Kenova Union Station

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Built by the N&W Railroad, the Kenova Union Station later
 also served the C&O and B&O. It was demolished in 1975.

James E. Casto | Submitted photo

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The town of Kenova’s history was shaped in large measure by its location on
 the Ohio and Big Sandy Rivers where Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia
 meet — hence the town’s fanciful name. It sounds like it might
 be the name of a Native American tribe, but in fact it was
 devised by taking a few letters from each
 of the three states’ names.

The town’s founder, L.T. Peck, chose its site because he knew
 it was where the Norfolk & Western Railroad planned to
 build the first bridge across the Ohio between Cincinnati
 and Wheeling. Workers flocked to the new town
 to build the bridge and a handsome two-story
 station to serve the N&W’s passengers.

First the station’s large cellar was dug and stonework began
 on its foundation. Soon, workers began laying the
 yellow-brick walls of the station. Construction
 was finally completed on Dec. 1, 1894

Ultimately the Chesapeake & Ohio and Baltimore &
 Ohio Railroads extended their tracks to the
 N&W’s Kenova station, making
 it a busy place.

But Kenova was by no means excluded from the nationwide decline
 in rail passenger traffic that came in the 1960s. The number
 of train stops at the Kenova station steadily dropped. The
 last-reported stop at the station was on May 1, 1971..

That same year, Amtrak, created by the government to take
 over all surviving passenger-rail operations, decided to
 use a new, prefabricated station in Catlettsburg, KY,
 instead of the Kenova station. The old station
 was demolished in 1975.

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Note:  This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on Feb. 4, 2025.

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