Institution

Cedar Lawn was the home of John Thornton Augustine Washington (May 20, 1783-October 9, 1841), the great nephew of George Washington. It is a Federal style two story, white painted brick structure with a hipped roof and two central chimneys. The front porch faces east and boasts a one story Greek revival style with a pediment. South of the main house is a long, 1.5 story kitchen wing. To the north, there is a small, one story attachment added in the 20th century but in the 19th century style.The Cedar Lawn property was originally part of the Harewood estate. The National Register of Historic Places reports that the property was left to Thornton Washington (born 1760- died 1787) and "in 1780, Thornton built a large log and plank house, naming it Berry Hill in honor of the Miss Berry he had married." Unfortunately, this property and structure was destroyed by fire. When John Thornton Augustine inherited the property, he built the present day structure of Cedar Lawn 1825.

More Info

Cedar Lawn was built in 1829 for John Thornton Augustine Washington, the great nephew of George Washington. Cedar Lawn was originally part of the nearby Harewood property inherited by Samuel Washington's son, Thornton Washington. Around 1780, he had a log house erected and named the property Berry Hill. After the original log house was destroyed by fire and Thornton's son, John T.A. Washington, inherited the property, he had Cedar Lawn constructed. Cedar Lawn was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. 

Cedar Lawn 

Contributor

As of 2022, Jefferson County in West Virginia has 84 listings on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and several more under the jurisdiction of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The National Register of Historic Places is the “United States federate government’s official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance.” Administered by the National Park Service, the NRHP contains more than one million properties.  

In the late 1700s the property was part of a large plantation owned by John Stipp. When Stipp put his estate up for sale in 1803 he advertised it as 462 acres with three houses. The plantation’s proximity to the Potomac and the river port at Shepherdstown was a major selling point. In the post-Revolutionary period there was a major effort, led by prominent politicians including George Washington, to shift transportation from the poor road networks to the Potomac River. Two years later, in 1805, Stipp sold 121 of the acres to his son George Stipp; this would become the core property of the Wild Goose Farm. The George Stipp house is possibly the frame house that serves as the kitchen wing of the manor that appears to date from the first years of the 1800s. In 1810 James S. Lane purchased 187 acres from John Stipp Sr. and George Stipp for $5,599. When the Lane estate was divided in 1828 the 187-acre “George Stips Farm” was given to the heirs of Martha C. (Lane) Webb. The following year John S. Webb of Illinois sold the property to Van Swearingen of neighboring River View to the north with the condition that George Webb could remain a tenant on the farm for the remainder of his life. The Van Swearingen heirs then sold the estate, now 194 acres, to Charles M. Shepherd in 1838 for $10,072. The Shepherd family was already a prominent landholding family in the Shepherdstown and Terrapin Neck areas. Abraham Shepherd, son of Shepherdstown’s founder, had been involved in the litigation of land disputes between the Fairfax estate and Joist Hite in the late 1700s and early 1800s. As a result of his work with the case Shepherd acquired a large amount of land, including the Swearingen estate of Springwood and land to the east of Wild Goose (Boidstones Place). Shepherd raised livestock (hogs, beef cattle, horses, sheep, and milk cows), raised staple grains (wheat, rye, oats, corn, and flax seed), and had an apple orchard with stills to produce apple brandy. When Abraham Shepherd died in 1822 his estate was divided among his seven children. The eldest brother was Rezin Davis (R. D.) Shepherd who was a wealthy merchant worth millions of dollars in his own right by the time his father died. Apprenticed to a Baltimore merchant house at the age of sixteen, in 1802 R. D. Shepherd moved to New Orleans where he set up his own merchant house and became very successful. Shepherd also served in the War of 1812. He lost his wife young in 1814 and their only daughter attended school in Boston, so Shepherd spent a period training his nephew Henry as a merchant in New Orleans before turning his attention to the Shepherdstown property. The Shepherd brothers all worked together to develop their inherited lands. Henry Shepherd owned Springwood and worked in breeding livestock, particularly sheep, cattle, and horses. Charles, who lived at Boidstones Place, acted as property manager for the brothers and bought additional land to add to the Shepherd property, including the purchase of the 194-acre Wild Goose tract in 1838. In 1839, R. D. Shepherd became a partner in Henry’s livestock business, with Henry managing the day-to-day affairs and Rezin managing the money. The Shepherd livestock business held a wide reputation for quality and improving the overall quality of American livestock. The Shepherd brothers were all slaveowners. In 1840 Charles had seven slaves, Abram had five, and Henry had twenty-two. In 1850 Rezin Shepherd was listed as having fifteen slaves at Wild Goose and by 1860 he had twenty-two. R. D. Shepherd officially moved from New Orleans to Shepherdstown in the early 1840s. In 1841 Charles Shepherd sold all of his property to R. D. Shepherd for $19,000, including the Wild Goose property and Boidstones Place. Rezin Shepherd was responsible for the biggest alterations of the mansion and grounds at Wild Goose. The major expansion of the house occurred sometime between 1842 and 1845; family lore holds that the construction was in 1842 but tax records indicate that major improvements/construction happened in 1844/45. In some ways the new mansion fit the Greek Revival styles and larger homes that were growing in popularity in Jefferson County, but the Wild Goose house was much larger than any of the surrounding homes at 9000 square feet. In addition, the new design featured striking features of New Orleans “American Townhouse” styles from Shepherd’s time living in that city. One of the prominent features of this style is a full-length arrangement of façade openings, such as French doors, with a second story balcony. While the mansion house is unique in style and size, many of the farm outbuildings are more typical of nineteenth century agricultural architecture of Jefferson County, such as the Pennsylvania bank barn. In addition to the livestock and agricultural operations on his property, Shepherd was involved in the development of Shepherdstown. He was engaged in the construction of Trinity Episcopal Church and a courthouse in Shepherdstown (now McMurran Hall) and advocated for the county seat to be moved to Shepherdstown. R. D. Shepherd retired entirely to the Wild Goose property by 1850 and he held over 700 acres valued at $240,000. He never remarried after the death of his first wife and records show that he shared the house with an overseer named Eli Sloan and a German stonemason named Conrad Smith, who likely did much of the stonework on the property. A gardener and his family also lived in one of the tenant houses on the property. The Civil War greatly disrupted Shepherd’s businesses in New Orleans and he lost his slave property as a result of the war; however, the Wild Goose estate itself was not heavily damaged during the war and Shepherd fared better economically than many wealthy southerners. R. D. Shepherd died in 1865 and his property was inherited by his only daughter, Ellen Brooks, and her sons Peter and Shepherd Brooks. In 1866 Ellen and Peter Brooks sold the 396-acre farm entirely to Shepherd Brooks. He then purchased an additional 72 acres to make the estate 468 acres. In 1871 Brooks sold it to Henry Shepherd Jr. for $30,000. Shepherd was still in New Orleans running the family merchant business, but he moved his family to the Wild Goose property in 1872. The 1880 census also recorded five African American servants living on the property with the family. Henry Shepherd Jr.’s 1889 will gave the estate to his four sons: Rezin D., Henry M., William J., and Augustus M. Shepherd died in 1891 and the following year the younger three brothers sold their shares of the estate to Rezin (the eldest) for $24,531. This R. D. Shepherd was better known by his stage name, R. D. McLean. He was a successful actor and used Wild Goose as a retreat until he sold the 185-acre core of the estate to Edwin S. Jarrett in 1911. Jarrett worked from New York City and traveled frequently, so he also used Wild Goose Farm as a retreat while leasing the farmland to tenants. He was responsible for the last period of construction on the mansion house. He added the Colonial Revival style to the mansion by raising the roof on the east wing by nine feet, adding a large Colonial Revival porch, and converting two of the east parlors into one big ballroom. Jarrett died in 1940 and Wild Goose Farm has gone through several owners since. Since 1940 the property has largely been leased to tenants and served as a retreat for the owner, including NASA’s Robert Moss in the 1960s and former WV Governor Gaston Caperton in 1998. Wild Goose Farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018 for the architecture of the mansion and surrounding dependency structures. The large mansion is unique for the area for its inclusion of New Orleans influence with Greek Revival and Colonial Revival styles, as well as for its size. The property also includes a mixture of unique and ordinary agricultural buildings that exhibit the agricultural use of the property. While the period of significance for the nomination was determined as 1810-1920, in 2018 the property retained most of its integrity and there was a restoration in process to remove any inappropriate additions to the structures. In addition to the mansion house, the NRHP nomination includes many other contributing structures: frame Pennsylvania bank barn with attached horse stable (c. 1845), frame tenant house (c. 1880), stone spring house (c. 1845), stone smoke/meat house (c. 1845), stone and frame carriage house (c. 1845), brick ice house (c. 1911), frame octagonal building (described as a “octagon Japanese Pagoda,” c. 1880), stone pump house (c. 1911), stone building (maybe plantation office, c. 1845), frame poultry building (c. 1880), corn crib/wagon shed (c. 1880), and the stone-enclosed water tower (early 1900s). The c. 1840 landscape is also considered in the nomination; this includes the network of stone walls on the grounds (c. 1842-1845) and the iron entry gates that date to 1842-1845.

Wild Goose Farm is in the Terrapin Neck region north of Shepherdstown, an area known for its agriculture and connection to the Shepherd family in the nineteenth century. The Shepherds owned the Wild Goose Farm from 1838 to 1911. The large mansion house was constructed in three phases: 1810 by George Stipp, 1842-1845 by R. D. Shepherd, and 1911 by Edwin Jarrett. The combination of buildings on the property is unusual and unique for Jefferson county and the property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. 

Wild Goose Farm

Boidstones is a “telescope house” with three sections built during different periods. The oldest section is the north end of the house and is a 1766 1.5-story wood frame building. The original entrance was on the east side, facing the Potomac River, and the building had two rooms on the first floor and a staircase up to a single second floor room. The central section was added in the 1850s and the entrance moved to the west side of the new section. The third section was added in the 1920s on the south side and is a one-story sleeping porch with a wooden balustrade along a flat roof. The 1766 section of Boidstones was built by Thomas Boydston. Brothers Thomas, Benjamin, and Presley Boydston moved into the region in the late 1750s, part of migration after the conclusion of the French &amp; Indian War. Thomas Boydston received 196 acres of grant land from Lord Fairfax and purchased an additional 134 acres on Terrapin Neck for more farmland and access to the Potomac. Records in the 1780s show that Thomas, a widower with no children, and his brothers likely cultivated grain and hay. They also planted 200 apple trees, had horses and cattle, and had around ten slaves. The spring on the property was named Stillhouse Spring, so it is likely that Boydston distilled grain into spirits. This possibly explains the purchase of strip of land 300’ wide and 3000’ long on his southern border giving him access to the Potomac for shipping. Boydston owned and developed the land for thirty years and built several outbuildings that no longer stand. There was a land grant dispute between Joist Hite and Lord Fairfax in 1798 about the Terrapin Neck land. The courts ruled against Boydston and he was evicted, although he still owned the strip of land down to the river. Abraham Shepherd acquired the land after the legal battle was settled and purchased additional acreage to continue cultivation (likely continuing the production patterns of the Boydstons). Three of Shepherd’s sons lived on the Boidstones property in succession. The third was Rezin Davis Shepherd who also held Wild Goose and acquired Boidstones from his brother in 1841. In addition to farming, the Shepherds had racing stables and a racetrack which was a central entertainment for the community. In 1851, R. D. Shepherd, Sr. gave Boidstones to a nephew, namesake R. D. Shepherd, Jr. Shepherd, Jr. build the 1850s section of the house and several outbuildings, including the main barn and the two log cabins for his slaves. At his death in 1862 the land was run by tenants and family agents; while the property was not damaged during the Civil War most of the area farms and plantations suffered from economic damage and the loss of slave labor. Shepherd’s children sold the farm after their mother passed in 1886. The property was bought by William and Charlotte Fayman, Shepherdstown residents involved in Republican politics. They built the tenant house and may have used the main house as an inn. After William’s death, Charlotte sold the farm in 1909 to Harry Mundey, owner of the Mecklenburg Inn building and town postmaster 1902-1914. He planned on using the farm as a stock farm and made changes in the fencing and added stock sheds. Unfortunately, in 1914 he lost his position with the change of administration and his business failed. His bankruptcy put the farm up for sale again. Boidstones returned to the Shepherd family in 1916 when a niece, Rosalie Pendleton Scully, and her husband C. D. Scully purchased it as a summer home. C. D. Scully practiced law in Pittsburg and served as the city’s mayor in the 1930s but supported his wife in buying back the family land and investing in it. They owned the farm for 31 years and added the final section of the house. They planted peach and apple trees and built a system to bring water from the spring up to the houses and to irrigation the orchards. The Scullys also modernized the homes with electricity, indoor plumbing, and telephone wires. By WWII it became harder to maintain the orchards and the farm was sold in 1948 and converted to pasture for cattle.

Boidstones Place, known today as Greenbrakes, has been in continual use for agricultural production since the 1760s. The house was constructed in three phases—1766, 1850s, and 1920s—and most of the original structure remains unchanged. The 1766 frame house is one of two surviving frame houses from the pre-Revolutionary period (the other is the Peter Burr house). It was designated a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. In addition to the main house, the historic buildings include a log cabin, log cottage, tenant house, springhouse, garage, machine/pole shed, hen house/wood shed, main barn, machine shed, spray shed, bull shed, and cemetery (possibly slave) to the south of the house.

Boidstones Place (Greenbrakes)

The James Marshall House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a well-preserved example of 19th-century Greek Revival architecture. The property was initially part of the Fairfax land holdings granted to Thomas Swearingen in 1750. James Marshall constructed the home in 1835 and called it Marshall Hall. It is a two-story, “L” shaped brick house in the Greek Revival style. Greek Revival architectural elements include interior chimneys and flush gables, a Greek Revival porch with squared columns and trabeated design, and sidelights and transom window at the main entrance. In addition, there are flat brick arches above the windows, a corbeled brick cornice at the eaves, and a two-tiered gallery inside the rear “L” of the house. The two-tiered gallery inside the “L” and rubble limestone foundation are very typical features of eastern panhandle houses from this era. The Marshall family owned Marshall Hall until 1914. It went through several owners afterwards, including the Myers family who operated a turkey farm on the property. Captain John Schley owned the property between 1966 and 1980. He restored the house and renamed it Windward. In 1981 Windward was purchased by businessman and politician James E. Byron, Sr. and the property appears to still be in the Byron family. The James Marshall House/Windward was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

The James Marshall House, or Marshall Hall, was constructed in 1835 by James Marshall. The name was changed to Windward in 1966 by Captain John Schley who restored the house. It is a well-preserved example of 19th-century eastern panhandle Greek Revival architecture and much of the interior design has been preserved and restored. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 for its architectural significance. 

