]

This is my great great grandfather on my dad's side. My older sister has his name as one of her middle names. Super neat to learn more about it. Thank you for the share.

[@katiekendrick8866]

I love videos like this! My grandfather was an engineer on the New York Central Railroad. He quit school at the 4th grade to work on the railroad. I am fascinated by anything with train travel and history! Thanks for sharing this video

[@Overwatch04]

We had a huge railroad hub in Bellefontaine, Ohio that was booming in the 1800's thru the mid 1900's. There are still some of the buildings left along with a lot of railroad ties in the ground where the tracks were a long time ago. My grandma worked there when she was younger, oiling up the engines as they came in. The diesel age is what started to render this area useless as well.

[@tedjohnson64]

The editing on this video is chef’s kiss! Especially loved the inlaid diagrams and overlaid historical photos.

[@Bronythepony]

Came up randomly on my suggestions and what a lovely surprise. Beautiful work, my dude.

[@samrodda4799]

Hey Tom, it’s great to see you exploring this gem of the New River Gorge, this video means a lot to me as I’ve spent a lot of time around this area, and have walked those tracks in Thurmond many times myself. Really glad to see you enjoying yourself. Make sure to stop by Fayetteville before you leave!

[@robertturosik416]

It’s funny me and my wife were vacationing in Tennessee, I wanted to go back through Kentucky to grab some bourbon. We went the WV route going back home. We had a fight about directions. She knew where it was, and I was going nuts. But once we got to Thurmond I felt this sense of peace (and apologized to my wife). Read every historical plaque. ( I’m a history nerd) Since then I can’t wait to go back. This is a great documentary, better than tv honestly. Thanks

[@diagnolsnakeskin462]

I have watched my videos about this town and this one was my favorite!! Can't wait to explore your videos!

[@johnbrown5565]

Must have done extensive research. Thanks for posting. I worked as a railraod switchmen/brakeman for 18 years back in the day of 4 man crews. Not steam engine days but railroads are just not the same today. Two mile trains with no one on the rear end, unbelievable.

[@exploringsydneyandbeyond9059]

Extremely well documented and well presented , very informative, I could have be mistaken for watching a tv documentary on mainstream television channels , you did an incredible job documenting this town

[@track1219]

I enjoyed this video! About 20 years ago visited Thurmond and rode my bicycle on nearby trails in the woods. There were sections of train tracks deep in the woods that were overgrown and probably not used in 100 years, plus big beehive shaped ovens, fascinating!

[@billhopen]

those beehive oven were for the production of "coke" its kind of like charcoal made from coal, were the volitile gases are cooked off/driven off by heating coal without sufficient oxygen to burn....coke was used in the steel industry......the volitile gases driven off in coke production were sometimes piped to towns used for illumination

[@MiniPainterGamerDadD20]

This is so freaking cool. I've always wanted to visit West Virginia and I love finding those out of the way areas. I want to respectfully tour this historic site.

[@chrissyhoskinds2500]

Loved in flagstaff a long time and the sound of the train becomes very special to you. When you first live by it you think you won’t ever sleep again , just when you fall asleep a train will come through chugging and blowing the whistle before hitting town and at each intersection. Now the sound of a train lulls me …

[@skullsaintdead]

I love you and your friends (partners?) style, it's got this modern-meets-1890's feel to it. Would love to see more of her style especially, bet she's got lots of elegant, beautiful lace Le Belle Epoch style dresses. I need to get a black lace dress from that time period (1870-1914). Or just think Picnic at Hanging Rock era (1900). Great to see people expressing themselves through their clothes.

[@oldscoolcooldiecast1879]

Used to deliver train engineers and brake men to Thurman to pick there train up all hours of the night and had to drive along the tracks thru town and was spooky but very neat. Matewan was filmed there also my dads cousin was in it playing music at camp

[@lewsdiod]

Very comprehensive and captivating! Really like how many connections and stories you manage to surface and show - as overlaid old photos etc - so it all forms a complete picture of times gone. Thank you!

[@Nerdsonearth]

So good. Thank you for respectfully bringing this town “back to life” and all the effort and care you took in the research.

[@zacharyanimates]

Another Great Video By The Part-Time Explorer Himself.

[@joshtackentien6552]

Great video. My family and I visited Thurmond while vacationing in WV. We walked along the old store fronts and, as I recall, there's a little one room museum in the train station. Cool to hear more about Thurmond's history.

[@kylesanders8276]

This was a fantastic piece. It had everything; abandoned rail, active rail, trains, history, then and now imagery. You would like the Track and Tower trail in Algonquin Park in Canada. Lots of infrastructure, bridge abutments, and footprints remaining from the park's early logging days. And there's an impact crater in the northern area of the park, the Brent Crater, as well as some abandoned ties still inlaid.

[@georgekelly5338]

You folks are really talented at making these historical exploration videos. Keep them coming! I was born in nearby Beckley, but my family relocated to Florida back in the early '80s. I have never seen WV that I can remember, but I have always wanted to make a pilgrimage to my birth state. I gotta check this place out when I do.

[@jamesfleenor4161]

The Coal Tower is for loading the Steam Engines as that was what they ran on. The one thing about the Coal Furnaces in those houses is it was very cheap heat. I grew up in that area and a friend of mine his dad still had one in his house. That was in the late 80's. I asked him how much coal he used every year and was told around 3 tons. He said he fired it up around late October and did not shut it down till around mid March. That just amazed me because at the time Coal was around 53 dollars a ton so heated his house for 159 dollars for 5 months or so for less than I paid a month in winter. I grew up up river from Thurmond and had been there several times and remember the engine house along with other buildings that are no longer there.

[@brental1]

I wanted to post about the purpose of the coaling tower. Glad you did. I grew up in Fairmont. We had a very small house; but used only a ton of coal per year. The only control on the furnace was a bell crank in the living room. It connected to the damper on the furnace flue. I don't think it did much controlling😀. We had a coal house, maybe 4X8, on the street. Buckets from the coal house to the furnace; then buckets of cinders to the alley. There was a large coke plant in Fairmont. One year we bought coke instead of coal. It was supposed to be cleaner; but my mom didn't think so and we returned to coal!

[@1940limited]

My great uncle had a coal furnace in his house into the 80s, when it finally wore out and he replaced it with an oil furnace. It was more convenient, but didn't have the mystique of the coal furnace and its stoker. It was a daily ritual to fill the stoker every night before going to bed. It burned pea coal. The stoker has "The Iron Fireman" on the lid. The new oil furnace didn't put out the heat the coal burner did so my uncle had to run some radiators in the basement to warm it up.

[@ljphoenix4341]

As someone who is a massive fan of what Brent from Ghost Town Living is doing to Cerro Gordo, and the way you both seem to share a passion for the preservation and documentation of history, this was a fantastic video. Very well done.

[@jimsiler6869]

When I was an assistant roadmaster for CSX, we would see more than 20 trains per day pass through Thurmond which is on the New River subdivision on the C&O division.

[@UrbanKiwiana]

Good morning from new Zealand, This was amazingly presented you truly did an incredible job on it. A stunning piece of history absolutely loved it. Thanks. Was a treat been able to see within some of the old homes to and I'm so glad to hear they've been restoring it all. Have an amazing week ahead