In 1914, just over a century ago, the Norfolk and Western Railroad built Green Cove Station on land stewarded by the Eastern Cherokee Band, Uchee, and Moneton Tribes. The station was conveniently positioned between Abingdon, Virginia and West Jefferson, North Carolina. However, the Appalachian Mountains, known for both their beauty and their steepness, impeded trains’ speed. Given the slow-going route, Green Cove’s train line became known as the Virginia Creeper. The station was more than just purely functional. Green Cove was a social center! Community members picked up mail here, met the train, and gossiped (amicably, we hope) with their neighbors. Green Cove is the last remaining passenger station on Norfolk and Western Railroad’s Abingdon Branch and today, the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests (GWJNF) steward the station. Every year, thousands of visitors pass by and pass time at the station during their sojourn on the Virginia Creeper Trail. HistoriCorps is honored to be a part of Green Cove Station’s restoration.

HistoriCorps projects are famous for their beautiful settings. This Appalachian station is adjacent to more than1.8 million acres of lush forests, cold mountain streams, and ecologically unique mountaintop balds spanning three states. If you haven’t experienced the beauty and challenge of these Eastern mountains, now is your chance to do so! This project features an accessible scope of work including painting, scraping, and light carpentry.

Steam photographer O. Wilson Link captured images and sounds of locomotives between 1955 and 1960. The video below, of a station similar to Green Cove and on the same rail line, is one of his more well-known productions.