Windward / Marshall Hall / James Marshall House

The property at Fruit Hill includes two historic houses. The earlier of the two is a pre-Revolutionary stone house likely built by Henry Cookus/Cooke around 1766 when he bought the property from Thomas Swearingen. The original colonial house was quickly expanded with an addition on the west side and later a brick addition doubled the size of the house with four rooms and a double gallery along the front. Several owners later, the Robinson family purchased the farm in the 1820s. A son of the purchasers, Archibald Robinson, received the deed to the land and constructed the brick house in 1830. The house is designed in the Greek Revival Style with two-tiered galleries, low pitched roofs, and flush gable end walls. The brickwork is in Flemish bond with flat brick arches above the windows and corbeled brick cornices at the eaves. The entry porch features Doric columns and the entrance is surrounded by sidelights and a rectangular transom. On the interior, central features include an elaborate surround for the entrance featuring a frieze and pilasters and a three-flight stair in the entrance hall that features fine scroll brackets. Other molded interior woodwork includes corner blocks of roses or bullseyes and a mantel in the east parlor incorporates a carved frieze. Fruit Hill was the birthplace and boyhood home of Matthew Page Andrews, a historian of early America. Matthew Page Andrews (Jr.) was the son of Matthew Page Andrews and Anna Robinson, Archibald Robinson’s eldest daughter. Andrews was born July 15, 1879 and was educated at Washington and Lee University. He spent his career as a teacher, lecturer, and editor (serving for a time as editorial advisor to Yale University Press). He served as Chairman of the Baltimore City George Washington Bi-centennial Commission and Chairman of Maryland Tercentenary Commission of Baltimore. He was a patriotic historian and authored several books, including: A History of the U.S. (1913)A Brief History of the United States (1916)A Heritage of Freedom (1918)The Birth of America (play) (1920)American History and Government (1921)The Book of the American Creed (1921)The Biggest Book in the World (1923)History of Maryland—Province and State (1929)Virginia, the Old Dominion (1937)The Soul of a Nation, Founding of Virginia (1943)Projection of New England (1943) Matthew Page Andrews and his sister, Sally Page Andrews, used Fruit Hill as a summer home through their lives. Matthew Andrews died in Baltimore on June 20, 1947 and was buried in Shepherdstown. Descendants of the Robinson/Andrews family continued to own the home at least through the 1980s when Fruit Hill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fruit Hill is a Greek Revival brick house built in 1830 by Archibald Robinson. Next to the main house is a stone house built around 1766 by Henry Cookus; two later additions expanded the stone house to its current structure. Fruit Hill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 for its architecture and its connection to Matthew Page Andrews. Andrews (1879-1947) was a historian of early America known for his books on U.S. history, Virginia, and Maryland. 

Fruit Hill / Robinson-Andrews-Hoxton House 

Bellevue is a two-story Colonial Revival mansion on a bluff overlooking the Potomac River. The original part of the house was a one (or 1.5)-story stone house built by Joseph Van Swearingen in the late 1700s. At an unknown later date a second story of brick was added. In the early 1900s the house was refurbished in the Colonial Revival style dominant today. The house has not been changed since about 1907 and the interior still retains much of its antebellum features. The dominant exterior feature of the mansion is the tetrastyle (temple-like front with four columns) portico over the main entrance and second-story balcony. Joseph Van Swearingen’s father, Thomas Swearingen (known as Thomas of the Ferry), brought the family into the Valley in the early 1700s. In the 1740s, Swearingen bought 222 acres at “Jones’ Mill” and fifty acres in Frederick County, Maryland and in 1750 he received a land grant from Lord Fairfax for another 478 acres. Thomas Swearingen established the ferry crossing at Shepherdstown; this was in operation by 1755 or 1756. He died in 1760 and his son, Joseph (Van) Swearingen, inherited the property where Bellevue is now. Joseph Swearingen was only six when his father died and so his uncle held the property for him until he turned 21. Joseph Swearingen served in the Virginia militia and formed the 12th Virginia Regiment during the Revolutionary War. He served in Washington’s army, was promoted to Colonel, and fought at Germantown in 1777. He was then appointed Lieutenant of Berkeley County after Washington’s brother, Samuel, resigned. He finished the war in that position and afterwards married Hannah Rutherford. They had one son, Thomas Van Swearingen. Joseph Swearingen received 4,000 acres of land from Congress for his military service. It is likely that Joseph and his family lived for a time with his mother at the family home before building the original stone house on his property. In 1798 tax records assess Joseph Swearingen for three houses; one valued at $1,050 was probably Bellevue and the value indicates that the house was either new or recently improved. He was a prominent slaveowner and was part of the group who organized Jefferson County. He was on the first county court, served as a justice of the peace, and was High Sheriff of Jefferson County between 1805-1807. When Joseph Swearingen died in 1821 his only son, Thomas Van Swearingen, inherited Bellevue. He was also highly involved in politics. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates 1814-1816, was elected to the Court of Trustees of Shepherdstown in 1816, and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1818 to his death in 1822. He died in office at age 38, just a year after his father died. Bellevue was owned by his widow, Julia, who then passed it to their daughter, Hannah Van Swearingen Matthews, at her death in 1860. Matthews sold the property and it went through a couple of owners before 1900. William T. Lemen owned the property from 1879 until 1892 and during that period the value of the home increased dramatically, which indicates improvements to the house. It is possible that the brick second story was done at this time, but that is not known for sure. In 1900 Henry Shepherd III bought the house as a wedding gift for his wife, Minnie Reinhart, who was a granddaughter of Thomas Van Swearingen. The Shepherds were another major family in the area, descendants of Thomas Shepherd who founded Shepherdstown. The house has stayed in the Shepherd family since.

Bellevue, also known as the Van Swearingen—Shepherd House, was constructed in phases between the late 1700s and early 1900s. The original section of the home was constructed by Joseph Swearingen in the late 1700s and his heirs owned the home until around 1860. The Shepherd family purchased the property around 1900 and still own the home today. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Bellevue / Van Swearingen--Shepherd House

Thomas Shepherd acquired 222 acres of land on October 3, 1734 and constructed the Thomas Shepherd Mill within the next few years. It was in operation by April 1739 when it was referenced in the Frederick County Court Journal. Shepherd built his mill near the Pack Horse Ford crossing of the Potomac along a well-traveled route, first a Native trail to the ford crossing and then the Philadelphia Wagon Road (now High Street). Spring-fed Town Run powered the mill and was a draw to other settlers and craftsman coming to the town. Originally just the two-story stone structure with a wooden water wheel, Shepherd’s Mill was the largest in the area and greatly influenced the development of the region. According to a 1970s HAER (Historic American Engineering Record) Inventory, it is possible that the mill had five burr stones operating at a time, although only one remains with the building at present. As more wheat and grain farmers settled in the surrounding land, more grist mills were constructed to meet local demands and eventually process flour for a larger market. By 1810 there were thirty-one mills in Jefferson County and the northern neck farming community was connected to the markets on the coast sending products to other states and internationally. According to the nomination for the National Register of Historic Places “Thomas Shepherd with his grist mill inaugurated a ‘bread basket’ for the growing nation.” The Shenandoah Valley remained the breadbasket of the United States for several more decades, at least through the Civil War. Eventually, Thomas Shepherd took fifty acres of his land and laid out ninety-six lots to create a town. The settlement was referred to as both Mecklenburg—the name given by early German settlers honoring Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg (married to King George II)—and Shepherd’s Town. In 1762, the Virginia legislature chartered Mecklenburg as a town with Shepherd as sole trustee and in 1764 Shepherd started transferring the lots to individual owners as long as they constructed a house on the lot. After the American Revolution, Mecklenburg was officially renamed Shepherdstown to honor founder Thomas Shepherd. Thomas Shepherd’s son, Thomas Shepherd, Jr., inherited the mill in 1776. A second son, David, moved to Wheeling and commanded Shepherd’s Fort. His son Moses was prominent in developing the National Road in Wheeling, including building two bridges near Wheeling and constructing Shepherd Hall (Monument Place). Sometime in the nineteenth century the mill was updated with new milling technology which is reflected in the current structure and equipment. The wooden wheel was replaced by the 40-foot iron I-X-L Overshoot Water Wheel from the Fitz Water Wheel Company currently in place. This increased the capacity of the mill and the interior equipment was likely changed to a system of roller mills. This would explain why the additional third wooden story was added, possibly around 1880; the additional space was needed to accommodate the new machinery. The iron wheel was originally located 100 yards downstream but was moved to its current location sometime around 1900. Shepherd’s Mill was leased to Luther Thompson, Jr. in 1923; he restored the water wheel for a cost of around $2,000 and operated the mill until 1939. This was the last time the mill was used for its original purpose and it was then converted into a unique residential space. The mill and adjacent brick house (built in 1759 by Abraham Shepherd) were purchased by Silas Starry, then mayor of Shepherdstown, in 1954. He restored the house between 1961 and 1967, with the only major alteration being the addition of a modern kitchen to replace the original basement kitchen. Starry owned the home and mill when they were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. According to family members, the mill was then purchased in 1973 by Ira &amp; Nancy Glackens who fully restored the mill building. Their caretaker, Patrinka Kelch, inherited the property from the Glackens in 1990. At her death in 2015, the property was sold to another private owner.

Thomas Shepherd’s Mill was built prior to 1739 and operated for two centuries. The mill drove the agricultural and economic development of the area in the 1700s and improvements to the mill reflect the transition from local rural milling to commercial milling for extended markets. Thomas Shepherd also founded the town of Shepherdstown, dividing fifty acres of his land into lots for settlement. Mecklensburg was officially chartered under Shepherd in 1762 and town renamed to Shepherdstown after the American Revolution. 

Thomas Shepherd Gristmill (Shepherd's Mill)

The natural crossing over the Potomac at Pack Horse Ford brought people through this area during and prior to the colonial period. There was an early settlement here, although the exact location has not been determined and no structures remain from it. The area of Shepherdstown begins to appear in colonial land grants, although those are often overlapping with multiple people claiming the same tract of land. Thomas Shepherd received a patent for the land in 1734 and started to lay out the town in 1762. He divided 50 of his acres into 96 lots and began selling them to individual owners with the stipulation that the owners improve the lot with buildings to meet certain specifications. The town of Mecklenburg was chartered on December 23, 1762. The town’s name was changed to Shepherdstown on January 11, 1798 to honor the town’s founder. Besides being West Virginia’s oldest community, Shepherdstown has a lot of significant history with shipping and transportation. The location of Pack Horse Ford and shipping on the Potomac and C &amp; O Canal placed Shepherdstown in the middle of traveling and commerce. Industries such as a brewery and brick yard were established in the 1790s. In addition, the town is famous for James Rumsey’s 1786 steam boat experiment. The first newspaper in West Virginia, the Potomac Guardian, was established in Shepherdstown in 1790. The first public school in West Virginia was established in Shepherdstown in 1849 and there was a school for Black children built in 1857, which is unusual for a slave owning state prior to the Civil War. A state normal school was established in 1871 and this became Shepherd College. Shepherdstown also served as the county seat of Jefferson County from 1866 to 1871. This temporary move away from Charles Town was a result of instability during the Civil War and Reconstruction, especially with the temporary disenfranchisement of Confederate sympathizers after the war. Jefferson County, and Shepherdstown, were largely pro-Confederate during the Civil War and retained a strong connection to Virginia even after the creation of West Virginia as a separate state. Architecturally, Shepherdstown Historic District exhibits a progression of styles from colonial log structures to 19th and 20th century architecture. Many of the earliest structures are log buildings with Germanic influence, reflecting the population that originally settled here. A unique characteristic of the town’s architecture is the large number of late 18th and early 19th century brick buildings, which is unusual for that period. This is likely due to the establishment of a commercial brick yard in Shepherdstown before 1794. As a whole, Shepherdstown has a significant collection of 18th and early 19th century construction that is possibly the best preserved in West Virginia.

Shepherdstown, WV is considered the oldest community in West Virginia. It was founded as Mecklenburg in 1762 by Thomas Shepherd, but a settlement existed here before that. Most of the structures in the historic district date between 1790 and 1920. The Shepherdstown Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, the first historic district listed in the state of West Virginia. The historic district was revised with a boundary extension in 1986. In 1986 there were 386 contributing resources and 69 non-contributing resources within the District.

Shepherdstown Historic District

Established on an ancient Native American&nbsp;route, Shepherdstown&nbsp;originated as&nbsp;a farming community named Mecklenburg by the German immigrants that began settling in the area in the middle 1700s, Shepherdstown became an important center of trade along the&nbsp;Virginia colonial frontier. The Entler Hotel is one of Shepherdstown's historical icons. The land around the museum was included in a&nbsp;deed from 1767 to a man named Christian Cookus.1&nbsp;In 1786, Phillip Entler bought the west part of the lot from Cookus and built a brick house. This house burned in 1912. Cookus developed the rest of the property, building a two-story brick building to the east of Philip Entler and another building with an entrance on Princess Street. Eventually, Daniel Bedinger, who marched with Captain Stephenson on the Beeline March, purchased the remaining property and built a three-story structure that butted up against both of Cookus' buildings.2&nbsp;Eventually, Bedinger owned all the property that now makes up the Entler Hotel. In 1809, James Brown leased the building, and began operating a grocery store on the corner and sublet what is now the museum for a tavern. The “Globe Tavern” offered overnight accommodations and became a well-known meeting place in Shepherdstown. The hotel was entered from the Princess street entrance. Around 1811, the town council began meeting in the tavern. Brown and Edward Lucas bought the property in 1815. In 1820, Brown sold the property to Thomas Crown of Washington City. Daniel Entler, the grandson of Philip Entler, began managing the hotel.5&nbsp;In 1824, Daniel Entler became the proprietor of the entire complex which now contained 24 rooms, 19 fireplaces, three cellars and three kitchens. It was known as Daniel Entler's Tavern or Hotel, until 1850, when it was shortened to the Entler Hotel. Entler and his six children lived in the original Philip Entler House on the west side of the lot.&nbsp; The Entler Hotel was used a Union hospital after the Battle of Antietam. Hotel operations continued until 1912 when a downtown fire damaged several buildings, including the Entler.3 The hotel was renovated and reopened in 1914 as the Hotel Rumsey. Hotel operations ceased for the last time in 1917, and the property was eventually acquired by Shepherd College. The college opened the building as a men's dormitory named Rumsey Hall. It was used for a limited time for U.S. Navy and Air Force Cadets before being converted to faculty housing. Concerned locals saved the building from demolition in 1972 and petitioned to have the building placed&nbsp;on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. In 1979, an organization named “Historic Shepherdstown” began renovating the property and opened the museum in 1983.Historic Shepherdstown and Museum is dedicated to preserving the heritage of Shepherdstown, its history, and architecture. The group worked to have the National Register of Historic Places designation extended to include the Shepherdstown Historic District. Some of the artifacts displayed in the museum include three clocks made by Jacob Kraft in the late 1700s, several Sheetz rifles, and many other items dating from the Revolutionary period. There are also items displaying items from the early 1800s.
Many of the hotel’s rooms have been recreated to reflect different periods in the town’s history. The Civil War display has been set to portray&nbsp;the lives of five different people as they lived in 1861, the dawn of the Civil War. The lives reflected represent a child, a slave, a preacher, a soldier, and a matriarch. Each room demonstrates life as it was lived by these segments of society. Another of the museum’s exhibits is the working replica of James Rumsey’s steamboat. The ship is housed in a boathouse located in the Entler’s garden area. This functional replica was built by the Rumseian Society, a&nbsp;group that seeks to preserve and promote the inventive genius&nbsp;of Shepherdstown’s James Rumsey. Rumsey invented his steamboat twenty years before Robert Fulton demonstrated his ship.4

Historic Shepherdstown Museum is located in the former Entler Hotel. The museum details the history of Shepherdstown and houses many historical artifacts crafted by local artisans. Rooms are arranged to reflect the history of the community at different periods, ranging from the colonial era to the 20th century. At lunchtime on weekdays, local historians present oral accounts of the town's history. The museum also features an archives room for genealogical and historical research. The working replica of James Rumsey’s steamboat is housed in a boathouse on the museum’s grounds.

