At the bottom of West Virginia’s New River Gorge, the nearly abandoned railroad town of Thurmond hides a history of coal wealth, rival businessmen, gambling, violence and suspicious deaths. This episode traces the rise of Thurmond and the infamous Dun Glen Hotel, the crimes that earned the area a lawless reputation, and the town’s transformation from a booming C&O railroad center into a preserved part of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
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“Thurmond.” National Park Service, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/historyculture/thurmond.htm“Thurmond Walking Tour.” National Park Service, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Jan. 6, 2020. https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/historyculture/thurmond-walking-tour.htm“Gambling at the Dunglen Hotel.” National Park Service, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/historyculture/gambling-at-the-dunglen-hotel.htm“Thurmond Passenger Depot.” National Park Service, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.“New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.” National Park Service. Background on the 1978 establishment of New River Gorge National River and the 2020 redesignation as a national park and preserve.Harper, R. Eugene. “Thurmond Historic District.” National Register of Historic Places nomination form, Sept. 15, 1983. http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/fayette/84003520.pdfNational Park Service. “Thurmond Historic Structures Assessment: New River Gorge National River, West Virginia.” http://www.quid-tum.com/documents/thurmond_assessment_report.pdfCox, W. Eugene. “Dun Glen Hotel.” The West Virginia Encyclopedia, April 23, 2019. https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1973“Burning of the Dunglen Hotel.” West Virginia Archives and History, July 23, 1930. http://www.wvculture.org/history/businessandindustry/dunglen01.htmlKnight, Wallace E. “Dunglen Hotel.” West Virginia Archives and History, May 4, 1952. http://www.wvculture.org/history/businessandindustry/dunglen02.html“July 22, 1930: Fayette County’s Dun Glen Hotel Destroyed by Arson.” West Virginia Public Broadcasting, July 22, 2020. https://www.wvpublic.org/radio/2020-07-22/july-22-1930-fayette-countys-dun-glen-hotel-destroyed-by-arson“The Dunglen Hotel: The Historic Hotspot for Trouble.” New River Gorge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Oct. 22, 2014. https://newrivergorgecvb.com/dunglen-hotel/Hufford, Mary. “Breaking the Time Barrier: Folklife and Heritage Planning in Southern West Virginia.” Folklife Center News, vol. 15, nos. 3-4, July 1, 1993.Tabler, Dave. “Women, Booze, Dice and Cards.” Appalachian History, July 23, 2019. https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2019/07/women-booze-dice-and-cards.htmlSchnur, Leisa. “Historic Dun Glen Hotel Site Soon Accessible.” Haunt Jaunts, Jan. 2, 2019. https://www.hauntjaunts.net/historic-dun-glen-hotel-site-soon-accessible/Poillio, Carol. “Haunted National Parks: The ‘Dodge City of the East.’” Intuitive Investigations. https://www.intuitive-investigations.com/single-post/2016/04/12/haunted-national-parks-the-dodge-city-of-the-east“Longest Poker Game Ever.” Better Poker News. https://betterpokernews.com/betterpokernews-com-longest-poker-game-ever/Amtrak. “Thurmond, West Virginia.” Station information for the Cardinal route. https://www.amtrak.com/stations/thnAmtrak. “Cardinal.” Route information for passenger service between New York and Chicago.“Thurmond, West Virginia.” Historical documentary detailing William Dabney Thurmond, Thomas Gaylord McKell, the development of the C&O railroad junction, Glen Jean, the Dun Glen Hotel and the south-side entertainment district. