THAXTON, Va. (AP) _ A state historical marker has been dedicated in remembrance of one of the worst train accidents in Virginia history. The marker was unveiled Tuesday in Bedford County to mark the July 2, 1889, wreck west of Thaxton. Eighteen people were killed in the wreck. The wreck occurred after a storm flooded nearby Wolf Creek and saturated an embankment. The embankment collapsed under the weight of the Norfolk & Western passenger train, which plunged into the washout. Fire ripped through the wreckage, and survivors were stranded for hours. Among the dead were three prominent residents of Cleveland, Tennessee, where a monument was erected in their memory. The marker will join more than 2,500 statewide. The markers are issued by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
