John Henry is a name familiar to many in America. His story, along with stories of the likes of Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, and other such national legends, is memorialized in many art forms, from ballads to paintings to children’s folktales. And, like his peers, the John Henry of legendary folk-hero fame is no doubt a mix of both fact and myth.

Once upon a time, there lived a man named John Henry. He was tall and strong - so tall and strong, as the story goes, that he could outwork man or beast...or machine.
Ken Thomas/Wikipedia
And legend has it that he put that strength to a test right here in West Virginia when he raced a steam drill deep inside a West Virginia mountain. With the drill on one side and John Henry on the other, the two began tunneling, making a route through the mountain in which a train could pass. The race was on to see which one could reach the middle of the mountain first.
Dave Bieri/NPS
The winner was John Henry, beating the steam drill by a mile (or so the story goes). But he did so with the very last of his strength; when the tunnel was finished, he laid down his hammer and died.
Smithsonian American Art Museum/Wikimedia

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Many of us have heard the tale of this American folk hero, and you can visit the historic park in West Virginia where John Henry purportedly worked his heart out...but how much of Henry's story is based in fact, and how much is legend that has morphed and grown over the years is a mystery that will perhaps never be clarified.
John Mueller/Wikipedia
Still, although the true history of John Henry, the man, remains clouded in mystery, thousands of real men did work the railroad, from many racial and societal backgrounds.
Unknown/Wikimedia
The legend of John Henry memorializes the hard work these men poured into paving the way for trains to cut through coal country, often at great sacrifice and painful cost to themselves and their loved ones.
NPS

Next time you see a train rumble past, think for a moment of the workers who laid track for that train through this rugged land, and when you get the chance, be sure to check out the John Henry Memorial Park in Talcott (you can find out more about it on Tripadvisor).

Interested in another local legend? There’s a tragic one associated with Seneca Rocks that you can read about here.

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John Henry Historical Park, 3262 State Route 3 and 12, Talcott, WV 24981, USA