West Virginia is rich in both natural beauty and history, and often the two coincide. Many historical treasures can be found along the beautiful New River Gorge, and one of the most elusive is the long-abandoned ghost town of Sewell, West Virginia. Today almost absorbed by the surrounding forest, Sewell was once the hub of a flourishing coking operation, and before that, a stop on a major east-west land route.
First established as Bowyer’s Ferry in the 1790s, the town was the site of a prominent ferry across the New River on the road from Charleston to Lewisburg. Decades later, it gained importance due to its position at the intersection of several mining operations and the main C&O rail line through the gorge.
During this period, a major coke-producing enterprise developed in Sewell: coal from nearby mines was heated in ovens to produce coke, which was in turn sold to use in blast furnaces for smelting iron. Sewell’s life as a center of coke production lasted close to 100 years. Even when the mines in the immediate vicinity were closed, other mines (such as those in nearby Clifftop) shipped their coal to Sewell to be turned into coke and hauled away by train. At its peak, nearly 200 coke ovens were in operation at Sewell. It was not until 1956 that the ovens finally shut down - the last to operate in the region. It was at this time that Sewell slowly began to die, with the last resident leaving in 1973.
What's left of Sewell now? The nearby CSX line is still active along the New River. The forest has reclaimed the old town, which now lies within Babcock State Park, but there are still some remarkable ruins left behind. Stone and concrete foundations and walls can be seen; a brick chimney and vault from a mining office stands almost intact.
Nearby lie piles of old equipment related to the coking operation and the railroad: conveyors, pieces of larry cars that hauled the coal to the ovens, equipment from the tipple that was used to load the train cars, and many other railroad scraps.
See all this for yourself thanks to YouTube user Exploration Appalachian:
If you’re in the area enjoying the breathtaking New River Gorge, and you’re feeling adventurous, take a detour to check out the ghost town of Sewell, a gradually disappearing relic of glory days gone by. A park service road along Mann’s Creek Railway in Babcock State Park leads to the remnants of the town, but it’s a five-mile trek that’s best done on foot unless you have a vehicle that handles rough roads well (the road is open to vehicular traffic seasonally). And as always, explore safely! And if you love old ghost towns, West Virginia’s got plenty more.
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