Nothing excites us more than peeking into the past by looking at old, forgotten places, and as luck would have it, there are plenty of abandoned places in WV. Personally, we would love to explore each and every one of these spooky abandoned places in West Virginia! Check them out… if you dare:

1. An old Cairo High School has started to decay.
Old Cairo High School, Cairo, WV 26337, USA
Mike/Flickr
This rotting building is located in Cairo, West Virginia. The high school was closed around the 1980s.

Check out the abandoned West Virginia Cairo High School in this video from Abandoned PKB:
2. Pictured here is an abandoned factory in Cass, West Virginia.
Cass, WV 24927, USA
Mark Plummer/Flickr
Cass, West Virginia is an adorable town to visit, but this factory is just eerie.
3. Looking through an old, abandoned church in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
Ruins of St. John's Episcopal Church, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425, USA
Wayne Hsieh/Flickr
The ruins of St. John's Episcopal Church look rather welcoming in the bright sunlight, but when the moon comes out and bats return to the long-gone belfry it takes on a whole new level of spookiness. However, this is one small town in West Virginia that's ALSO a delight to visit, despite the spooky bits.
4. The old Coalwood High School is looking like the setting of a horror movie these days!
Coalwood, WV 24828, USA
Kelly Michals/Flickr
This abandoned high school is located in Coalwood, West Virginia, home of the Rocket Boys.
5. These forgotten tracks are somewhere in Nuttallburg, West Virginia, which is just upriver from the New River Gorge Bridge.
Nuttallburg, WV 25840, USA
Dennis Church/Flickr
Nuttallburg was the site of a coal camp, and it's now a place where an infamously abandoned mine in West Virginia rests.
6. The eroding Fostoria Glass, located in Moundsville, WV.
Moundsville, WV 26041, USA
David Kent/Flickr
You'll want to explore the vibrant history of Moundsville while you're at it.
7. This abandoned house is somewhere in Friendly, West Virginia.
Friendly, WV 26146, USA
Mike/Flickr
Friendly has a cute name, but there's another friendliest town in West Virginia you should also look into.

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8. The Pocahontas Coal Company buildings are also located in Jenkinjones, West Virginia.
Pocahontas Coal Company, Jenkinjones, WV 24808, USA
Mark Plummer/Flickr
To this day you can check out old photos of West Virginia mining history, including the Coal Company.

Explore more of the former Pocahontas Coal Company buildings in this video from WebsterHighlanders:
9. This home, located in Friendly, West Virginia, belonged to Dr. J. O'Neill Eddy.
Friendly, WV 26146, USA
Mike/Flickr
This house was built in the 1880s. If you're a fan of ghost towns in West Virginia, you'll want to check out some of our favorite spooky ghost town hikes!
10. This forgotten building is located in Jenkinjones, West Virginia.
Jenkinjones, WV 24808, USA
Mark Plummer/Flickr
This is one of those abandoned places in West Virginia that just HAS to be haunted.
11. A room in the Fort Henry Club, which is located in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Wheeling, WV 26003, USA
Jonathan Haeber/Flickr
We hope that they haven't discontinued that carpet, we love it! (Just kidding!)
12. The ghost town of Thurmond, West Virginia.
Thurmond, WV 25901, USA
kartografia/Flickr
This was a coal town at one point in time. Now it's one of our favorite West Virginia ghost towns.
13. A vacant room with creepy peeling paint in the Fort Henry Club, located in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Fort Henry Club, Wheeling, WV 26003, USA
Jonathan Haeber/Flickr
14. This Waverly, West Virginia farmhouse was probably very beautiful in its time.
Waverly, WV, USA
Mike/Flickr
The house has been rotting for quite some time. The staircase inside of it has collapsed. It's one of many historic places in West Virginia quietly being lost to time.
15. This creepy, forgotten tunnel is located in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Wheeling, WV 26003, USA
Ryan Stanton/Flickr
It doubles as one of the most haunted places in West Virginia, so visit if you dare!

Take a tour of the abandoned WV Chapline Tunnel in Wheeling in this video from TravelWithAustin:

These are just fifteen of the MANY forgotten and abandoned places in West Virginia! We would absolutely love to go through and explore these old places, wouldn’t you?!

Do you have any pictures of abandoned places in WV? Send them to us or add them in a comment – we love hearing from you!

If you’d enjoy taking an up-close look at some of these long-forgotten sites, take this haunted road trip in West Virginia. Gas up the RV (or rent one from RVShare) and hit the road.

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More to Explore

Abandoned Places in West Virginia

Tori Jane | September 11, 2022

How many abandoned places in West Virginia are there?  

Though an exact, literal number of abandoned places in West Virginia is almost impossible to come up with, it certainly seems like there are hundreds – if not more – hidden all over the state. You’ll find everything from abandoned West Virginia ghost towns (like Thurmond, which is easily one of the most well-preserved ghost towns in this section of the country), a creepy abandoned amusement park in Lake Shawnee where six patrons met their ends back when it was in operation, and numerous eerie abandoned schools in West Virginia, too. The possibilities are really only as limited as your ability to investigate!  

What are some famous abandoned places in West Virginia?  

Some famous abandoned places in West Virginia include:

 

Some of the abandoned places in West Virginia are pretty infamous for, well, being abandoned. Perhaps the single most infamous abandoned place in this little state is the aforementioned amusement park. Lake Shawnee Amusement Park originally opened in the 1920s, though at the time, the owner was blissfully unaware that he was building his attraction over a literal Native American burial ground. Naturally, mishaps and disasters quickly became the norm, and no less than six people met untimely deaths on the grounds. A little girl was killed on a swing ride, and a young boy drowned in the lake on the premises. Today, it’s not only one of the most infamous abandoned places in West Virginia – it's one of the creepiest places in the United States!  

What are some of the creepiest places in West Virginia?  

Some of the creepiest places in West Virginia include:

 

West Virginia is a state with centuries of history going back to long before European colonizers came along, and as a result, it’s brimming with creepy places that you might or might not be able to find histories for. Other than the amusement park, there are plenty more; some of the scariest places in West Virginia include the old Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, which was built in 1858 and served as a hospital for the mentally unwell until its peak in the 1950s. It officially closed in 1994, but there are occasional tours to this day. There’s also the whole cryptid tale revolving around Point Pleasant, where “The Mothman” sightings occurred in the 1960s leading up to a series of disasters. Yikes.  

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