Almost Ghost Town

🥹 WE…. Did it. Together. Thanks to you. We exceeded our goal, and we are on our way. 🙏 There were days I literally felt like there was no possible way we could do it. So, there were lots of late nights, early mornings, stress, anxiety, and tears, but my passion carried me through, and y’all carried us to the finish line. Sometimes I’m still in disbelief. There’s so many more people to thank than just the folks on these slides for moral & emotional support. 🌟Thank you for believing in me, my art, the town of Thurmond, and Appalachia stories. This truly was a grassroots movement, and I’ll have more analytics and stats on the amazing things that were done to support this film, as well as advice for other filmmakers wanting to tackle crowdfunding as a case study. ❔So what’s next? This was only 25% of our overall budget, so we will be applying for plenty of grants thanks to our Assoc Producer Rachel. We have at least another year out in front us. I’m hoping this fall and winter to hopefully have a lot of time to sit in story/edit. We really need to refine the story of the edit. We know we have scenes to shoot in 2026, so we will hopefully refine the edit with that in mind. ✨Please keep in touch and bear with me as I try to take a little break from social media and work from the marathon I just did! #thurmondwv #thurmond #wv #appalachia #wv #westvirginia #documentary #indiefilm #indiefilmmaking #crowdfund #seedandspark

🚂 Thurmond, WV is the 19th century boom and bust town that forgot…. To bust?! We are making a feature documentary film tracing the Appalachian heritage and present struggle of the 4 remaining residents for their town’s existence. 🌟 We have ONE day left to fundraise $4k! Even $25 will help keep our indie Appalachian crew afloat! Follow @thurmonddoc and check the link in bio for our Seed&Spark link to chip in! #thurmondwv #appalachia #documentary #newrivergorge #nationalparks #history #appalachian #indiefilm

Thurmond, WV: Population 4. West Virginia native filmmaker Jillian Carney Howell is making her debut feature documentary film on this historic town before it’s too late, and she needs your help! ✨ 👀 Read all about it at YNSTMagazine.com or link in bio! ✍️ @jillianlovesfilm #appalachia #ghosttown #thurmondwv #documentary #indiefilm #history #wvhistory

🎟️ A new non-profit “Preservation Thurmond,” in collaboration with @fayettevillewvcreates & @freefolkbrew is hosting a work-in-progress screening and party of the grassroots documentary “Almost Ghost Town” on Friday, January 4! 🏚️ Thurmond, WV is one of the smallest towns in North America with a population of 4. With 80% of the land owned by the National Park Service and an impending demolition, the town strives to continue to create community and preserve history. 🌟 All money raised goes to paying our independent Appalachian film team to continue creating this documentary. Get your tickets at the QR code or link in bio! Hope to see ya there! #wvevents #wvfilm #indiefilm #documentary

🤔Should we do a reprint on the shirts? Let me know which one is your fave in the comments! But for now… 🥹 Pack my final thank you gifts with me! 💸 Folks who contributed more than $100 to our #SeedAndSpark campaign had the ability to sign up to receive one of our exclusive tshirts from @mountainmindfulshop designed by @masonbeuhring . I love these shirts, and I’m so glad I have a tangible way to say thank you to some of our biggest contributors. 📆 Save the date for Sunday, January 4! Preservation Thurmond is throwing a fundraiser for us in Hico, WV! #thurmondwv #indiedoc #appalachia #indiefilm

I’m alive! 🌟 Some pre-Thanksgiving gratitude & updates! Thank you all for your patience and support for the film! More goodies coming for you soon! 🏚️ #thurmondwv #wv #newrivergorgenationalpark #newrivergorge #indiedocumentary #appalachia

🌄 I could spend the rest of my life listening to the townsfolks of Thurmond. Their stories and pride in their hometown are so captivating. 📝When my new pen pal Teresa posted on Facebook today this old photo of the Fatty Lipscomb Guest House in 1982 with the foundation of her burned family home beside it, I read her tribute and never expected to see my name in it. 🎥 I make my films for me. Topics that fascinate me, that leave me awake at night. But I am always grateful when the real reason the film needs to be made begins to shine through… to preserve the town, to share the town, to give folks an outlet to celebrate the town. I am so grateful to have been accepted into this community. 🙏 2 days left and $5,595 left to raise! Link in bio! #appalachia #thurmondwv #history #ghosttown #nationalparks #nationalparksservice #nps #westvirginia #hometown

🌟 Welcome to our honorary citizens of Thurmond! To our folks who contributed $25+, thank you, thank you! We’ll slowly but surely be singing your praises here on social! ‼️4 days left and $9,629 to go! I know we can do this together! Link in bio! 🎨 Thurmond Art by @cnvntnlgrfr 🎶 Music on this post by @ryan_brandenburg_music / check him in Thurmond on @fayettevillesessionsmusic ! #thurmondwv #thurmond #wv #seedandspark #documentary #appalachia

🤔 A town with a population of 4 has a Walk of Fame?! Why, yes! 🧱 There’s a lot of great history that the town of Thurmond has lovingly documented in bricks on their main walkway. We are adding our documentary to the timeline, and for our folks who contribute $150+, they get their own brick in our display! 🙏 Let’s give a shout out to our Walk of Fame supporters! We have 5 days left to raise a minimum of $4,300! Link in bio to pitch in! #thurmondwv #appalachia #appalachian #indiefilm #documentary #ghosttown #nationalpark #nps #nationalparkservice

Calling all #nationalpark lovers! 🗣️🏞️ We’ve got a vacay opportunity that you can’t resist! Contribute $1,000 to #AlmostGhostTown to earn yourself an unforgettable stay right in the heart of the #newrivergorge 🏘️ 🔗 in bio to contribute on #seedandspark and secure your spot! Only 2 packages left! #documentary #thurmondwv #crowdfunding #wv #appalachia #filmmaking #nature #airbnb

Meet our DP, @joshlykinsvisuals 🎥🖼️ We are so grateful to have his creative vision playing a major part in #AlmostGhostTown ❤️ 🔗 in bio to contribute to the film on @seedandspark We’re almost to the finish line! 🤞🏻💸 #documentary #thurmondwv #crowdfunding #filmmaking #dp #newrivergorge #interview #appalachia

All aboard the contribution train!🚂 🥳 If you give $1000 to our #seedandspark campaign, you could earn your own vacation to historic railroad town, #ThurmondWV 🏘️ Don’t miss out! There are only 2 packages left! 🔗 in bio to contribute! #documentary #appalachia #crowdfunding #filmmaking #newrivergorge #train #railroad