Historic Shepherdstown and Museum

In the 1700s and early 1800s, as the population of western Virginia increased, grain production was a main part of the economy and dozens of grist mills opened in response. While many of the eighteenth-century mills were constructed for the local economy, by the nineteenth century most expanded to a commercial production of grain for markets in eastern cities. Mills such as the Thomas Shepherd Mill in Shepherdstown are examples of this transition towards commercial production. Henry Boteler and George Reynolds established Potomac Mills in 1826 as a merchant grist mill. Reynolds operated a smaller grist mill with his father further south on the Potomac (called Hoffman Mill), but the Potomac Mills complex was larger and meant to produce large quantities of grain for larger markets. As a merchant mill, the mill purchased grain from local farmers, processed it, and sold it in bulk in eastern markets. The timing of the mill’s construction by Boteler and Reynolds indicates that they may have been anticipating the construction of the Chesapeake &amp; Ohio Canal and that transportation connection to markets in Georgetown and Baltimore. The stone and log crib mill dam constructed across the Potomac also created an area of smooth water around Shepherdstown that allowed for the ferry crossing to flourish and for goods to be transported from the Virginia side to the Maryland side for transfer to the canal once it was completed. In the post-Revolutionary period there was a large interest in increasing transportation routes from the east coast into the western section of Virginia. This included the construction of the National Road and interest in utilizing the Potomac River by leaders such as George Washington. The planning for a canal along the Potomac was in discussion by 1820 and the charter for the Chesapeake &amp; Ohio Canal Company was confirmed by the Maryland legislature in January 1825 (confirmed by the U. S. Congress in March 1825). After a period of organization and fundraising, the groundbreaking for the C &amp; O Canal occurred on July 4, 1828. Canal construction in the United States created an industry in natural or hydraulic cement, and Boteler and Reynolds capitalized on the need for cement for the C &amp; O Canal. Natural or hydraulic cement is made from a particular type of limestone heated until it calcinates and then ground to a fine paste to be combined with water. The limestone was heated in kilns to 1300-1500 degrees, higher than the temperature used to produce quicklime, and when it hardened it remained hard underwater which was crucial for the construction of dams, locks, and bridges. Cement mills needed access to a quarry with the correct type of limestone, vertical kilns to burn the limestone, and a grist mill to grind the powder. The kilns were typically large top-loading kilns in a cone or pyramid shape to allow workers to continuously add stone and coal from the top. Large kilns could produce 50 to 120 barrels of cement per ton of coal. In January 1828 Henry Boteler contacted Charles Fenton Mercer, president of the C &amp; O Canal Company, to pitch the use of the limestone located at their mill. The company sent John H. Cocke, Jr., in charge of locating suppliers for the canal construction, to test the limestone. Cocke tested the Potomac Mills limestone in the small test kiln in September 1828 and determined it was the correct limestone needed in the canal construction. Boteler proposed to the C &amp; O Canal a price per bushel to burn, grind, and deliver cement for the canal construction. Securing a contract with the C &amp; O Canal necessitated transitioning the mill from a grist mill to a cement mill, although during harvest season Potomac mills alternated between grinding grain and stone. In 1829 Boteler and Reynolds converted the property to cement production. They purchased specialized buhr stones for grinding the limestone and added a two-story addition onto the mill. The first large limekiln was constructed and in operation by April 1929 and then they constructed the bank of six kilns closer to the river, the first three in June-July 1829 and the second three in April 1830. According to Boteler and Reynolds the bank of kilns could produce 1000 bushels of cement a day. The C &amp; O Canal was likely the mill’s biggest contract between 1829 and 1837. The first contract for August 7, 1829 to May 15, 1830 was for 80,000 bushels at 19 cents per bushel, a second contract for January 28, 1830 to September 1, 1830 ordered 60,000 bushels, and additional contracts extended through 1837. In 1829, as Boteler and Reynolds converted the mill property, the C &amp; O Canal authorized them to construct a warehouse specifically to store the 2000 bushels of lime ground per week for the canal construction. In 1835 Henry Boteler sold his interest in the mill and land to Reynolds for $25,932. A few years later Reynolds was very much in debt and he had to mortgage everything he owned in 1842, including the mill. In 1846 Reynolds defaulted on the mortgage and the Chancery Court forced him to sell everything. The mill property of 10-12 acres was purchased by Alexander R. Boteler, son of Henry Boteler, and he continued the operation of Potomac Mills in the 1850s. Due to its position on the Potomac, the mill was in the path of the Civil War several times between 1861 and 1865. The Potomac River was a natural boundary between Confederate Virginia and Union Maryland, and while the bridges were all burned at the beginning of the war, the fords were heavily used by troops of both armies. This included Packhorse Ford (or Boteler’s or Blackford’s Ford) that crosses the river right in front of the mill. In addition to being used several times by armies crossing between Virginia/West Virginia and Maryland, sentries and guards were almost continually posted to cover these fords and river crossings. In 1861, after Union troops on the Maryland side realized that Confederate troops were using the mill buildings for cover to fire on their position, a Union raid crossed and burned the mill buildings. The property may have also been targeted due to Alexander Boteler’s Confederate sympathies; he was a Colonel in the Confederate army and a representative in the Confederate legislature, and his home at Fountain Rock was also burned later in the war. Potomac Mills was in the center of the Battle of Shepherdstown, or the Battle of the Cement Mill, on September 19-20, 1862. On September 18, General Robert E. Lee ordered his army to retreat after the Battle of Antietam and the Confederates used Blackford’s/Pack Horse Ford by the mill to recross into Virginia. The army finished crossing on the morning of September 19 and Lee left a rearguard of General William Pendleton, Lee’s reserve artillery of ten batteries, and about 600 infantry to engage any Union force that might follow. The Union pursuit was Porter’s 5th Corps and artillery under Pleasanton. Early in the day on the 19th the artillery dueled across the Potomac River as Porter’s infantry got into position and later in the day a force of Union soldiers crossed the river, pushed the Confederate skirmishers back, and captured several pieces of abandoned artillery. Emboldened by the success of the 19th, the Union’s 1st Division, 1st Brigade crossed on the morning of the 20th, unaware that Confederate reinforcements from Stonewall Jackson’s Corps under A.P. Hill  had arrived overnight. When the Union forces climbed the quarry path up to the top of the bluffs by the mill they were surprised by Hill’s men who pushed the Union troops back towards the river. The 118th Pennsylvania, the Corn Exchange Regiment, was filled with green troops who discovered that many of their newly issued rifles were faulty. In the confusion, the 118th PA was not ordered to retreat with the other forces and they remained in battle line on the bluffs until it was too late. Once the regiment broke, the soldiers had to find ways to scramble back down the quarry under Confederate fire and many fell off the cliffs. Accounts of the battle describe soldiers scrambling down or falling off the limestone quarry bluffs, hiding in the arched kilns of the mill, and the mill dam across the Potomac holding back the bodies of dead and wounded men as the Union troops tried to recross the river under Confederate fire from the high ground. In the aftermath, Porter reported 363 men killed or wounded, 269 of which were from the 118th Pennsylvania. While overshadowed by the events of the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Shepherdstown stopped any Union pursuit of Lee’s army and allowed Lee to retreat back into Virginia. With the destruction of the mill in 1861, Boteler’s business failed, and he sold the property in the fall of 1865 to a group of trustees for $35,000. The Potomac Mills Mining and Manufacturing Company formed in 1867, rebuilt the mill around 1870, and resumed cement production by 1875. Major Henry Blunt, a Washington builder who had a farm in Jefferson County, leased the mill in the 1870s and likely was behind the 1878 purchase of the mill by new trustees William Webb and L. E. Coyle. The mill continued to produce cement through the rest of the nineteenth century, largely seasonally from April to December following the canal schedule and building schedule in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, both the mill and canal were affected by changes in the Potomac River, and this ultimately led to the demise of both. Periods of drought and low water prevented the water power needed to run the mills or use the water trace to move burned limestone to the mill (at some point Major Blunt installed a steam engine to power the mill to remedy this) and also prevented travel on the canal. More destructive was flooding which increased as more woodland above the watershed was removed for various purposes during the 1800s. A flood on June 1, 1889 was disastrous along the Potomac. Floodwaters crested at 44.3 feet at Williamsport and 34 feet at Harpers Ferry where the water was 21 feet above the canal towpath. The damage to the C &amp; O Canal was major and closed the canal down for three years due to repairs. At Potomac Mills the water flooded the mill building to about the second floor. The mill was back in operation in about a week but without the canal operating business slowed and Blunt had to use the more expensive railroad to transport his products. The C &amp; O Canal did not reopen until 1892 and even then the lock across from Shepherdstown remained closed. Delivering cement by boat could not resume until 1896 and by then the mill dam was in disrepair which affected the ability to ferry across the river. In addition to these flooding and transportation difficulties, the mill faced competition from a new product on the market. Portland cement, a new artificial cement mixture, began to dominate the market in the 1890s and reduced demand for natural cement. Major Blunt made substantial repairs to the mill and dam in 1900 to ready the plant for spring production in 1901. However, 1900 would be the last year Potomac Mills was in operation because Major Harry Blunt died in January 1901. His son Harry W. Blunt took over the business but soon closed it and he listed the property for sale in 1904 (apparently without success). Two more major floods hit the mill and damaged the property: the 1924 flood permanently closed the C &amp; O Canal and the 1936 flood was the worst in recorded history. In 1936 Harry W. Blunt conveyed the mill property to Harry W. Blunt III and the property remained in the Blunt family until 2011. The Jefferson County Landmarks Commission purchased the property from the Blunt family in 2011. The site was one of the few cement mills operated in West Virginia and was unique because it was both a cement and grist mill. According to the National Register of Historic Places nomination Potomac Mills is the best preserved of the ten nineteenth century mills along the Potomac. The current property includes all the original structures, now in ruins. This includes the ruins of the mill and “office building”/warehouse, the large kiln, test kiln, and battery of six kilns, remnants of the head race and dam, and the limestone cliffs/quarry. The original mill was a stone lower story with three brick stories. The 1829 mill addition was a stone lower story and two brick stories. None of the brick or wooden elements of the structure remain today. The brick warehouse constructed in 1829, locally known as the “office building,” was originally two stories with a third story added later. Records show that this structure likely served as a warehouse and was converted to a dwelling connected to the mill at a later point.

Potomac Mills is an 18-acre mill complex on the Potomac River that was in operation between 1826 and 1900. Starting as a grist mill to process local grain for eastern markets, the mill switched to cement production in the late 1820s. While the current mill structures are largely in ruins, the complex represents the commercial activity that once occurred along the banks of the Potomac. It is one of ten mills in West Virginia and Maryland associated with the construction of the C & O Canal, and it is the best preserved and most intact of the ten. During the Civil War the mill was burned by Union troops and was central to the Battle of Shepherdstown/the Battle of the Cement Mill during the retreat from Antietam/Sharpsburg. Now owned by the Jefferson County Landmarks Commission, the property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. 

Potomac Mills

Rosebrake was known as Poplar Grove until 1877 and on the National Register of Historic Places it is named the “Morgan-Bedinger-Dandridge House.” The structure was constructed in three phases. The first section was built by Richard Morgan in 1745, the second home he constructed on his land grant. This was a one-story white lath and plaster building, later called the “back building” in the larger house. The next construction phase was under Richard Morgan’s grandson, Daniel Morgan. Daniel Morgan lived at Poplar Grove between 1803 and 1833 and added a two-story brick structure using the original cabin as a kitchen wing. This brick addition was called the “Great House” and had four main rooms plus an attic and cellar. The brick was painted a cream color and Daniel Morgan also had formal gardens and landscaping laid out for the grounds. Morgan was a member of the first County Court, was Sheriff of Jefferson County (1819-1821), and represented the county in the Virginia House of Delegates for seven terms. He also hosted the fifty-year reunion for the Bee Line March at Poplar Grove in 1825. Caroline Lawrence Bedinger purchased Poplar Grove in 1859. The Bedingers were another prominent settler family alongside the Morgans and the families had intermarried in previous generations. Henry Bedinger II and his brothers had marched in the Bee Line March in 1775 from Morgan’s Spring. Caroline Lawrence married Henry Bedinger III in 1847, a two-term U.S. Representative and Minister to Denmark (1853-1858). Henry Bedinger died soon after returning from Denmark and his widow settled at Poplar Grove with their children. She constructed the third and final section of the home, now considered the main section. This addition is a two-story masonry block construction with a Greek Revival style entrance which shifted the main entrance of Poplar Grove from the second building to the new western face. Originally a one-story veranda stretched the full length of the western side of the home. The current Classic two-story portico with Doric columns and triangular pediment was shipped from Long Island and added to the house in 1950. A two-tiered porch on the back of Rosebrake was also brought from New York at that time. Popular Grove was renamed Rosebrake by Henry and Caroline Bedinger’s daughter, Danske Bedinger Dandridge. Dandridge was born in Denmark in 1854 when her father was Minister and she married Adam Stephen Dandridge III in 1877. She wrote poetry and loved studying botany and nature. When she wrote to horticultural magazines, she usually used the heading “Letters from Rose Brake” and she added many trees and plants to the estate’s grounds. Her collected poems were published in “Joy and Other Poems” and “Rosebrake,” and she published many individual pieces in literary magazines. Danske Dandridge was also a local historian and wrote Historic Shepherdstown in 1910. Her husband, Adam S. Dandridge served in the WV House of Delegates for three terms (1891-1897). After Danske Dandridge’s death in 1914 two daughter, Serena Dandridge, and niece Nina Mitchell, lived in Rosebrake for several decades until the Snyder family acquired the property in 1970. Both S. Dandridge and Mitchell were prominent local artists.

Known as Poplar Grove until renamed in the 1870s to Rosebreak, the home was constructed in three phases between 1745 and 1859. Started by original settler Richard Morgan, it has been home to the notable Morgan and Bedinger families. In addition, local poet and historian Dandridge called Rosebrake home for much of her life. The home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It is part of Morgan's Grove, which was designated a Historic District in 1999.

