Where The John Henry Legend Began

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] and now we're in Talcott West Virginia this is supposedly where the story of John Henry got started a railroad tunnel up here that the legend goes was the one he competed against the machine and one and died the the legend goes this is where all that was kind of see the tunnel up here we'll get a little closer there's a statue up there to him too back in the eighteen hundreds maybe the 1880s the story goes he competed in one against the machine to dig the tunnel out and now they say that he he haunts this tunnel to see what's right here John Henry burial sap tribute to a working man from the ballot of John Henry some guy who was a champion wrestler at Big Bend tunnel which is what this tunnel is he's buried about a thousand feet east of the tunnel about ten or twelve feet on the south side of the original tracks let's go ahead right at the tunnel I'm not sure what this building is West Virginia ginseng see what this says big beam to engineer building was used in the 30s creaks up while the rain I see that statuette not up there by the tunnel countable stage picnic area sort of deal oh that one time I is a newer tunnel I guess I see the the original tunnel there now there's no tracks coming through yet guess the tracks were right here to start with years ago see what this is tunnel construction all right let's get right up here [Music] Danny Glover played John Haney that's the tunnel it is used now and back behind the original tunnel statue was erected in 1972 it wasn't here originally people have vandalized it over the years and I think it was moved here which seems like a perfect spot for it anyway and see some holes in it I think it's been shot up it's been ripped down and dragged down the highway to let's go here by the tunnel danger falling her odds may be we'll be all right if you believe the stories his ghost still still haunts the tunnel it's nasty now filled with water I think they had a lot of trouble after they built it that the rocks falling in and they came back in relined it was brick and supposedly the bricklayers could hear John Henry in the tunnel and several of them saw his ghost according to the stories great man tunnel originally I think was a big beam tunnel and then after they face tunnel next door to change this one to the great Intel that's the tunnel John Henry dug out and died winter road and hid somewhere else in West Virginia

Channel: Dad Travels

Views: 5,485

Rating: 4.7818184 out of 5

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Id: -9rK4DcDpS4

Length: 8min 8sec (488 seconds)

Published: Fri May 08 2020