Exploring the Forgotten Adena Branch

The abandoned Adena Branch of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway follows a former coal-hauling route through the hills of eastern Ohio.

The Adena Branch was completed in 1904 for the Adena Railroad, a short-lived company organized to connect the coal fields of Harrison and Belmont counties with larger regional railroads. Like many rail lines built through this part of Ohio, its route was shaped by difficult terrain, requiring several tunnels and trestles as it crossed valleys, creeks, and ridgelines.

The branch later became part of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway and remained in service for much of the 20th century. Its decline began in 1993, when the Saginaw Mine, south of St. Clairsville, closed. With its principal remaining customer gone, the railroad was abandoned soon afterward.

Today, part of the former railroad survives as the National Road Bikeway through St. Clairsville. Beyond that maintained section, much of the corridor has been dismantled or left in abandonment, including notable trestles over Jug Run and Wheeling Creek.