Thurmond is one of those places that sounds invented for a travel article: a once-busy railroad town deep in New River Gorge that today has only a tiny population and streets filled with reminders of its industrial past.
It is real, and it is one of the most atmospheric historical stops in the national park.
A town built by the railroad
Coal and rail traffic once made Thurmond an important place. Trains moved through the gorge carrying the resources that powered the regional economy, and the town grew around that activity.
Today the historic district and surviving buildings make it easier to imagine that era than a display case in a conventional museum ever could.
The journey is part of the visit
Getting to Thurmond takes you away from major roads and deeper into the gorge. I would allow time and avoid treating it as a five-minute detour.
Check National Park Service information for current access and visitor facilities before setting out.
Combine history and scenery
Thurmond works particularly well after you have seen the New River Gorge Bridge and viewpoints. The bridge represents the modern crossing of the gorge; Thurmond explains why people were living and working far below it generations earlier.