Near Seebert in Pocahontas County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)

A Spectacular Crash!

Greenbrier River Trail

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, August 11, 2021

1. A Spectacular Crash! Marker

Inscription. On May 4, 1925, a northbound freight train was approaching this bridge when a boxcar derailed. Loaded with brick, the car bounced along the railway ties and hit the edge of the bridge causing one entire span to plummet into the river! Amazingly, no one was injured.

The Greenbrier Division of the C&O Railway served the numerous sawmills and two tanneries that emerged along the railroad. By the early 1920s, the virgin timber in the Greenbrier Valley had almost all been cut, and motor vehicles were beginning to affect railroad traffic. Yet, this decade was one of the busiest for the Greenbrier Division, as the line became an important freight route between eastern and western cities.

Photo courtesy of Pocahontas County Historical Society "Preserving Pocahontas"

Erected by Greenbrier River Trail.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical date for this entry is May 4, 1925.

Location. 38° 8.495′ N, 80° 8.997′ W. Marker is near Seebert, West Virginia, in Pocahontas County. It is on Greenbrier River Trail 0.9 miles north of Seebert Road (County Route 27), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Marlinton WV 24954, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in West Virginia’s Potomac Highlands.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Home for a Separatist Community (approx. 0.2 miles away); William L. "Mudwall" Jackson (approx. 1.9 miles away); Battle Of Mill Point (approx. 2 miles away); Anna Wallace (approx. 2 miles away); Mill Point (approx. 2 miles away); Birthplace of Pearl S. Buck (approx. 2.9 miles away); Union Camp (approx. 2.9 miles away); Hillsboro (approx. 3.1 miles away).

Another marker is no longer nearby. Yankee Army Camp (was approx. 2.9 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . .
1. Preserving Pocahontas. (Submitted on August 13, 2021.)
2. Greenbrier River Trail. West Virginia State Parks (Submitted on August 13, 2021.)

August 11, 2021

2. A Spectacular Crash! Marker

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, August 11, 2021

3. A Spectacular Crash! Marker

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, August 11, 2021

4. A Spectacular Crash! Marker

Watoga Bridge image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, August 11, 2021

5. Watoga Bridge

Credits. This page was last revised on August 13, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 11, 2021, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 613 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 11, 2021, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 2. submitted on August 13, 2021, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 3. submitted on August 11, 2021, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 4, 5. submitted on August 13, 2021, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.