Rosebrake/Poplar Grove

Richard Morgan’s grandson, Jacob Morgan, built Falling Spring by 1837. Before settling here, he was a merchant in Alexandria, VA and owned several trading vessels. Both of Morgan’s wives, Anne Harris Thompson who he married in 1812 (died 1816) and Mary Jaquelin Smith who he married in 1826, were from Alexandria and Jacob Morgan was listed on the 1820 census as living in that city. When Jacob Morgan returned to the Shepherdstown area he built the new house close to his grandfather’s original home, became involved in local politics, and was a farmer that owned seven slaves. Falling Spring is a 2.5-story brick and limestone structure covered in white stucco. The house has a total of four floors of rooms. On the north side, fourteen-foot-wide stairs lead to a large porch. Ionic pillars hold up a triangular pediment with a lunette and a second-floor balcony is also sheltered under the porch roof. A second porch on the south side also features Ionic columns. The main structure is constructed in the Federal style, but the two porches give Falling Spring a Neo-Classical Revival appearance. After Jacob Morgan died in 1855, his eldest son William inherited Falling Spring. William A. Morgan served in the Confederate cavalry for the duration of the Civil War. He enlisted in 1861 in Company F in the 1st Virginia Cavalry. Known as the “Shepherdstown Troop” the company had been in existence before the war and had responded to John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. After the company was mustered in to Confederate service William Morgan was elected captain of the company and he was promoted through the ranks to Colonel by the end of the war. The 1st Virginia was engaged in every major campaign with the Army of Northern Virginia from First Manassas to Appomattox. At Appomattox Morgan and his men decided to break away and not surrender with the rest of Robert E. Lee’s army. Instead, the disbanded at Lynchburg and were paroled in Winchester on April 21, 1865. After the war, William Morgan served as a delegate to the constitutional convention for West Virginia and as deputy Sheriff for Jefferson County. He also started the Ashby Memorial Association after the war. After William Morgan died in 1899, Falling Spring was sold out of the family to Dr. M. H. Crawford. The Crawfords added the Japanese garden before they sold the house to Dr. G. Morrison in 1927. After this, the house went through several owners, some of the later owners making alterations to the structure. The individual Falling Springs National Register of Historic Places nomination includes the brick home, two springs, and the home’s dependences. Morgan’s Spring is covered by an old stone springhouse and the Bubbling Spring is within the remaining foundation of what used to be a springhouse. The dependencies include a meat house, Japanese Garden, garage, and cottage. The individual listing for Falling Spring also includes the original Richard Morgan Old Stone House nearby. The larger Historic District includes the area between Falling Spring and Route 480. Starting in the 1840s Route 480 was the Shepherdstown to Smithfield Turnpike and a toll house was built near the intersection of 480 and Morgan’s Grove Road. The toll road operated from the 1840s to the early 1900s and the building functioned as a toll house and residence for the toll keeper until the 1950s when the house became a private residence. The building no longer stands, but the foundations remain. In the 1870s the Shenandoah Valley Railroad built a route through West Virginia and it went through the Morgan property. A small rail station was constructed where Morgan’s Grove Road (built sometime between 1809 and 1852) and the train tracks intersected. These additions caused many of the original farm lanes to the Morgan houses to be rerouted off of Morgan’s Grove Road instead of 480 to avoid multiple private crossings over the tracks. Starting in 1885 a Shepherdstown organization wanted to hold an agricultural, mechanical, and livestock exhibition, a popular trend of entertainment in the period. Col. William Morgan offered his property as the location for the first fair in September 1885. The fair on Morgan’s property became an annual affair that thousands of people attended. The railroad built an additional switch to the fairgrounds and sold excursion tickets to fairgoers. In 1889 the Morgan’s Grove Agricultural Association bought the neighboring Fountain Rock property and moved the fair ground buildings there, although the fairs typically also used Derr Field still owned by Morgan. The fairs ran from 1885 to 1931, after which they were no longer community-run and started to fail (also due to the impact of the Depression). In 1932 the Pack Horse Ford Chapter of the Daughters of the Revolution erected a monument to commemorate the Bee Line March. Originally the monument stood on Route 480 near the 1730s entrance to Falling Spring, the nearest access point to the spring where the men rendezvoused and marched from in 1775. The monument has since been moved and is located near the entrance of Elmwood Cemetery just a short distance down 480 from the original spot.

Falling Spring is one building in the complex known as Morgan's Grove, completed in 1837. Morgan's Grove was settled by Richard Morgan in 1730, with Richard's grandson Jacob Morgan constructing Falling Spring in 1837. His eldest son, William Morgan, inherited Falling Spring and served in the 1st Virginia Cavalry during the Civil War. The property was the site of several community changes after the Civil War, including a railroad station and community agricultural fair. The building remained in the Morgan family until 1904, when it was sold to Dr. M. H. Crawford. It was be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Falling Spring (Morgan's Grove)

Dr. Henry Boteler (related to the Morgan family through marriage) built Fountain Rock in 1831 near a spring known as Fountain Spring. The two-story limestone house had ten rooms, was covered in stucco, and had a two-story columned porch. When Boteler passed in 1836, his son Alexander Robinson Boteler inherited Fountain Rock and the 200-acre farm, plus a cement mill near Shepherdstown. A. R. Boteler was a progressive agriculturalist and experimented with several crops and orchards on the Fountain Rock property. In the 1850s he was in high demand as a speaker on agricultural topics and was president of the Jefferson County Agricultural Society. In a financial blow, Boteler lost half of the estate in 1852 and the same year he became involved in Whig Politics. He was elected to Congress representing Virginia in 1859 and then elected to the Virginia legislature in 1861. He did not take this later seat, however, due to the start of the Civil War. Initially he advocated for remaining with the Union and protecting slavery, but once Virginia seceded he joined the Confederacy. During the war Boteler served as an aid to both Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and J. E. B. Stuart, served in the Confederate Congress, helped design the Great Seal of the Confederacy, and served as a military judge on the staff of Robert E. Lee. Due to its location at the top of the Shenandoah Valley, Fountain Rock and the rest of Morgan’s Grove saw a lot of action during the Civil War. This included the travel of troops from both armies, several skirmishes, and encampments on the property. Boteler and his family suffered almost total property loss during the war, due to its location and his position within the Confederacy. In 1861, shortly after Union forces arrested Boteler at his home and held him temporarily at a Union headquarters across the Potomac, the Union burned his cement mill in Shepherdstown. It is possible that the house was used as a hospital after the 1862 Battle of Antietam. The farmlands at Fountain Rock were destroyed by troops marching and encamping, as well as neglect and lack of workers. Boteler’s slaves all fled to the Union lines for freedom by mid-1863. In 1864, Union General David Hunter gave orders in Harpers Ferry to burn several local estates in retaliation for Confederate General Jubal Early burning the Maryland governor’s mansion during his raid towards Washington, D.C. Under these orders Captain William Martindale and a detachment of the 1st New York Cavalry burned the home of Andrew Hunter in Charles Town, Fountain Rock, and Bedford, the estate of Henrietta Bedinger and Edmund Jennings Lee. When Union troops torched Fountain Rock it was occupied by Boteler’s two daughters and three grandchildren. One of the sisters sadly played her piano as the soldiers set the house on fire and then evacuated. Fountain Rock was never rebuilt and Boteler quickly sold the destroyed mill property. He turned his attention towards industrial projects, such as bringing the telegraph and railroad to Shepherdstown, and continued to travel as a speaker on agricultural and Confederate topics. In 1876 President Grant appointed Boteler to the U.S. Centennial Commission and later he worked for the U.S. Tariff Commission and as a Pardon Clerk in the U.S. Department of Justice. He was also a founder of Shepherd College. Between 1873 and 1877 Col. Boteler occupied nearby Poplar Grove (Rosebrake) owned by Caroline Bedinger. In 1889 the Morgan’s Grove Agricultural Association bought the Fountain Rock property to use as the grounds for an increasingly popular agricultural fair that had begun in 1885 on the neighboring Morgan/Falling Spring property. The annual fair was held between 1885 and the early 1930s. The ruins of Fountain Rock stood until around the turn of the century when parts of the stone walls were used as a foundation for a dance pavilion. During the Great Depression the fairs began to fail, and the property was purchased by P. P. Steptoe. In 1961 the Shepherdstown Men’s Club purchased twenty acres of the property for a community park, now Morgan’s Gove Park. A new pavilion was built on the site of Fountain Rock in 1982, although remains of the stone foundation do remain. Near the current pavilion is an original stonewall with original steps leading to the springhouse. The wall, steps, and stone springhouse are survivors from the Fountain Rock estate.

A two-story home known as Fountain Rock stood here between 1831 and 1864, home to the Boteler family and part of Morgan's Grove. The estate saw activity during the Civil War, with troops skirmishing and encamping on and around the grounds. In 1864 Fountain Rock was burned to the ground by Union forces and never rebuilt. After the war, the property was used as a fairgrounds and then purchased for the current community park. 

Fountain Rock/Morgan's Grove Park

Cold Spring is a two-story (plus attic and basement) home with chimneys at each end. It is a stone house with patters of rectangular stones about the windows and doors. The structure is very similar to nearby Elmwood, built by Edward Lucas III in 1797. Lucas III helped his son Robert build Cold Spring in 1793 for Robert, his wife Sarah (Rion), and their children. One of their sons, Edward V., graduated from Dickinson College, served as a lieutenant in the War of 1812, and served several terms in the State House of Delegates. Edward V. also served in Congress and then as the superintendent and paymaster of Harpers Ferry Armory and Arsenal. A second son, William, graduated Tucker Law School and opened a law practice in the county before also serving terms in the Virginia House of Delegates and US Congress. He was elected to the Virginia Constitutional Convention in 1850 and also built nearby Rion Hall for his family. Another son, Robert, also served in the War of 1812 and earned the nickname “Colonel Bob.” He inherited Cold Spring and held the estate until his death in 1880. After his death the mansion was inherited by his Daniel Bedinger, son of William and author of the poem “The Land Where We Were Dreaming.” After the death of Bedinger’s daughter Cold Spring passed from the Lucas family to new ownership.

Cold Spring was built for Robert and Sarah Lucas in 1793, with help from Robert’s father Edward Lucas III, who also built nearby Elmwood. Their sons served in the War of 1812 as well as state and national politics. In 1880 ownership passed to Daniel Bedinger and author of the poem “The Land Where We Were Dreaming.” Cold Spring was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Cold Spring

Elmwood Farm/Plantation is a two-story Federal style historic home built in 1797 with an attic, stone foundation, and basement. The land was originally claimed by Edward Lucas II in 1732 while the main house was not built until 1797 by Edward Lucas III. Edward Lucas crossed the mountains from Pennsylvania to take up his residence in the fertile Shenandoah Valley. When the Federal Constitution was adopted, among the first certificates filed in the area was one for Lucas who had exhibited ten hundred and one-quarter pounds of winter-rotted hemp, for which he was entitled to a bonus.  His first wife, Mary Darke, was the aunt of famous Revolutionary War General William  Darke, until her death when he married his second wife, Mary Corn. Edward Lucas had seventeen children; his oldest, Edward, was born in 1738.   Edward Lucas III was a Revolutionary War veteran who volunteered at Fort Cumberland shortly after Baddock's defeat where he was wounded at Laurel Hill West Virginia. He and his brothers distinguished themselves by their hand-to-hand conflicts with Native Americans. His brother William Lucas was one of the most intrepid soldiers in the "Indian" campaigns when he took up arms at the age of seventeen to avenge the deaths of several of his brothers who had been massacred during the campaigns against the natives. In 1775, Edward Lucas set out from Shepherdstown on a 600 mile march to join George Washington in Boston thence to New Jersey to reinforce the army where he achieved the rank of second-lieutenant per commission signed by George Washington. All of the Lucas brothers and sons served with notable distinction and are documented for "extreme acts of bravery" against native Americans. The Lucas family spread across the valley and several were elected into Congress for several terms.  Lucas married Elizabeth Edwards, together they had eleven children, sadly only 6 survived. Their son Robert Edward IV received his medical certificate at the University of Pennsylvania ;however, when he inherited Elmwood he chose farming over medical practice. in 1855, Robert Lucas served as a sheriff to the county. When the Civil War reached the Shenandoah Valley, Robert served as a surgeon while Elmwood was used as an army hospital.  Elmwood was inhabited by the Lucas family until 1948 when it was bought by Dr. Oscar C. Stine. Sadly the records of slaves who inhabited the grounds have not been uncovered yet. Documentation of slaves who traveled to the plantation in 1840, consist of 12 slaves accompanying their mistresses to help care for their sick relatives; however, more information has not been brought to light. The brick walls of Elmwood still contain many secrets as well as an extraordinary history.

Elmwood Plantation is located on land claimed by one of the Shenandoah's first settlers, Edward Lucas the II in 1732. His son Edward Lucas III, a Revolutionary War soldier, built the Plantation house in 1787. Lucas III reached the rank of second lieutenant during the Revolution by a commission signed by George Washington. Lucas's son, Robert Edwards IV, received his medical certificate from the University of Pennsylvania and inherited the Plantation. Although he was a physician, Robert chose to farm instead of practicing medicine. Robert was called to serve as a physician during the Civil War and allowed Elmwood to be used as an army hospital during the war years. Generations of Lucas's remained at Elmwood until 1948 when it was purchased by Dr. Oscar Stine. The house remains privately owned and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Elmwood was also inhabited and farmed by slaves; unfortunately, the records of these slaves individual names have not survived yet their quarters where they lived still stand to provide us some connection to them through the centuries.  

Elmwood Farm/Plantation

Linden Spring was constructed for William Lucas, who was part of the second generation of the prominent Lucas family in Jefferson County. His father, Edward Lucas II, moved to the area in 1732 and acquired land from Lord Fairfax. William Lucas was born in January 1742. He fought in both the French and Indian War and American Revolution; he served under William Darke in the French and Indian War and was 1st Lieutenant in Captain William Morgan’s company in 1776. After the Revolution, Lucas held the rank of captain and organized local forces against attacks by Native Americans. He was married to Susannah Barnes and they had nine children. Lucas constructed Linden Spring, a two-story stone built in an “L” shape, around 1793. Field stone is abundant in Jefferson County and is a common building material in homes of this period. The stone walls are almost two feet thick, squared blocks form the quoining at the corners, and there are flat arches above the windows. The L-shaped house was very popular in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties and, like Linden Spring, that design usually included two-story galleries on the inside of the L. Sometime around 1800 the Lucas family moved to Scioto, OH. Susannah Lucas died in 1809 and was the first burial in what is now called Lucasville Cemetery; William Lucas died in 1814 and was buried next to her. Several of the Lucas sons fought in the War of 1812, included Major Samuel Lewis who died in 1813. Of the nine children, his son Robert Edward Lucas, is one of the more prominent. Born at Linden Spring in 1781, Robert Lucas was around twenty years old when the family moved to Ohio. There Lucas worked as a surveyor for Scioto County and served as a justice of the peace. He was in the Ohio militia and rose to the rank of Major General in that service. He also served in the War of 1812 and fought in the Detroit Campaign under General Hull. He was promoted to captain and then colonel in the regular service. After his military service, his political career took off. Starting in 1816 he was in the Ohio legislature (House and Senate) for about twenty years. In 1832 he was chairman of the Democratic Party National Convention that nominated Andrew Jackson to the presidency. That same year, Lucas was elected governor of Ohio and served two terms. Afterwards, President Martin Van Buren appointed him the first territorial governor of Iowa, 1838-1841. He died in Iowa in 1853.

Linden Spring was the home of William and Susannah Lucas in the late-1700s. Constructed around 1793, the home represents typical Berkeley & Jefferson County construction with field stone walls and an “L” shape. The Lucas family was one of the early prominent settler families in what would become Jefferson County, WV. Linden Spring was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its architecture and its connection to William and Robert Lucas. William Lucas was known for his military service in the French and Indian War and American Revolution. His son, Robert Lucas, was governor of Ohio and first governor of Iowa in the 1830s. The house underwent a restoration in the 1980s when it was placed on the NRHP. 

