Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 7.13 History and Social Sciences
Presentation #1 Title
The Ghosttown of Spruce is Quiet, Once Again
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
The town of Spruce, WV once had a hotel, a store, and hundreds of permanent residents. But the timber industry began to drop off here in the 1920s, and by 1962, there was no longer a living soul at Spruce. This summer, a tourist train once again began to climb the logging tracks to the old ghost town of Spruce, which sits nearly 4,000 feet above sea level. And the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad is planning for something much bigger in the next decade-the company is envisioning a train experience that brings horsebackriders, kayakers, and mountainbikers to some of the most remote outdoor recreation sites within the Monongahela National Forest. On October 11th, 2013, a logging truck crashed into the excursion train to Spruce, which was crossing US Rt. 250. The truck driver died at the scene. Was this just a terrible, ironic tragedy? Will the excursion train rides to Spruce continue again next season, or will the ghost town of Spruce be quiet, once again? I will share oral histories with a man named Virgil who was born and raised on Spruce before it was abandoned. What would Virgil like people see atop Cheat Mountain if they travel there by train?
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Roxy Todd works as a writer, producer and folklorist with Allegheny Mountain Radio on a project called Traveling 219.
The Ghosttown of Spruce is Quiet, Once Again
Harris Hall 130
The town of Spruce, WV once had a hotel, a store, and hundreds of permanent residents. But the timber industry began to drop off here in the 1920s, and by 1962, there was no longer a living soul at Spruce. This summer, a tourist train once again began to climb the logging tracks to the old ghost town of Spruce, which sits nearly 4,000 feet above sea level. And the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad is planning for something much bigger in the next decade-the company is envisioning a train experience that brings horsebackriders, kayakers, and mountainbikers to some of the most remote outdoor recreation sites within the Monongahela National Forest. On October 11th, 2013, a logging truck crashed into the excursion train to Spruce, which was crossing US Rt. 250. The truck driver died at the scene. Was this just a terrible, ironic tragedy? Will the excursion train rides to Spruce continue again next season, or will the ghost town of Spruce be quiet, once again? I will share oral histories with a man named Virgil who was born and raised on Spruce before it was abandoned. What would Virgil like people see atop Cheat Mountain if they travel there by train?
