Eaton is a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

in Wood County,

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, United States. It sat along the path of the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...

. Passenger service along the line (not picking up at Eaton) stopped completely in the fall of 1981. Eaton's long abandoned

train station A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing suc ...

burned in the mid 1980s. All rail service on the line was discontinued in 1988. The railroad tracks were removed in the 1990s and turned into part of the

North Bend Rail Trail The North Bend Rail Trail is a rail trail in north-central and western West Virginia in the United States. It is operated by West Virginia State Parks and is part of the American Discovery Trail. Running parallel to U.S. Route 50, the rail ...

. The town was named for a tunnel builder named Eaton.

Tunnel accident

In the early 1960s work began on the tunnels, widening and raising the roofs. Eaton's tunnel (#21), which was originally built in 1867, collapsed on June 6, 1963, burying two workers. One was rescued safely, while the body of the second worker was never recovered. The old tunnel was deemed unsafe to continue and was sealed off. A new tunnel was dug parallel to the old. There is no marker commemorating the still buried worker. The tunnel has become a place visited by ghost hunters.

Note

Please do not forget the trails are a part of the park system and those without renting a camping site may be ticketed if visiting after their visiting hours.

References

Unincorporated communities in West Virginia Unincorporated communities in Wood County, West Virginia {{WoodCountyWV-geo-stub