A Preston County community
Tunnelton’s entries follow a community defined by difficult terrain and the railroad tunnels driven through it. The timeline connects railroad engineering with coal, coke, labor, local development, and the eventual end of passenger service.
This overview is drawn from the timeline entries and the source trails on their individual event pages.Community timeline
1849–1852
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad crews began boring the original Kingwood Tunnel near present-day Tunnelton late in 1849 and completed the 4,137-foot bore late in 1852. Excavation advanced from both portals and six additional…
Open event and sourcesMarch 30, 1853
The Virginia General Assembly passed an act which incorporated the Pleasant Valley and Tunnelton Turnpike Company to construct a road from at or near Ice's Ferry across Cheat River on the Maryland and Fishing Creek Turnpike,…
Open event and sources1858
Local community history says James C. McGrew acquired the land and established a store and large tannery in 1858, helping form the settlement known as Tunnelton. The community took its name from its location at the eastern end…
Open event and sourcesAugust 23, 1865
The Tunnelton Coal Company of Preston County, West Virginia was incorporated in West Virginia by the following: John S. Barry, Allen A. Chapman, Hiram Woods, Jr., Abraham B. Patterson, John F. Ehlen of Baltimore; and Charles…
Open event and sourcesSeptember 29, 1886
The Bank of Kingwood was incorporated in West Virginia by the following: Smith Crane, John M. Crane, Frances Herrmans, Charles McBishop, William G. Brown, James H. Carroll, James W. Parks, Julia E. Byrne, M. Ella Morris,…
Open event and sourcesJanuary 2, 1887
Morton gives January 2, 1887, as the arrival of the first narrow-gauge train of the Tunnelton, Kingwood and Fairchance line in Kingwood.
Open event and sourcesMay 16, 1888
The West End Coke Company was incorporated in West Virginia by the following: Arnold J. Bonafield, William H. Watkins of Tunnelton, Preston County; John N. Baker of Evansville, WV; Melker M. Jeffreys and John W. Mason of…
Open event and sourcesNight of July 21, 1896
A severe nighttime cloudburst damaged or destroyed a substantial portion of Tunnelton and ruined nearby crops and fencing. Contemporary reports mentioned possible loss of life, but no names or confirmed death total have been…
Open event and sourcesApril 22, 1899
One hundred and seventy-five coal miners at the Tunnelton Mine in Preston County went on strike, demanding an increase in wages. They returned to work at their former wages with a two-week pay period on May 4.
Open event and sourcesMay 4, 1899
One hundred and seventy-five coal miners at the Tunnelton Mine in Preston County returned to work at their former wages with a two-week pay period. They had been on strike since April 22, demanding a wage increase.
Open event and sourcesAugust 26, 1910
Morton dates the start of work on the new double-track Kingwood Tunnel to August 26, 1910; the project cost about $1.5 million.
Open event and sourcesMay 28, 1912
Morton records completion of the 4,211-foot, double-track Kingwood Tunnel on May 28, 1912.
Open event and sourcesApril 17, 1918
A West Virginia Northern freight train ran out of control while descending the grade from Jessop toward Tunnelton. Just south of the Marion water station, the locomotive derailed on a curve and overturned into the county road,…
Open event and sourcesMay 31, 1968
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad depot at Tunnelton closed its doors to passenger service after selling its final passenger tickets. Freight handling continued into the 1980s, but the 1968 closure marked the end of the depot’s…
Open event and sourcesThreads through time
Follow construction of the original Kingwood Tunnel, the later replacement tunnel, and the engineering work that gave Tunnelton its identity.
Explore coal and coke companies, the 1899 miners’ strike, and the working lives connected to the railroad economy.
Trace early development, regional rail connections, and the 1968 closing of the Tunnelton depot to passenger service.
People counted within the town boundary at each census. These are town totals; surrounding magisterial districts are separate areas.
| Census year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1910 | 792 |
| 1920 | 703 |
| 1930 | 595 |
| 1940 | 552 |
| 1950 | 544 |
| 1960 | 359 |
| 1970 | 369 |
One town total. Earlier census reports divide Tunnelton across districts. The 1910–1930 figures use the whole-town totals from the 1930 retrospective table; the 1940–1970 figures also represent the whole town. District portions are not added again.
U.S. Census, 1930, Population, Volume I, West Virginia, Table 4, printed page 1170 (PDF page 118). View the census table ↗
1940 counts: 1940 Census, Population, Volume I, West Virginia, Table 4, printed page 1150 (PDF page 133), also checked against the 1940 column in the 1950 report. View the 1940 census table
1950 counts: 1950 Census, Number of Inhabitants, West Virginia, Table 7, printed pages 48-12–48-13 (PDF pages 12–13), checked against Table 6, page 48-11. View the 1950 town totals
1960 counts: 1960 Census, Number of Inhabitants, West Virginia, Table 8, printed pages 50-14–50-15 (PDF pages 14–15), checked against the 1960 column in the 1970 report. View the 1960 town totals
1970 counts: 1970 Census, Number of Inhabitants, West Virginia, Table 6, printed pages 50-11–50-12 (PDF pages 11–12), checked against Table 10, page 50-18. View the 1970 town totals
Tunnelton’s 1930 count of 595 was checked against the 1940 Census, Population, Volume I, West Virginia, Table 4, printed page 1150 (PDF page 133). View the 1940 cross-check
Town boundaries can change between censuses, so changes in these counts do not necessarily represent growth within a fixed area.
Explore Preston County’s population history →7 indexed National Archives images documenting postal locations and surroundings, with descriptions and research notes.
Explore all 7 postal recordsRecord dates are not necessarily office opening or closing dates. Applications and proposed moves retain their original qualifications.
National Archives · M1126, roll 651 · NARA pages 672, 673, 674, 675, 676, 677, 678. View the original collection.