Linden Spring / Captain William Lucas and Robert Lucas House

Rockland, or the Verdier Plantation, was constructed between 1771 and 1785 by James Verdier who also owned a tannery along Town Run in Shepherdstown. Born in France to a wealthy family—his father was a silk weaver—Verdier was a court page and married Lady Susanna Monei. Despite their wealthy status, the family faced religious persecution and fled to America. Family history states that they fled France with money and some valuables sewn into their clothing. James and Susanna originally went to Maryland and then moved to Shepherdstown where James established his tannery in town and constructed Rockland. He eventually had tanneries in Martinsburg, WV and Sharpsburg, MD as well. Verdier was engaged in the settlement and development of Shepherdstown and supported the Continental Army during the Revolution, including the “Bee Line March.” The Verdiers hoped to send one of their sons back to France to reclaim the family fortune, but that never happened. Several of the six Verdier children established Verdiersville, VA. The original section of the house, built between 1771 and 1785, is constructed of local limestone laid in a non-regular course with corner blocks. It is 2.5 stories, 5 bays across the front, with chimneys at each gable end. The brick Victorian addition was built in 1897. The roof was originally shingle but has been replaced with tin and slate. The front entrance and porch are also modern replacements of older versions. There have been several alterations to both interior and exterior, including the house being converted to a two-family residence at one time. Included in the National Register nomination are 3 original dependencies: a log spring house (likely 1700s), 2-story kitchen/slave quarters (likely 1700s), and a later brick smoke house. Also contributing are a stone carriage block and stone wall. The property is also known as the Schley Farm and Knode House for later residences of the house.

Rockland was built in the late-1700s by the Verdier family, French immigrants who owned several tanneries and supported the settlement of Shepherdstown, WV. The original stone house was constructed prior to 1785 and the brick addition was done in 1897. Rockland was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Rockland

Rose Hill is a central two-story brick house constructed in 1835 with a later 1.5-story wing off the side. The brick is laid in common bond and the house rests on a limestone foundation, very typical local materials used in period structures in Jefferson County. The exterior design is five-bay with porches on either side and elements of decorative brickwork. The house has a distinct Greek Revival style with very symmetrical features and an almost identical east and west façade. The main (east) entrance is a portico porch with the door surrounded by sidelights and a rectangular transom light. The west entrance is similar but features columns in an octagonal design which is unusual for northern West Virginia. Another key architectural feature is the interior chimneys on each end creating a flush wall on either side; in the attic each chimney is flanked by small windows. The interior layout is two-pile, meaning two rooms deep, with a central hall flanked by rooms on either side. The room layout aligns between the two floors. The interior decorative elements are largely preserved, including marbleized stair risers, baseboards, and fireplace. Included in the NRHP nomination is a log dependency just behind the main house. This two-story structure was built around 1795 of hewn log with hair and mortar chinking; weatherboard was later added. There are few eighteenth-century structures similar to this one remaining in Jefferson County. The Rose Hill property was originally part of the large land claim of Lord Fairfax. Fairfax sold 1068 acres to John Pagan in 1753 and Pagan then sold the land to Adam Stephen in 1764. Stephen became prominent in the region due to his military service under George Washington and his role in the founding of Martinsburg. While he owned the Rose Hill property he was not personally connected to its development because he leased the land out to others. His grandson, Adam Stephen Dandridge, inherited the property and also leased the land to tenants. One of these tenants was Samuel Davenport, who likely constructed the log house around 1795. In 1821 Thomas James bought the land and he is thought to have built the main brick house around 1835.

Rose Hill Farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 for its well-preserved architecture in the Greek Revival style. While other local houses have been remodeled or lost distinctive features of original architecture, Rose Hill has most of its exterior and interior features preserved. The main brick house (1835) and the smaller log house (1795) illustrate the architectural development of the county and the pattern of the construction of a smaller, rougher structure followed later by the construction of a larger, more sophisticated house on the same property. 

Rose Hill Farm

The Glenburnie Farm includes the house, main barn, and several outbuildings from the nineteenth and early-twentieth century. The house was constructed in 1802 in the Federal style using red brick on a limestone rubble foundation. A kitchen addition was added later in the nineteenth century and there are three chimneys and three porches in the structure. Above each window is a flat brick arch decoration. The 2.5-story limestone rubble barn was constructed in 1804. Other nineteenth and early-twentieth century farm structures on the property include two meat houses, a wood shop, machine shop and corn crib, spring house, pig pen, and silo. Architecturally, the house is a well-preserved example of the Federal style in the county and the barn is a rare surviving example of that type of structure. As a complex, the Glenburnie farm shows the “19th century complex” where the barn is more dominant than the house, and the surrounding outbuildings demonstrate the evolution of farming over time.  James Glenn, Sr. was born on May 3, 1763 and fourteen years later he appeared on the Berkeley County Orphan Bond Book. At a young age, Glenn enlisted in the Continental Army and served in the Carolinas under Gen. Nathaniel Greene. After the Revolution, Glenn also served with Virginia troops in 1791 in General Arthur St. Clair’s expedition against the Miami and Shawnee that ended in the failure of the Battle of the Wabash, or “St. Claire’s Defeat.” According to a 1905 account Glenn barely escaped the battle, but took command of the detachment of Captain Darke when he fell in battle. This account also states that Glenn was the messenger to Gen. Washington in Philadelphia to inform Congress of St. Clair’s defeat. He was awarded a promotion for his service and was a recruitment officer in Pittsburgh for a few years before retiring in 1794. He remained active in the Virginia Militia, but at that point he returned to Shepherdstown to settle. He acquired and built the 1802 house on the land his father had rented in the 1770s. Glenn married Jane Duke in the mid-1790s; none of their three children survived and his wife died as well. He remarried to Ruth Burns and they had four children, one of which died before the age of two and was buried in the garden of Glenburnie. One of Glenn’s daughters, Mary Rebecca Glenn married Benjamin Reed Boyd and was the mother of Confederate spy Belle Boyd. In Belle Boyd’s memoir of her life and spying in the Civil War, she recounts an incident where Federal soldiers came to her house in search of Confederate flags with the intention of hoisting a Union flag on the house. When the soldiers insulted her and her mother, Belle Boyd shot and killed one of the soldiers; this marked the start of her time spying for the South. James Glenn’s son, James William Glenn, was born on January 10, 1832, just months before Glenn, Sr.’s death in November that year. With Glenn’s death the estate was divided between James William Glenn and a nephew, William Grove, who inherited Glenwood. Glenn, Jr. entered the Virginia Military Institute with the Class of 1851 (in 1847) but only completed eighteen months before resigning. At the beginning of the Civil War, Glenn enlisted in the 12th Virginia Cavalry as captain of Company A. He resigned his position January 12, 1863 citing health concerns and did not return to Confederate service. However, after he returned home, he was arrested by Union forces and held for several months at Fort Delaware. His complied military service record file includes letters of support from his unionist neighbors advocating for his release due to his resignation from the Confederate military, his health, and his wife’s unionism. After the Civil War, Glenn sold Glenburnie in 1866 and settled with his family at Glenwood. He had inherited Glenwood, the other half of his father’s estate, when his cousin William Grove died. In 1871 he was part of a five-member board advocating the state to move the county seat from Shepherdstown to Charles Town. Glenn lived the rest of his life at Glenwood; after his wife died in 1893 he leased the home to another family, but continued to live there too until his death in 1907. Glenburnie was sold a few times and the property size reduced before the early 1900s. G. H. Hendrick purchased the farm in 1920 and that family still owned the property in the 1980s when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Glenburnie Farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 for its architecture and connection to the James Glenn family. The main structures on the property are the 1802 brick Federal style house and 1804 stone barn. James Glenn, Sr. was notable for his service in the Revolutionary War and 1791 St. Clair expedition. His son, James William Glenn, served in the Confederate cavalry and one of his daughters was the mother of famous spy Belle Boyd. 

Glenburnie

The Rock Spring property was originally part of Lord Fairfax’s large “northern neck” landholding. On November 4, 1754 Fairfax granted 360 acres to Samuel Darke, although there is evidence that Darke was living on the land earlier than that year. Two years later, on September 1, 1756, John Wright purchased the 360-acre plot from Darke to add to his other adjacent acreage. August 3, 1762 James Hendricks purchased the 360 acres for 5 schillings. James and his wife, Priscilla, moved from York County, Pennsylvania with at least one child, their oldest son Daniel who was born in 1744/45. Daniel Hendricks married Jane Buckles around 1763 and records indicate that they settled on the western section of his father’s 360 acres. 1798 tax records show that Daniel and Jane Hendrick’s oldest son, William, owned a home there worth $840. The William Hendricks house is a 1794 1.5-story brick structure that is still standing. James and Priscilla had three other children—sons John and James Jr. and daughter Jane. In James Sr.’s 1795 will he divided his remaining lands between these three. James Jr. inherited the property that would become Rock Spring and he purchased an additional forty-two acres from his brother John. 1798 tax records indicate that James Hendricks Jr. had a home assessed at $630, which might be the Rock Spring home. This was a 1.5-story structure with two rooms and a central hall estimated to be constructed between the late 1790s and 1810. By 1810 John Snyder had purchased the John Hendricks farm and was neighbors with James Hendrick, Jr. who was still living on his Rock Spring property. Snyder was born in 1770 and had moved from Pennsylvania. In 1831, John Snyder also purchased the James Henricks farm (117 acres) for $5200. In 1849 John Snyder, Sr. began dividing his land between his three sons, first selling the Rock Spring/James Hendricks farm to his son John Snyder, Jr. for $100. By 1852 Snyder, St. had divided most of the land between his children, while he continued to live on the John Hendricks property. John Snyder, Sr. died in 1858. John Snyder, Jr. married twice. His first wife died and he had one son, Henry M. Snyder, from that marriage. His second wife, Elizabeth Jane Snyder, was a cousin and they had several children together. Her father, Abraham Snyder, owned a nearby farm named Pleasant Valley. It was John Snyder, Jr. who improved the main house and farm buildings between the 1830s and 1850s. Sometime around 1850 the original 1.5-story house was expanded with a second story and two additional rooms on the north side. During the Civil War, both the Union and Confederate armies operated in and traveled through Jefferson Country frequently. John Snyder’s son from his first marriage, Henry M. Snyder, enlisted in the 2nd Virginia Infantry, Co. H and served with the Confederacy for much of the war. He visited home several times during the war, whether on sick leave or visiting while his regiment was camped nearby. On one of these visits, on November 9, 1864, intruders threatened his parents—it is disputed whether these were local robbers or northern “carpetbaggers”—and Henry was shot while confronting the men. He died on November 11, 1864 and local lore has it that there is a bloodstain in the hall of Rock Spring where he lay wounded. After the war, John Snyder, Jr. was listed as living with his wife and their 18-year-old son Nelson. Also living with them was a Black family employed by the Snyders, Daniel and Priscilla Jackson with their two daughters. Snyder’s 1873 will gave the property to his wife for life, after which it would pass to Nelson. Elizabeth Snyder wrote her will in 1884 and left the farm to Nelson as her husband had intended. She also left a life estate for Nelson’s wife, Emma Snyder, and their children. Elizabeth Snyder died in 1907. Nelson and Emma Snyder had orchards on the property and used the nearby railroad depot at Shenandoah Junction to send their products to eastern cities. Nelson T. Snyder died in 1932 and Emma Snyder in 1944 at which time Rock Spring passed to their ten surviving children. A few of the Snyder siblings continued to own Rock Spring until 1971 when they divided the property and sold a portion, including the house, to nephew Henry M. Snyder, Jr. In 1993 Snyder sold the house plot and ten additional acres to Roger and Patricia Perez. Stephen Skinner and Sinclair Dunlop acquired the property from Patricia Perez shortly before the property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. The house was back on the market in 2020. In addition to the main house, other contributing structures to the NRHP nomination include: a frame wagon shed/corn crib (c. 1850); frame stable (c. 1900); and limestone domestic outbuilding—bake house/wash house/spring house/summer kitchen (built around 1830s-1840s). This last structure is particularly significant because it still houses a squirrel-tailed brick oven and the channel for the spring to go though the building. It is rare for an original oven of this type to survive, which adds to the agricultural and historic significance of the site. According to the NRHP nomination: “The Rock Spring house and outbuildings, with the remaining 12.25 acres as setting, are an architectural representation of the cultural landscape’s development Jefferson County through the 19th century. The region today (2007) is under significant residential development pressure with large historic farms and their associated building quickly disappearing.”

Rock Spring is a two-story brick home near Shenandoah Junction, WV. The original core of the house was a 1.5-story structure built sometime between the 1790s and 1810 and the house was later expanded to its current appearance. Rock Hill is largely connected to the Hendricks and Snyder families who owned the property between 1762 and 1971. The house is a good example of the evolution of Jefferson County architecture from the first Federal/Early Republic style house to the Greek Revival appearance in the 1850s. Like many homes in the area, the house expanded along with the needs and wealth of the families as the county developed. Rock Spring is an example of the evolution of architecture and agriculture Jefferson County of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Rock Spring

The farm was established around 1750 by Samuel Darke who farmed subsistence goods and possibly tobacco. It is likely that Darke was living on the land prior to 1750 as local records mention him several times in the 1740s, however he received the warrant to survey 360 acres from Lord Fairfax in April 1750. He was officially granted the surveyed land in 1754. On September 1, 1756 John Wright purchased the 360 acres from Samuel Darke as a lease &amp; release (essentially a lease to own arrangement) and then the property was acquired by Col. James Hendricks in August 1762. Col. James Hendricks held the 360-acre property until his death in 1795, and under his family it was split into separate estates. Eldest son, Daniel, married Jane Buckles around 1763 and settled on the northwest third of his father’s property. James Hendricks’ 1795 will further divided the estate between his children and grandchildren, and provided for the support of his wife. The will divided the property into four households on three farms: Daniel’s widow Jane still held the northwest section, a western section was divided between two grandsons (Tobias and Daniel Hendricks), and the remainder was divided evenly between his sons James Jr. and John Hendricks. James Hendricks, Jr. acquired the Rock Spring property and John Hendricks the York Hill property. John Hendricks quickly sold his inherited land, and it appears he moved out of the county. In November 1795 he sold 42 acres to his brother James to add to the Rock Spring property and in March 1796 he sold the remaining 98 acres to Martin Myers. Myers lived in Washington County, MD and only held the property for one year before selling it to Jacob Snyder. Snyder, who also lived in Washington County, purchased the farm for his son John Snyder and in 1802 Jacob and Ann Snyder officially sold the 98-acre farm to their son. John Snyder also later purchased Rock Spring from James Hendricks in 1831. The Snyder family operated the farm from 1798 to 1939 and it was known as the “Snyder Farm.” John Snyder, Sr. died in 1858. At this point, John Snyder, Jr. lived at the Rock Spring property, so it is likely that his oldest son, Jacob, moved into York Hill. In the 1870 census Jacob Snyder and his wife were listed with seven children and real estate worth $25,000. A Black couple was also listed in the household, Daniel and Hannah Bowers who worked for the Snyder family. In 1872 John Snyder, Jr. conveyed the York Hill property to Jacob Snyder and the Rock Spring property to another son, Nelson Snyder. In the 1880s, Jefferson County began to reduce its wheat production and shift towards orchard production. Jacob Snyder converted part of his property to orchards by 1910 and Nelson Snyder was listed as an “apple grower” in 1928. Jacob Snyder’s son, Charles Snyder, also farmed the property on a farm parceled out of the southeast corner of the farm (known as “Cherry Hill”). Jacob Snyder died in 1915 and his wife, Lizzie Snyder, in 1919. In her will she did not specifically give the farm to any particular one of her children but gave them the first right to purchase the farm. Lizzie Snyder’s heirs agreed in 1921 that two of the siblings, Ferd Snyder and Maria Snyder, would buy the 145-acre farm. The Snyder siblings operated the farm and orchard through the 1920s and 1930s, and around 1925 the name was changed to “York Hill.” The 1930s were devastating for Ferd and Maria Snyder as they faced the same struggles as farmers across the nation in the Great Depression. In 1938 they twice had to place parts of their land in trust to other people in order to secure funds and when they could not pay their debts they had to declare bankruptcy and were forced to sell the farm. In 1939 York Hill was sold to Nan Wilson for $8,760. Five years later, Nan Wilson sold the farm (now 135 acres) to Milton Burr, Samuel J. Hockensmith, and Robert A. Hockensmith. The three men were partners in the orchard until 1951 when Burr sold his interests in the property and equipment to Robert Hockensmith. Two years later, Robert’s wife, Pauline Hockensmith, purchased Samuel Hockensmith’s share so the orchard and farm was owned and operated under one family. Around this point the Hockensmiths converted the bank barn to orchard use by converting sections into cold storage. Pauline and Robert Hockensmith’s daughter, Mary Frances, married Jerry Hockman in 1958 and in 1960 her parents gave her the farmstead complex. Two years later the Twin Ridge Orchard Co., with Jerry Hockman as president, purchased 139 acres from the Hockensmiths and a few years later bought 42 more acres adjacent to the house. By the end of the 1960s some of the acreage was still owned by Pauline Hockensmith, but the orchard was primarily operated by Jerry and Mary Frances Hockman. The Hockmans divorced and in 1989 Jerry Hockman conveyed the property entirely to Mary Frances Hockman. In 1997 Pauline Hockensmith gave the rest of her interest in the property to her daughters, Mary Frances Hockman and Margaret Ann Saunders. In 2006 the Twin Ridge Orchard Co., Inc., parent company of the York Hill Orchard &amp; Farm, continued to operate under Gordon Hockman. The main house at York Hill is a “telescope house” with sections constructed at different times. The original log core structure was built in the late 1700s by one of the early owners of the property. In the early 1800s two additions were done on the main core: a stone addition of limestone forms the north wing and a log addition forms the south wing. A final frame addition was added to the southwest corner of the house in the 1970s. The 138-acre orchard and farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 for its role in the agricultural development of the region and the representative agricultural architecture, particularly from the 19th century. Included in the NRHP nomination is the main house, stone smoke house, stone springhouse, and large stone Pennsylvania bank barn. The barn was built in 1812 for grain storage and livestock and was later converted to orchard use in the 1900s. The nominated property also includes the Hendricks/Snyder cemetery; most of the burials are from the 1800s with the most recent in 1937.

