On Thursday, October 26, 2023 in the small town of Prince, West Virginia, U.S.A. (near Beckley), a bridge on West Virginia State Route 41 crossing a railroad line that was owned by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (now owned by CSX) was named in honor of Private Harold Richard Plumley, a soldier who fought in the Korean War and was killed in a major battle near the end of the war. He worked for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway before he was drafted into the war. He departed from the train station in Prince, and his casket was returned by train back to the train station he departed from. Seventy years after his remains was brought home, with help from the family and a West Virginia State Senator, the bridge was named the Private Harold Richard Plumley Bridge. (The bill to rename the bridge passed with a unanimous vote in the State Capitol of Charleston.) If you are ever in Beckley or visiting the New River Gorge, take a drive on West Virginia Route 41 through the town of Prince and remember a soldier who lost his life so that many of us today can live ours.
The Private Harold Richard Plumley Bridge in Prince, West Virginia, U.S.A.
Marvin Plumley, the brother of Harold Richard Plumley.
Reporter Jillian Risberg of WOAY speaking to West Virginia State Senator Jack Woodrum who sponsored the bill to rename the bridge.
The unveiling.
Marvin Plumley speaking at the ceremony.
John Cowgill: Stories of the Railroad 