In the late 1800's and early 1900's, Thurston was a well-known railroad town and the only place in southeast Ohio where a train could turn around 360 degrees and choose which track to go on. It had a huge train depot serving the New York Line, and hundreds of people passed through each day. During the railroad era, Thurston also had numerous hotels and bars famous throughout Fairfield County, and at its height it had a mill that packaged many goods shipped to trade centers around the country. The town hall was a schoolhouse, and the building beside it was the high school. After a booming past, Thurston declined with the introduction of cars in the 1930's and 1940's and became a quiet small town of around 500 people.