York Hill is a historic house and farm that has been in continuous agricultural use from the 1750s to today. The home at York Hill is a “telescope house” with sections constructed in the late 1700s, early 1800s, and 1970s. Initially farmed for grain and possibly tobacco, the land was converted to orchards in the twentieth century and is currently operated as the Twin Ridge Orchard and York Hill Orchard & Farm. York Hill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 for its role in the agricultural development of the region and the representative agricultural architecture.

York Hill   (Twin Ridge Orchard/York Hill Orchard & Farm)

The Rellim property was originally part of Traveler’s Rest owned by Horatio Gates. John Mark acquired 721 acres from Gates in 1790 and then gave 215 of those acres to his daughter when she married in 1814. The couple, Eliza and Aaron Jewett, resided in Shepherdstown and likely rented out the farm to a tenant farmer. After the Jewetts passed away, Thomas Turner bought the property in 1867. His daughter, Mary Susan Turner, married Abraham Miller and they bought 61 acres of the Turner property in 1880. Miller began establishing his farm in 1880 and named it Rellim by spelling their last name backwards. Between 1880 and 1905, Miller largely engaged in subsistence farming. He raised dairy cows, hogs, and chickens and cultivated grain crops to feed them. He also grew some vegetable crops for sale in local markets and planted quince, pear, and cherry trees. Miller branched out into orchards in 1905 when he planted two test plots of apples, one 5 acres and the other 3 acres. Orchard production was a significant industry in both Jefferson and Berkely Counties by the 1900s. Orchards were common beginning in the Revolutionary period and commercial production (especially of apples) was established before the Civil War. Jefferson County was well known for apple production by the late 1800s and farmers shipped to both domestic and international markets. Miller initially intended to sell his apples locally, but the orchard grew more and more successful until he was producing 300-400 bushels of apples per acre and he expanded his operation to packing and shipping produce to a wider market. In the 1920s the Miller family decided that the orchards were more profitable than trying to keep a dairy herd on their acreage. After Abraham Miller died in 1929 his son, Paul Miller, Sr., took over the orchard operation and converted the entire property to orchards. Also in the 1920s and 1930s more customers came directly to the farm to buy produce, so the family converted the dairy barn into their sales room. During the management of Paul Miller, Sr., Rellim farm partnered with West Virginia University to test new farming techniques. In the 1930s a neighboring farm, Aspendale, was given by A. L. Omps to WVU for the development of an experimental farm to study pesticides and disease control. Since it would take time from the WVU scientists to plant and cultivate an experimental orchard they reached out to local farmers to recruit help. Miller was very open to experimenting with new techniques and Rellim Farm worked with WVU between the 1920s and 1965.Paul Miller, Sr. died in 1958 and his son, Charles H. Miller, took over operations. During his management peaches were added as a third orchard crop at Rellim. Charles Miller passed away in 2013 and his son, Dr. Steve Miller, now oversees the orchard. In addition to the orchards there are five contributing structures to the Historic District: the 1888 barn, 1900 hog barn, 1915 dairy barn, 1915 milk house/orchard office, and 1930 pump house. The main house was constructed in 1888 in an Italianate style, but was completely renovated in the 1980s and is non-contributing to the district.

Rellim, or the Miller Farm, is approximately 50 acres of orchard established by Abraham Miller in 1880. It is the oldest continuously family owned and operated farm in Jefferson County, and the second oldest in West Virginia. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 for its significance in agriculture. 

Rellim Orchard

Horatio Gates was born in Essex, England on July 27, 1727. His father was a captain in the British Army. Gates joined the British army while in his early twenties and was sent to North America. He served in Nova Scotia until 1750 as a lieutenant under General Edward Cornwallis. Gates married his wife Elizabeth, the daughter of an army officer in 1754, they had one son named Robert. Gates served with Braddock early in the French and Indian War, and was severely wounded on July 9th in the attempt to capture Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh, Pa) in 1755. He was later commissioned a major in 1762. On May 8, 1765 he retired with half-pay.After the war Gates and his family moved back to America from England to a 659-acre farm he had purchased in Kearneysville, which he called Travellers Rest. Gates built Travelers Rest in two stages. The house is constructed of limestone, laid in ashlar style. It has a gable roof that once was covered with wood shingles, but now is covered with metal shingles. At the east end of the house there is a chimney, and a second one in the center of the home. This was the large room where everyone gathered and was lighted by gable windows. The basement was paved with stone and served as the kitchen and the dinning room. The two smaller rooms were at the rear and were used to store food. There used to be stairs that lead to the first floor in the southwest corner of the home. The entrance door, opened into a small stair hall, set against the east (right side) to provide access to the basement and the attic. There were two small bedrooms that were connected and had a fire place in the corner of the two rooms. They were the original bedrooms.Horatio Gates corresponded with fellow soldier Charles Lee in 1774 regarding the growing political crisis in the colonies. Gates also implored Lee to buy property near his farm, Traveller’s Rest. Lee did settle near Gates and the two kept a close relationship. Lighting was added in the early 1800s. Most of the wrought iron hinges have survived. The original wide board floors are still there. The house has never been restored but is still in fair condition. This home is now a private residence and not open to visitors.On July 17th, 1775 the Continental Congress commissioned Gates with the rank of Brigadier General. He left Virginia to join the colonial forces around Boston. During the course of the war, Gates was involved in several conflicts with his fellow officers. His clash with General Philip Schuyler over command structure, lead Congress to place Schuyler in command. Gates exonerated himself by later saving Schuyler’s men at Ticonderoga. At the Battle of Saratoga, Gates had a confrontation with Benedict Arnold. Arnold disobeyed orders but his actions contributed a great deal to the colonial victory. In 1778 Gates took the position as President of The Board of War. While in this office, Gates campaign to have Congress dismiss George Washington as Commander. Gates believed that he should replace Washington. Congress did not dismiss Washington. Gates was assigned the command of Southern Army in 1780. He suffered one of the colonial’s worst defeats at Camden, SC in August 16, 1780. Gate’s actions during and after the battle lead to his dismissal.After the war, Gates returned to Traveller’s Rest. He was a witness to James Rumsey’s successful steamboat demonstration at Shepherdstown on December 3, 1787. Gates sold Traveller’s Rest in 1790 and moved to New York where he later served in the State Legislature for one year. Horatio Gates died on April 10, 1806.

A British soldier who was dispatched to the North American colonies, Horatio Gates served with distinction during General Braddock’s attempt to seize Fort Duquesne from the French. Gates was wounded and was unable to serve in the military for a period. In 1772, Horatio Gates resigned his commission in the British Army after not realizing a position in government. He decided to settle, with his wife in Virginia. Gates purchased a farm approximately in Kearneysville, Wv. Gates named his property “Traveller’s Rest”. When the Continental Congress commissioned him as a Brigadier General, Gates left Traveler’s Rest to assume his post in the Northern Department. 

Traveller's Rest

Hazelfield was constructed in 1815 for Ann Stephen Dandridge Hunter. Ann Hunter was the only child and heir of Adam Stephen, Revolutionary War officer and founder of Martinsburg. When Ann Stephen married Alexander Spotswood Dandridge in 1780 her father presented the couple with a 600-acre estate called “Hazelfield.” Dandridge died a few years later and Ann Stephen Dandridge remarried to Colonel Moses Hunter in 1787. Ann and Moses Hunter had three children. Her son, David Hunter, was killed in Canada during the War of 1812. The effects of her son’s death and disagreements with the leadership of Martinsburg caused Ann Hunter to move out of Martinsburg to the Hazelfield estate. With the help of her eldest daughter and son-in-law, Hunter constructed the house in 1815 and settled at Hazelfield. Hazelfield is a central block, 2.5-story home with a 1.5-story wing. The foundation is constructed of field stone, the main walls are field stone covered in an ochre-colored terra cotta stucco, and the central block is topped with a weatherboard gable. The interior layout is unique in that the entrance hall runs the width of the house along the front; this style is in other houses but Hazelfield’s is unusually large. At 11 feet wide the hall is almost like another room, rather than a hallway, and in the upper floor and attic the hall was divided to create additional small rooms. The home is small compared to others in the area, especially those built by prominent families, but it suited her needs. Ann Stephen Dandridge Hunter lived at Hazelfield until her death in 1834. Her grandson, David Hunter Tucker, inherited the estate but never used the house. For a short period of time Tucker’s brother, Nathaniel Beverly Tucker, and his wife lived there after their marriage. Otherwise the house was empty. It stayed in the family until 1845 and then it was largely unrecorded. Sometime before 1973, William and Janet Adams purchased Hazelton and started to restore the house. At the time of their purchase the home had been abandoned for many years, but much of the original architecture and hardware was still in the house. The Adams owned the house when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. They added some plumbing and electricity but kept most of the house in its original form.

Hazelfield was constructed in 1815 for Ann Stephen Dandridge Hunter, only child of Adam Stephen of Martinsburg. Constructed of field stone and stucco, it reflects the Adams style of architecture. The house’s design is very similar to the plans for the Milton House in Scotland in William Adam’s Vitruvius Scoticus. Hazelfield was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. 

Hazelfield

In the early days of the B&amp;O, they used already existing station stops after making agreements with the owners. When the B&amp;O bought a piece of land from Richard Duffield for $2,500, he used the money to construct a stop consisting of two structures however, even though the B&amp;O used Duffield’s Depot as a stop, it was never actually owned by the railroad itself. The station master resided in the stone portion while the goods and commodities were stored in the wooden portion. Construction of the depot was completed in 1839 and was used by the B&amp;O until 1883 when the B&amp;O constructed a new depot that replaced Duffield’s. Duffield’s Depot is the second oldest train station in America, right behind the station in Ellicott City Maryland.Duffield’s not only has a history with the B&amp;O but also playing its part in the Civil War. The B&amp;O served as a life line through the years of the war and Duffield’s Depot was one of the many stops. The B&amp;O was a lifeline to the Union, therefore the railroad was constantly under attack by the confederacy. June 29th, 1864 a Confederate by the name of John S. Mosby commanded his men to attack the Depot. Mosby caught wind of a train that would be coming through Duffield’s WV and decided to raid the train once it had arrived. The train never arrived and to Mosby’s displeasure, he raided the depot itself and seized everything that he could, including supplies and many prisoners.

Duffield's Depot is the second oldest train station in America dating back to 1839. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad used the depot as one of their stops until 1883, when they constructed new depots. This National landmark still stands today 178 years later, however is starting to crumble as time continues.

Duffield's Depot

The Sunnyside Farm property was originally purchased in 1874 by Robert and Mary Helm and the Helm’s grandchildren deeded it to William Fulk. Charles and Dora Rogers deeded their half of the farm (100 acres) to Fulk in 1899 for $5.00 and in 1903 Charles’ sister Katherine deeded her half to Fulk for $4,500. Fulk later purchased 20 acres from nearly Traverler’s Rest for $200 in 1921. There were several buildings on the farm property when Fulk bought it in 1899, but Fulk gradually replaced the original structures with new ones. He built his barn in 1911 and the main brick house in 1914. He contracted C. D. Burns Lumber Co., Inc. of Martinsburg to construct the house and take down old structures. The house at Sunnyside Farm is a 2.5 story brick house built in the Colonial Revival style. The main entrance has sidelights and a transom window, and the house has both a central and end gables. On the front is a full wraparound porch and there is a two-story porch on the rear of the house. Interior features include roundel blocks on doors and window frames, French and pocket doors, and built in cupboards, including the original pullout bins for flour and sugar in the kitchen. At the back of the house is a detached smoke house, also constructed in 1914. William Fulk was a dairy farmer and raised crops of alfalfa, wheat, barley, and corn. He also had an orchard between 1925 and 1948 that produced several varieties of apples; some remnants of the orchard survive near the tenant house. Fulk invested in advancements in farming and dairying equipment to keep up with the demands of his trades. These included his binder for harvesting wheat and barley and his dairying equipment, such as the concrete cooler for 10-gallon cans of milk and a roller system for cleaning the cans when they returned from the creamery. He was also known in the community for his pair of matched Black horses that were often used in local funeral ceremonies. Fulk was one of twelve directors that began the Kearneysville Creamery in 1913. After some disputes between the directors Fulk purchased the Creamery in 1919 along with C. D. Wysong and C. W. Blue. Fulk acted as director of the Creamery and in 1919 they were paying $20,000 a month to local farmers for their milk. Under Fulk, Wyson, and Blue the Kearneysville Creamery rapidly expanded in two years. In 1920 they paid $142,000 for milk and cream from local farmers to sell to markets in Washington and Baltimore. They began making their own ice and condensed milk to sell to ice cream factories in Cumberland and Hagerstown. They also bought a boiler system to pasteurize milk, cream, and butter for sale. In April 1921 the partners sold the Creamery to the Wise Brothers who opened Superior Dairy in Martinsburg; the new owners used the old creamery building as a wholesale house to ship canned goods because of its location near the B &amp; O Railroad. William Fulk operated the Sunnyside Farm until 1939 when his daughter, Nellie F. Hill, took over; William Fulk passed away on July 1, 1942. Hill operated the farm until 1963 when she retired; Nellie Hill died in June 1986. Granddaughter Elizabeth Moore then owned the farm and leased out the land and use of the barn. She owned the farm when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. In addition to the main house other contributing structures for the NRHP nomination include: Milk house (c. 1899), log house (c. 1850), chicken house (c. 1920), privy (c. 1930), garage (c. 1920), 2.5-story tenant house (c. 1920), hog shed (c. 1915), and pig house (c. 1899). The main barn is non-contributing because it was built in 1985, but it was built on the original stone foundation of the 1911 barn that burned that year after a lightning strike. The shed extension toward the house is remnant of the original barn. It appears that Sunnyside Farm is still in the Moore family at present.

