Hinton Railroad Museum

The Hinton Railroad Museum, located at 206 Temple Street, was opened May 21, 1991. The building was constructed in 1900 and was occupied by the Hinton Department Store for many years. Mr. A.A. Campbell, a native of Monroe County, owned and operated the store. He later downsized and moved the store to the Laing-Humphries Building on Second Avenue. The building was then occupied by A. W. Cox Department Store, a chain located in southern West Virginia, and headquartered in Charleston. The building was occupied by various small businesses after the A.W. Cox Department store closed. It stood vacant for a period of time, then purchased by the City of Hinton. 

The Museum contains artifacts of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway with special emphasis on the era of the steam engine. Artifacts include tolls, uniforms worn by passenger crews, train schedules, and historic photographs. An outstanding feature is the wood carvings depicting the story of John Henry and his co-workers building the Great Bend Tunnel, which permitted the railroad to move west in 1873. 

The Railroad Museum puts on the Railroad Days festival each year for two weekends in October. During the festival, the streets of Hinton are filled with vendors selling many different and unusual crafts; such as rings made from coins and coal scrip, handmade wooden banks with old post office doors, flag boxes, wooden furniture, hand-painted items, quilts, jewelry, driftwood creations, wooden oil lamps, and many more interesting items. Food vendors offer a wide variety of fair are located in the parking lot directly adjacent to the museum. Each year is different! The New River Train arrives each afternoon of Railroad Days. 

http://www.hintonwva.com/railroaddays?utm_source=Tourism&utm_medium=Link&utm_campaign=Tourism