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwcFcuj-eJ0“Thurmond.” The Fayette Journal, Nov. 2, 1911, p. 67. Profile of the town, its railroad business, banks, businesses and prominent residents. Newspapers.com.“Dunglen Hotel, Thurmond, W. Va.” The Fayette Journal, Nov. 2, 1911, p. 68. Newspapers.com.“Mankin Drug Company, Thurmond, W. Va.” and “The New River Banking and Trust Company, Thurmond, W. Va.” The Fayette Journal, Nov. 2, 1911, p. 69. Newspapers.com.“National Bank of Thurmond.” The Fayette Journal, Nov. 2, 1911, p. 70. Newspapers.com.“New C&O Station.” The Leader, Jan. 23, 1947, p. 3. Report on a proposed modern station, passenger and freight traffic, and Thurmond’s reputation as a riotous railroad town. Newspapers.com.“New Witness in Beckley Kidnap Case Is Found.” Hinton Daily News, Nov. 26, 1943, p. 8. Account involving a Thurmond railroad worker who encountered a kidnapped girl aboard a freight train. Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/47911258/?match=1&terms=thurmond%20railroad“Town of Thurmond Once Was East’s ‘Little Monte Carlo.’” Historical newspaper feature detailing the Dun Glen Hotel, gambling and stories associated with Thurmond’s violent reputation. Newspapers.com.“Thurmond Reawakened: It’s Not the Same Type of Town It Used to Be.” The Raleigh Register, Nov. 10, 1977, p. 20. Newspapers.com.“Fire Across From Thurmond Causes Loss of $25,000.” The Independent-Herald, Jan. 30, 1908, p. 1. Report on the fire that destroyed two stores and a residence and threatened the Dun Glen Hotel. Newspapers.com.“Old ‘Dodge City of East,’ Thurmond, Comes Full Circle.” Sunday Gazette-Mail, June 20, 1976, p. 12. Report on the Bankers Club, the Pugh family and new tourism businesses in Thurmond. Newspapers.com.“Coal Baron’s Dream Railroad Rusting, Awaits Dismantling.” Sunday Gazette-Mail, Aug. 4, 1974, p. 20. Account of the abandoned Arbuckle Creek railroad and Thurmond’s deterioration. Newspapers.com.“Thurmond, the ‘Dodge City of the East,’ Is Thriving Again.” Beckley Post-Herald/The Raleigh Register, July 31, 1977, p. 1. Report on rafting, tourism and renewed interest in Thurmond. Newspapers.com.“Mayor Fined Suicide.” The Fairmont West Virginian, June 14, 1904, p. 4. Reprinted account credited to the Huntington Herald concerning the drowning near Thurmond and the mayor’s reported five-dollar fine.Account of the drowned man fined for violating a town ordinance against suicide. Shepherdstown Register, June 16, 1904, p. 2. Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/375523925/?match=1&terms=thurmond%20railroad“Conductor Killed.” Hinton Daily News, Aug. 10, 1904, p. 1. Report on C&O conductor J.G. McKenzy, whose body was found on the tracks under circumstances that led residents to suspect murder. Newspapers.com.“Lawlessness at Thurmond.” Hinton Daily News, June 8, 1903, p. 1. Report on Baldwin detective J.W. Nelson’s alleged blackjack assault on railroad engineer Doggett. Newspapers.com.“Foolish Girl Lured to Thurmond to Marry a Man Whom She Had Never Seen.” The Independent-Herald, April 24, 1902, p. 3. Newspapers.com.“Three Miners Are Killed.” Martinsburg Herald, Feb. 2, 1907, p. 7. Report on the mine explosion near Stuart on Loop Creek that killed three miners. Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/884926213/?match=1&terms=thurmond%20railroad“Arrest Two at Thurmond for Burdette Hold-Up.” Hinton Daily News, April 25, 1925, p. 1. Newspapers.com.“Traveling Man Shot at Thurmond.” Hinton Daily News, Feb. 9, 1903, p. 1. Report on the fatal shooting of J.H. Arrington by Walter Smith at the Dun Glen Hotel. Newspapers.com.“His Throat Cut.” The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, Aug. 26, 1893, p. 1. Report on Robert Baines, who was found near Arbuckle Creek with his throat cut and accused Henry Caldwell of the attack. Newspapers.com.Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.
