The Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W, now Norfolk Southern Corporation) has played a crucial role in Matewan's history. The railraod reached the Matewan area in 1892 as part of the N&W's Ohio Extension, which provided a direct route from Bluefield through the southwest West Virginia coalfields to the Ohio River. Matewan was incorporated in 1895 and soon became a regional center. The railroad tracks formed the central spine of the town, and several of Matewan's historic commercial buildings have double facades, with one side facing the tracks and the other facing Mate Street.
The original Matewan Depot (below) was built in 1893 and served as a combined passenger and freight depot. Large quantities of coal passed through on their way east, and passengers could take the train east toward Bluefield or northwest to Williamson and beyond. The original depot fell into disrepair after the passenger trains stopped in 1969, and was torn down a few years later. The existing depot reconstruction was built in 2002 based on standard N&W plans to the west and across the tracks from the original depot and serves as a museum of the region's rich heritage.
The railroad continues to play a major role in Matewan and in the region's economy. In 2007 Norfolk Southern Corporation began the Heartland Corridor rail clearance project, which included modification of tunnels and bridges to allow double-stacked freight cars to travel between the Port of Virginia and destinations in the Midwest and beyond. The nearby Hatfield Tunnel #2, which passes through Kentucky from Sprigg to Matewan, West Virginia, was part of this project. Originally blasted from local bedrock in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, Hatfield Tunnel #2 needed modifications to improve the structural integrity and increase clearance through the use of shotcrete and rock dowel reinforcement.
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