Prince, West Virginia

15 Places Improbably Frozen in Time

"Take a journey on the Cardinal Amtrak train to visit this station hidden in the Appalachian Mountains. The Prince, West Virginia station was constructed as a Chesapeake & Ohio rail station in 1880. It quickly became a freight and passenger hub, which required expansions to the original wooden depot. In 1917, the station was severely damaged by a fire.  As the 1940s approached, the C&O president built the current red brick building. It was praised for its sleek, modern features and it has remained that way since its unveiling in 1946. If visitors look at the back mural, they will find a photo of the construction of the tracks outside Prince Station. The station contains about 40 seats and bathrooms. On the floor is C&O’s logo, Chessie the kitten, in terrazzo. This logo was one of the most popular corporate marketing campaigns. The slogan of the campaign was, “Sleep Like a Kitten and Wake Up Fresh as a Daisy in Air-Conditioned Comfort.” This is a popular sight to see amongst train enthusiasts." - ATLAS_OBSCURA