Dunlow, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
  Dunlow, West Virginia Location within the state of West Virginia  Dunlow, West Virginia Dunlow, West Virginia (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 38°01′23.33″N 82°25′53.54″W / 38.0231472°N 82.4315389°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Wayne |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2) |
| • Land | 0.3 sq mi (60.814 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.002 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,101.998 ft (335.89 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
• Total | 1,105 |
| • Density | 18.17/sq mi (7.02/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 25511 |
| Area code | 304 |
Dunlow is an unincorporated community in southern Wayne County, West Virginia, United States, on Twelvepole Creek. Originally a small settlement called Twelvepole, it was greatly expanded after entrepreneur Jedediah Hotchkiss chose the village for development along the route of the Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W) ine that was being laid out to the Ohio River. The town was laid out along the N&W's Ohio Extension in 1892, and was incorporated the same year. The area had plentiful coal deposits that were expected to be exploited. Population in 1892 was about 200, with a school, church, and a 70-room hotel. The town became the headquarters of the Guyandotte Coal Land Association, which administered land transactions for coal-related businesses.[1]
A devastating fire in December 1901 destroyed most of the center of town, which never recovered. The population in 1919 was 75. Coal in the vicinity of Dunlow was found to be unprofitable to mine. The railroad up the West Fork of Twelvepole Creek through Dunlow was shut down in the early 1930s, supplanted by the newer, straighter Big Sandy Line,[1] and what is left of the town is unincorporated.
At the 2000 census, the Dunlow postal district had a population of 1,105. In 2009, the population in zip code 25511 was listed as 961.[2]
Dunlow is noted for its wildlife sightings. There have been several accounts of sightings of black panthers and other jungle animals in Dunlow. A circus train that derailed in the mid-1940s, from which several jungle creatures escaped and were never recovered, is rumored to be the source of these animals.[3]
- ^ a b Straley, Steven Cody (October 19, 2022). "National Register of Historic Palces Registration Form - Dunlow Norfolk and Western Railway Depot" (PDF). West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History. National Park Sevice. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ Dunlow, WV info at hometownlocator.com
- ^ Jack Dickinson and Martha Kay Stamper, Last Train to Dunlow, History from the Hollows of Wayne County, West Virginia and the Coming of the N&W Railroad 1870-1940