The C&O Rail Depot, a beautifully restored building houses a museum filled with railroading photos and artifacts that is sure to appeal to all train enthusiasts.

The building used to be the depot for the Chesapeake & Ohio rail line that connects Richmond, Virginia and Huntington, West Virginia, and passes throug Charleston. The railway line follows pathways created by Native Americans, and main stagecoach routes. It enters West Virginia in Greenbrier County, and travels along the New River. It follows the Kanawha for several miles, then cuts across Huntington and the Ohio River. Through the years, the C&O line has merged with the Baltimore & Ohio RR, and both lines later on became the CSX, one of the nation’s four major railroad systems.

The depot building, which was constructed in the 1900′s, features tall windows, high ceilings and intricate architecutral details. Adjacent to the train depot was a freight depot, which is now a similar structure built in 1998 by the St. Albans Historical Society. In the same year, the C&O Depot was added to the the National Register of Historic Places.

Management of the building was turned over to the City of St. Albans in late 1980. It was leased to the St. Alban’s Women’s Club, followed by the Friend sof the Depot, who made the effort to restore the depot to its original appearance.

Apart from the museum, the C&O depot has function rooms that can be rented for receptions, reunions, showers and other special events.

C&O Depot
4th Ave St. Albans
Phone 727-3084