Cairo

Cairo. 1913 to 2009. , Like a patchwork quilt, the Town of Cairo is and will always be "home" to many. Nestled in a valley among the beautiful "West Virginia Hills" (as we once sung as children), Cairo has withstood the test of time and continues to thrive today much as it did in this photo from 1913, but in a more modern way., Our history and heritage can be traced from the earliest railroads, the C&K and the Northwestern Virginia, to the B&O and Chessie System; and from the oil boom of earlier days to the rich oil fields of today. The old oil derricks and rail yards are but a memory. Cairo has also been home to two marble factories, with one old building remaining today near where the C&K Depot stood in this photo from 1913. The depot is the long, light colored building to the left of the oil derrick bottom right. Shortly after the rails were pulled from town in 1988, the abandoned rail line became the North Bend Rail Trail. Today, this 72-mile trail is a very important link in the East coast to West coast American Discovery Trail., The unique feature in the lower photo is locating the buildings still standing in 2009. The Cairo Supply Co./Country Trails Bikes of today (then National Supply) is towards the middle of town, just up the tracks from the C&K Depot. Just beyond that is the tall, white structure known as the Odd Fellows building (roof is two colors), and on to the right is Marshall Hardware. About a block from that (right) you can see the steeple of the Methodist Church., Standing proudly on the hill is Grant District High School, which later became Cairo High School. Near the center of the photo is the Bank of Cairo, a landmark in our Historic Town of Cairo.