The Kingwood Tunnel, near Tunnelton, West Virginia, was built between 1849 and 1852 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on its main line between Baltimore, Maryland and Wheeling, West Virginia, under the supervision of B&O chief engineer Benjamin Henry Latrobe, II.

[1] Workers were recruited from coal mines in the area to excavate the tunnel.

[1] Although the tunnel itself was completed in 1852, track was not laid, due to problems with the east entrance.

A temporary switchback track, requiring reversal at each stage, was built to provide service until the tunnel was finished.

Grouting and underpinning work was required in 1889 through the entire length of the tunnel, and additional brick lining was later installed in the section with iron liners.