Thornton is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Taylor County,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, United States. Thornton is located on Three Fork Creek along the

Northwestern Turnpike The Northwestern Turnpike is a historic road in West Virginia (Virginia at the time the road was created), important for being historically one of the major roads crossing the Appalachians, financed by the Virginia Board of Public Works in the 183 ...

(

US 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

) at its junction with County Route 7. Thornton also hosts an annual Pumpkin Festival. Thornton contains a Volunteer Fire Department, Post Office, and Taylor County's Judge Alan Moats' residence. After his 1976 escape from prison in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, the sex cult leader

George Feigley George Feigley (June 23, 1940 – April 13, 2009) was an American church leader. He has been described as a sex cult leader. Feigley served over 32 years in prison for sex crimes against children, from 1975 to 2008. In 1971, Feigley founded an ...

hid on a farm near Thornton. He and his followers referred to the farm as the "Aaron Farm", and used it as a compound until Feigley was recaptured in 1978.

Historic site

*Thornton United Methodist Church (1912)

References

Unincorporated communities in Taylor County, West Virginia Unincorporated communities in West Virginia Northwestern Turnpike Clarksburg micropolitan area {{TaylorCountyWV-geo-stub