Sunnyside Farm is a historic farm and dairying operation outside of Kearneysville, WV. The significance of Sunnyside Farm is largely connected to William Fulk who owned the farm from 1899 to 1942. He farmed and raised an orchard on the property, but was most significant for his role in the dairying industry of Jefferson County. He was a founder of the Kearneysville Creamery in the 1910s and ran the operation between 1919 and 1921. Sunnyside Farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 for the architecture of the main house and historic agricultural buildings, as well as the connection to William Fulk. 

Sunnyside Farm

The house at Tackley Farm was constructed in 1840 of brick made on the property from local materials. The two-story house was built in the Greek Revival style and has seen minimal alterations; the exceptions are that a two-story gallery on the rear of the house was enclosed in the 1950s to create more living space and a one-story wooden addition was added to the back in 1982. The interior of the home retains most of its original architectural features.  The original owner of the land was Col. Richard Blackburn who migrated from England and acquired 2,000 acres in 1754. Michael Blue leased 150 acres from Blackburn in 1777. The Blue family was very representative of European migration into the upper Shenandoah Valley in the colonial period. The family immigrated from Holland in the 1600s and farmed in New York and New Jersey. In the 1750s brothers Michael and Uriah Blue served with William Blackburn, son of Col. Richard Blackburn, under Col. John Armstrong during the French and Indian War. Blackburn told the brothers about the farming opportunities in what was then Frederick County, Virginia. When Michael Blue leased the land from Col. Blackburn he started to develop the land and built a home and farm buildings. Blue’s original bank barn was later incorporated in the large barn complex. He became successful enough that he bought his 150 acres from another son of Col. Blackburn, Thomas, in 1795 and started acquiring other nearby property. Michael Blue’s son, Joel, built the brick farmhouse in the mid-nineteenth century. The farm passed from the Blue family in 1849. The property has been continuously used as a farm since the eighteenth century. In the 1930s, Tackley Farm transitioned to the dairy business. In 1935 O. M. Merchant purchased the farm and produced milk, as well as raised turkeys and harvested grain and hay. He altered and expanded the barn to suit milk cows and meet new regulations in the dairy industry. He also added a cooling house for the milk. The barn saw additions in both the 1930s and 1950s to make a much bigger barn complex.

Tackley Farm, originally called Valley View, has been farmed continuously since the 1700s when it was first acquired by Col. Richard Blackburn and then leased by Michael Blue. Blue’s son, Joel Blue, built the 1840s Greek Revival house. The farm complex was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 for its role in the agricultural development of Jefferson County and its well-preserved example of Greek Revival architecture. The NRHP nomination included the house, barn, and two contributing 1930s farm structures; however, 2020 Google Maps images show that the barn complex appears to be destroyed. 

Tackley Farm (Valley View)

Peter Burr, Sr. and his son, Peter Burr, Jr., were part of the prominent New England Burr family. Burr, Sr. was brother to Aaron Burr, Sr., first president of the College of New Jersey (Princeton), and Peter Burr, Jr. was first cousin to Vice President Aaron Burr. The Burrs arrived in what was then Frederick County, Virginia in 1747 or 1748. Records show that Peter Burr received an “indenture” of 400 acres in 1748 and then two land grants from Lord Fairfax in 1751 for 480 and 406 acres. Sources conflict on whether both father and son moved to Virginia and who constructed the first portion of the house—the National Register of Historic Places lists Peter Burr II as the emigrant and builder of the house, while other sources list Peter Burr I. What is known is that Peter Burr II occupied the Peter Burr house with his family. Burr II married twice and had twelve children. The first section of four rooms was constructed between 1751 and 1755, although the first date seems more accurate. Burr later added two additional rooms. The structure is constructed of heavy log beams and uprights, filled on the exterior with brick and mortar with plaster. The exterior of the home is covered with hand riven clapboard. While not a pure example of the New England Colonial Style, the structure bears significant marks of this style from Burr’s original home in Connecticut, including the steep pitched roof, large chimney, and small windows. When Peter Burr II died in 1793 the house passed to his son, Peter Burr III. Burr III moved to Ohio in 1798 and sold the property to William Lyne, Jr., who then sold it to David Moore in 1804. Moore built the second section of the house, adding two additional rooms and the large end chimney. In 1878, the Burr family reacquired the house when John &amp; Emma McGarry purchased it, both descendants of Peter Burr. The house was declared a Jefferson County Historic Landmark in 1976 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. The Burr family still owned the building when it was placed on the Register, however at some point after that it passed from the family into the control of local government. During that period, it suffered vandalism and further deterioration until the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission acquired it and started restoring the house in 1998. The house was in a state of disrepair, but held its structural integrity, much of its original construction and interior, and had not been modified since 1804. To bring awareness and funding to the Peter Burr House and its restoration project, the JCHLC runs the Peter Burr Living History Farm on the site.

The Peter Burr house is one of the oldest houses in the state of West Virginia. There are only about a dozen houses in West Virginia that pre-date the American Revolution. In Jefferson County there are five and all are stone except the Peter Burr House. The Burr house is significant as a rare surviving example of a wooden post-and-beam construction from the early settlement period. It is also an example of a family homestead in comparison to the other surviving structures which are largely stone manors or homes of wealthier families. The Peter Burr house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 and is now being restored by the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission. 

Peter Burr House

The Bower was built in 1806 by Adam Stephen Dandridge I, though the property is much older than that and was originally occupied by a hunting lodge. The land was given to Major General Adam Stephen, Dandridge's grandfather, by Lord Fairfax in 1753. Adam Stephen would go on to found Martinsburg, West Virginia. The hunting lodge was passed down first to Stephen's daughter, Ann Stephen, then to Dandridge in 1791 before being built over. During the Civil War, the Bower would be used as a field headquarters by Confederate Major General J.E.B. Stuart. One of the horses bred at the Bower, named Lucy Long, would be gifted to General Lee. Long after the war, the house was used as a summer home by Bishop Edmund Pendleton Dandridge. It has since remained in the Dandridge family's possession and was entered into the National Register of Historical Places in 1982. The house consists of 2 1/12 floors and is constructed out of brick in the Federal Style. The most prominent feature of the house is the double-door front entrance with semi-elliptical fan light and paneled side lights. Following a fire in 1892, parts of the house were reconstructed and expanded upon in Gothic Revival style, though mostly on the second floor.

The Bower was initially constructed in 1806 by Adam Stephen Dandridge I, though the property had contained a hunting lodge well before that. The earliest known owner of the property was Major General Adam Stephen, Dandridge's grandfather, who had received it as part of a grant from Lord Fairfax in 1753. During the Civil War, the Bower was used as a headquarters by Major General Jeb Stuart. The house remains in the Dandridge family to this day and was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1982.

The Bower

Woodbury was constructed by Henry St. George Tucker. Tucker was born in 1780, graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1799, and moved to Winchester to open a law practice in 1802. He gained a local reputation while handling litigation involving Lord Fairfax’s land holdings. In 1806 Tucker married Anne Evelina Hunter, daughter of Moses and Ann (Stephen Dandridge) Hunter. After Anne’s brother, David, was killed during the War of 1812, she and Henry Tucker helped her mother build and settle at nearby Hazelfield. Tucker was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in the 1807-1808 term and then volunteered for military service during the War of 1812. He served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1815-1819), and then returned to focus on his legal career. Tucker was elected judge of the superior courts of chancery for the Winchester and Clarksburg districts in 1824 and in 1831 he was elected president of the supreme court of appeals of Virginia, a position he held for about ten years. He opened a small law school in Winchester in 1825. His success allowed him to build a country estate in addition to his city home. In 1832 and 1835 Tucker bought three tracts of land in Jefferson County and built Woodbury around 1834-1835. Woodbury is a large stone antebellum mansion covered in white plaster. Built in the Regency design, the front entrance has a high staircase up to a columned portico entrance. The entrance has sidelights and a lunette window across the top. Notable features include the attic dormer windows on the front side, the four evenly spaced chimneys across the roof, and the crow-stepped gables. The back is similar to the front, but with a full-length porch. There are 22 rooms in Woodbury, a representation of Tucker’s wealth and status. Tucker’s prominence in legal affairs caused President Andrew Jackson to offer him the position of attorney general in his administration, however Tucker turned it down to retain his position on the Virginia court. He resigned his position on the supreme court of appeals in 1841 and became a professor of law at the University of Virginia. Tucker also authored works on legal studies: Commentaries on the Laws of Virginia (1836-1837), Lectures in Constitutional Law (1843), and A Few Lectures on Natural Law (1844). After a few years teaching failing health forced him to resign in 1845 and retire to Winchester. Tucker died in 1848 and was buried in Mount Hebron Cemetery. Tucker sold Woodbury to Dr. P. Rogers Huffman in 1844. At his death, Tucker’s estate included his mother-in-law’s home Hazelfield, acquired a few years after her 1835 death. When Woodbury was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 the original architecture is mostly preserved with small modifications for plumbing and electricity.

Woodbury was constructed in the 1830s for Henry St. George Tucker, a wealthy lawyer and politician. He served in state and national politics, fought in the War of 1812, served on the supreme court of appeals in Virginia, and taught law at the University of Virginia. A Regency style mansion, Woodbury represents a new era of architecture in Jefferson County as the once frontier was now established and more Virginia gentry built homes there. The home is an example of wealthy antebellum architecture in Jefferson County. Woodbury was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. 

Woodbury

Gap View Farm was originally a parcel of 400 acres granted from Lord Fairfax to Henry Lloyd in 1750. Around 1770 Walter Baker moved to the property and he began clearing the land. Baker built the original limestone house in 1774, a single pen, two story, side hall structure. Like many of the period structures in Jefferson County the house was built from the local limestone. He chose the location at the top of the hill because of the view down to the gap and the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers at Harpers Ferry. This location and view gave the farm its eventual name. Baker farmed the property for over forty years, during which a portion of the property (40 acres) was split off and given to the heirs of his first wife after a lawsuit. Baker died in 1822 and his widow (second wife Jacobina) sold the farm to James L. Ranson in 1833. Ranson was a veteran of the War of 1812 and was already living in the house at Gap View Farm when he purchased it. At Ranson’s death in 1868 the farm was sold to Parker Strode and then to Charles Aglionby in 1871. Aglionby also owned part of Media Farm and neighboring Mt. Pleasant, and he rented out the Gap View Farm to tenants. Aglionby allowed for the construction of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad (today Norfolk Southern) through the property. By 1937 the Bartlett family owned Gap View Farm and added many of the farm buildings. In the 1950s Frank and Audrey Buckles purchased Gap View Farm. Frank Buckles gained fame as the oldest surviving World War I veteran, living to the age of 110 years old. He was born in 1901 and enlisted in the army at the age of 16 to fight in the First World War. He served as part of the Army Ambulance Corps. After his service he worked in the steamship industry and traveled around the world. As a result, he was in Manilla when the Japanese invaded the Philippines at the beginning of World War II. Buckles spend 3.5 years in Japanese prison camps until he was freed from the Los Barnes prison camp by the 11th Airborne Division in 1945. After returning to the United States, he married Audrey Mayo and they settled at Gap View Farm around 1954. Buckles managed the farm well into his older years. Audrey passed away in 1999 and their daughter, Susannah Buckles Flanagan, moved to Gap View to assist her father. Frank Buckles died in February 2011 at 101 as the last known surviving WWI veteran. After his death, Susannah and her husband Mike continued to manage the farm. They have maintained a herd of White Park cattle but have also turned their focus to conservation on the property. In 2017 they put a conservation easement on the farm under the Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board and USDA National Resources Conservation Service. As part of this process, they retired part of the farmland under the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, installed 15,000 feet of fencing to separate the conservation area, and volunteers planted trees and shrubs. Gap View Farm was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in agriculture and architecture, particularly being a rare surviving pre-Revolutionary period farm. The period of significance for the nomination was 1774 when the farm and house were established until 1946, however the farm continues in agricultural use. The main house is the center of the 330-acre nominated property. The house is in the Georgian architectural style with Greek alterations. The core is the limestone pre-Revolutionary structure built in 1774 with late-19th and 20th century alterations. Walter Baker added another pen to the first floor, creating a layout with the hall in the center. James Ransom added a bedroom upstairs and full attic in the mid-nineteenth century and in the early 1900s the Aglionbys built an addition on the back for a kitchen and second floor bedroom. The Greek Revival porch on the front of the house was added in the mid-twentieth century and there was another later wooden addition that has since been demolished. In addition to the main house, the NRHP included many other structures on the property: Log Smoke House, c. 1790—v-notched log building with stone foundation Garage/Shed, c. 1937—weatherboard structure on stone foundation Tenant House, c. 1937—L-shaped Colonial Revival house; two-story wooden clapboard house; plain interior design, typical of period farmhouse Milk House, c. 1937—hollow tile construction, concrete floor with drain, used in family dairy business Corn Crib, c. 1937—weatherboard corn crib Shed, c. 1937—three bay shed of random width weatherboards Metal Silo, c. 1937—low silo of horizontal corrugated metal Pig Building, c. 1937—wooden shed building with loft Concrete Silo, c. 1937—“cable wrapped concrete panel silo with a dome shaped tin roof” and a concrete shoot on the outside; sealed with stucco Bull Pen, c. 1937—recycled board and corrugated metal shed Workshop and Garage, c. 1935—workshop is two-story stuccoed building with second floor used as a bunk room for farm workers; five bay garage Turn Out Shed, c. 1937—three sided wooden building Tenant House, c. 1776—two-story log house covered in stucco; was originally a two-story single pen house and later expanded Tenant House Garage, c. 1937—wooden garage open at both ends Brick Spring House/Watering Trough, c. 1937—was a replacement of a stone springhouse; common bond brick with concrete roof and foundation; water trough along east side Root Cellar, c. 1930—concrete underground root cellar with stairway Tenant House, c. 1776—two-story log house on a stone foundation (that has been reinforced with concrete) with German siding; two story frame addition added at later date. Red Barn, c. 1931—board barn with overhand along east side Weathered Hog Pen, c. 1937—wooden shed with doors on all sides, two floors, and a ramp to load hogs onto trucks Weathered Cedar Barn, c. 1790—barn with random width cedar siding and cupola ventilators at each end of roof

Gap View Farm was the home of the last surviving World War I veteran, Frank Buckles. The farm was first established in the 1770s and the main house dates from 1774. The 330-acre farm has been used for agricultural production from the 1770s to the present and is one of few surviving pre-Revolutionary farms in Jefferson County. Buckles acquired the farm in the 1950s and lived there until his death in 2011 at the age of 110. Portions of the farm property are now being conserved in partnership with the Jefferson Country Farmland Protection Board. Gap View Farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. 

Gap View Farm

The property was originally part of Lord Fairfax’s northern neck landholdings. In 1754 Fairfax sold the Elmwood property to Col. Benjamin Grayson who then sold it within months to Edward Conner. Conner sold the land to General Adam Stephen, Revolutionary War officer and founder of Martinsburg, in 1762. Stephen’s plantation was centered at nearby “The Bower.” In Stephen’s 1791 will he left the property to his grandson Adam Stephen Dandridge. Dandridge gave it to his son, Adam Stephen Dandridge, Jr., who owned the property until 1883 and sold it to Sarah S. Kennedy. Elmwood remained in Stephen’s family until 1905. The main house at Elmwood-on-the-Opequon likely began as a one or 1.5-story log house. It is not known exactly when the house was originally constructed but it was there by 1830. At a later, undetermined, date the roof was raised to a full two stories and a two-story wooden addition was added. This addition put the originally exterior chimney into the middle of the house, and it is possible this was when the house was stuccoed for a uniform exterior. In 1905, 318 acres and Elmwood passed from the Stephen family and was bought by George H. Bowers. In 1906 a second addition was built at a right angle to the house, creating its current “L” shape. This replaced an earlier log kitchen and allowed for a connected inside kitchen and additional bedrooms for the family. The Bowers did most of the alterations on the property, building the 1906 addition onto the house and constructing the two main dependencies. The Bowers also gave the property its current name, “Elmwood-on-the-Opequon.” It has continued through several Bowers generations and remains in the family, although tracts of land have been sold off leaving 70 acres associated with Elmwood. Elmwood-on-the-Opequon was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 for its significance in agriculture and architecture. The home remains most of its original architecture and features; the only main alteration was the addition of modern siding over the original on the 1906 section. In addition to the 1830-1906 main house the nomination included several historical dependencies: an 1830 log smokehouse, 1830s stone spring house, early 1900s ice house, open-sided well house (which still functions as a hand pump for the well), and a few other structures. The two main dependencies on the property are the 1906 wood crib and wooden barn. The barn’s construction is unique due to its concrete foundation and its finishings: the exteriors are finished in German siding and the interiors with beaded board. The barn was used to house horses and hay until the 1950s when the farm converted to dairying and kept cattle. Also on the property is a 1997 house that is not part of the NRHPs listing.

Elmwood-on-the-Opequon is associated with the families of General Adam Stephen and George H. Bowers, whose family still owns the property. The main house was constructed around 1830 with an addition done in 1906 and the property includes several historic farm dependency buildings. The property is reflective of agriculture that has evolved from the nineteenth century to today and the main house reflects the practice of building an early log home and then expanding or rebuilding the homes to meet the needs of growing families. Elmwood-on-the  Opequon was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. 

Elmwood-on-the-Opequon

The birth of Prato Rio came in 1731 when Han Yost Heydt (or Hite) purchased a plantation and built a one story log cabin on the land. Heydt called his home “Hopewell.” His son, Jacob, added on to the cabin in 1733 when he connected it to another small structure with a breezeway. This gave the home the distinct “L” shape that it maintains today. In November of 1775, Jacob sold the land and the home to Gen. Charles Lee who renamed it Prato Rio, Spanish for “stream through the meadow.”Gen. Charles Lee was born in England in 1731. He fought along Braddock’s expedition during the French and Indian War but gave up his position with the British to fight alongside the colonists during the Revolutionary War. Well known for his military successes, Lee became an important major-general for the Continental Army. Lee carried a reputation for being ill-mannered and petulant. General Lee was captured by the British during the war and during his imprisonment, for unknown reasons, gave the British a plan to defeat the colonists. He later rejoined Washington, but his disrespect and standoffish behavior led him to be dismissed from the Continental Army in 1780. Lee returned to Prato Rio and lived there until his death in 1782.During his time at Prato Rio, Lee built a limestone addition to the home. The eccentric general did not build interior walls in his home, but instead drew chalk lines on the floor to designate rooms. Lee never married, but showered affections onto his hound dogs, which followed him everywhere. According The West Virginia Encyclopedia, when Lee learned of George Washington’s intent to visit his home for a reconciliation after the war, Lee posted a note on the door: “No dinner cooked here today,” which reportedly turned Washington away (1).Later owners of Prato Rio have made changes and additions to the home—including adding walls—but the structure still closely resembles its state during Lee’s time. The house is now privately owned, so no visits are granted. Prato Rio is the only structure still standing that connects West Virginia to the volatile Revolutionary War Gen. Charles Lee. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Prato Rio, now a privately owned modern home near Leetown in Jefferson County, West Virginia, has a history that dates back to before the Revolutionary War. Prato Rio was the home of General Charles Lee, the hot-tempered major-general of the Continental Army. Lee lived here from 1774 until just before his death in 1872. The home is now privately owned.

Prato Rio

Snow Hill, also known as the
Jefferson County Alms House, was built in 1813 for John Hurst not far from his
father’s home, Hurston. James Hurst (1744-1829) moved to the area from Fairfax
County in 1795, and John Hurst was the eldest of his eleven children. The
Hursts were prosperous farmers and built many homes in Jefferson County:
Hurston (c.1795), Snow Hill (1813), Clay Hill (1835), La Grange (1845), Aspen
Hill (1846), and Quince Hill. The Hurst homes are typically brick and utilize a
center-hall plan.

Snow Hill is a beautifully detailed
house with Flemish bond brickwork on the front façade, but one of the
exceptional features of the home is the brickwork on the other walls. It is
3-to-1 common bond with glazed alternate bricks in the header rows, which form
a unique pattern. The interior detailing is excellent for the period, with a
handsome stair, molded wood chair rails, and an ornate mantelpiece.

James Vincent Moore, the only child
of John Hurst’s daughter, Betty Hurst Moore, inherited Snow Hill. He lived at a
large farm in Leetown called Western View and sold Snow Hill to his cousin, Dr.
Minor Hurst. Dr. Hurst sold Snow Hill and its 218 acres to the Overseers of the
Poor in Jefferson County in 1857. The rear ell addition with its numerous rooms
was built at that time. Snow Hill functioned as the county poorhouse for over
100 years and continued to be a working farm. It closed in 1959 at the
retirement of its most beloved caretaker, Mrs. Daisy Fritts. She was the
supervisor for 28 years, and a high level of cleanliness and discipline was
maintained under her watch, though she cared for as many as 40 elderly homeless
people at one time in the home.

The chapel just west of the house
was originally a schoolhouse built in 1897 on the Charles Town-Leetown road. It
was moved to Snow Hill in 1911 when a new, larger school was built in
Leetown. The schoolhouse was used at the farm as a chapel.

The large frame bank barn west of
the site belonged to the farm.

The Jefferson County Alms House, originally named Snow Hill, is a Federal-style home constructed in 1813 for John Hurst. In 1857 it was sold to the Overseers of the Poor in Jefferson County and functioned as the county poorhouse until 1959. The county later used the home for office space. It is maintained by the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

Jefferson County Alms House/Snow Hill

Woodlawn is an example of the agricultural prosperity of the Shenandoah Valley and western Virginia in the nineteenth century. After the Revolution, many families began expanding their landholdings as large colonial land grants were divided up and sold, such as the large Fairfax holding in the Northern Neck. During the Antebellum period many of the colonial one to two room houses were added on to or rebuilt into larger plantation homes. In addition, after the Revolution there was increasing interest in connecting the Valley to the eastern markets through transportation improvements such as the C &amp; O Canal and B &amp; O Railroad. These changes brought more interest and migration into the region that would become Jefferson County. In this context Woodlawn was constructed around 1820 in an Early Republic Federal style. The 2.5-story brick house was constructed as an I-house, which was a very popular style during the period, largely brought to the Valley by wealthy families moving inland from the Virginia coast. The Woodlawn property was initially part of a 2,420-acre grant from Lord Fairfax to Col. Richard Blackburn in 1752. In 1806 Samuel Davenport purchased one hundred acres from Blackburn and records indicate he was likely a tenant on that land in the years prior. Davenport immigrated to the United States as a child with his family in the 1760s and became financially successful in western Virginia. He married three times but had no biological children of his own. He raised an orphan named Camilla who was listed as “deaf and dumb” in census records and whom Davenport considered a daughter. When Samuel Davenport died in 1829 Camilla was married to John C. Wiltshire and they were living at Woodlawn. Davenport’s tax records indicate that the home might have been constructed in 1823 for the couple. There is a possibility that Woodlawn was designed or constructed by neighbor James Hurst. There are many interior and exterior similarities between Woodlawn and the three nearby houses built by Hurst for his children: LaGrange (1811), Snow Hill (1815), and the Coyle House (1820). One striking similarity is the use of salt glazed brick in the exterior construction of all four houses, which is unique for the county. When Samuel Davenport died in 1829 Camilla and John C. Wiltshire inherited about a third of the Davenport plantation, 97 acres of land and their home Woodlawn. A third of the property went to Davenport’s wife, Mary, and the final third was inherited by a cousin, Lucy Cooke. When Mary Davenport died in 1831 her third of the property was divided between the Wiltshires and Cooke, who received the Davenport house. Shortly afterwards, the Wiltshires purchased Cooke’s share of the property and then held the entire Davenport plantation. John C. and Camilla Wiltshire were slave-owning farmers that produced rye, wheat, and corn and raised cattle and hogs. John Wiltshire was active in the Valley Agricultural Society and the Whig Party, and he served as jury foreman in the John Brown trial in 1859. John Wiltshire died suddenly in 1869 and Camilla Wiltshire died two years later. Their daughter, Sarah, inherited the plantation at her mother’s death. In 1873 Sarah Wiltshire married and moved to Missouri and sold the property to her brothers. Her brothers continued to farm the land and pass it to their children. In 1940 great-granddaughters Leah Hammond-Wiltshire and Camilla Wiltshire inherited the farm and continued its operation. When Leah Hammond’s husband, Edgar, died in 1967 the two sisters began dividing and selling plots of the farmland. Camilla Wiltshire retained the house and acreage that was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places until her death in 1990. Despite the current property being less than nine acres with the main house, an earlier smoke house, and ca. 1900 shed remaining from the larger plantation there are several other remnants of the Davenport/Wiltshire land on other nearby properties. There is a pre-1850 road trace that runs through the property in front of the house, perpendicular to the modern driveway. The remains of the original bank barn are located just outside the property’s boundaries, on a neighboring farm. The Wiltshire family cemetery that once stood on the eastern boundary of the plantation is now on other private property. Across the road from Woodlawn used to stand a building used both as a school and church for many years. After the Free School Act was passed in Jefferson County in 1846 the Wiltshire School was constructed on the plantation and local history states that the Wiltshire ladies taught students from District #5. After the Civil War and West Virginia statehood the free school system was reestablished and in 1877 a brick schoolhouse replaced the original structure. This school only served white students until a central school for white students opened in Charles Town in 1923. For a time, the Charles Town Presbyterian Church rented the building for its Sunday school and then in the 1930s the Middleway District Board of Education rented it as a school for Black students called the Johnstown Colored School. In 1935 a Black-only school opened in Charles Town and after that point the Wiltshire brick school building was used by the King’s Apostles Holiness Church of God. During this time James Brown purchased the property and after the church moved to a new building, Brown tore the remnants of the structure down in 1972.

Woodlawn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 for its Federal architectural style and its agricultural history. It is an example of Federal style architecture with Georgian influences and was in continual agricultural use from the 1820s through the twentieth century. It was the home of the Wiltshire family from the 1820s to 1990. In addition to agricultural production there was also a school on the property for many years. 

Woodlawn (Wiltshire Farm)

The house at Media is done in a Gothic Revival style with yellow board and batten siding with scalloped bargeboard trim. The home was constructed in several addition; this is similar to other homes in Jefferson County that grew from small homes in the early settler period to manors and mansions by the nineteenth century. The original structure on the property was a two-story single pen (one room deep) log house that was used by the overseer of Walnut Grove, a neighboring farm. A single limestone wing was added in 1790 and around 1800 another two-story wing was added, and a second story was built onto the stone wing. Finally, a garage was added in the 1950s. All these various additions have been unified by the Gothic Revival exterior. In addition to the main house and several farm accessory structures, there are two tenant houses on the property. One of these was constructed during WWI to house “farmerettes” as part of a program that brought women from urban areas to farms to help farmers whose family members were not present due to the war. Media Farm consisted of 1,000 acres and the two-story log house when Charles Yates purchased the property from Thomas Rutherford in 1780. It has been used as a farm consistently since then and has housed a school at times, such as in 1869 when Reverend William T. Leavell (married to Anne Yates who inherited the property from her father) established a school for the community’s children. Media Farm was also home to Jefferson County’s first golf course. In 1928 Marshall McDonald built a course across the front of the property hoping to attract urban tourists to the rural setting of the farm; this endeavor failed, largely due to the Great Depression. The property is connected to two notable West Virginia figures: John W. Davis and his daughter, Julia McDonald Davis. John W. Davis was a prominent politician and lawyer from Jefferson County. He was elected to the WV House of Delegates, served as a US Congressman, and was solicitor general under Woodrow Wilson. Between 1918 and 1921, Davis was ambassador to the Court of St. James in Great Britain and was later awarded the Knight Commander of the Bath from Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. He was a presidential candidate in 1924 but lost the election to Calvin Coolidge. After his presidential run he headed a Wall Street law firm until his death in 1955. As a lawyer he is most known for his role defending South Carolina in the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case. Before his political career took off, John W. Davis met the McDonald family when they hired him to be a tutor for their children. He married Julia McDonald in 1899 and they had one daughter, Julia McDonald Davis. His wife died less than a month after their daughter was born; Davis later remarried but retained close connections to the McDonald family and Julia spent most summers with her maternal grandparents at Media Farm. Julia M. Davis was a well-known journalist, writer, and playwright who spent much of her childhood summer with her grandparents at Media Farm. She was one of the first two women hired by the Associated Press as journalists in 1926. Her book Swords of the Vikings was nominated for a Newberry Award in 1928 and Cloud on the Land (1950) and The Sun Climbs Low (1940) are other recognized works. Her play “The Anvil” written for the Civil War centennial was produced off Broadway in 1962. In 1963 Davis was honored as West Virginia Daughter of the Year and Governor Gaston Caperton named her a Distinguished West Virginian in 1992. She died in January 1993. Media Farm was owned by the same family from 1780 to at least 1994 when the property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, online realty listings show that in 2018 the two tenant houses were separated from the main house and all three sold as individual residences.

Media Farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 for its architecture and local history, as well as the farm’s connection to Julia McDonald Davis and John W. Davis. Julia McDonald Davis was a recognized author and journalist and her father, John W. Davis, was a prominent politician, lawyer, and 1924 presidential candidate. The complex includes the main house, two tenant houses, and several accessory buildings. The main house is the product of several phases of construction united in a Greek Revival style.

Media Farm

Phillip Strider, who established the farm in 1790, was the third son of German immigrant Johann Phillipe Strieter, a Lutheran priest that fled religious persecution. At the time of construction, nearby Harpers Ferry was a small village known as "Shenandoah Falls at Mr. Harper's Ferry." The original house was a 2-1/2 story stone structure built in the Federal style. Additions to the house were made in 1880, as well as the raising of a barn. During the Civil War, the property was listed as a valuable strategic asset due to its proximity to the B&amp;O Railroad mainline. The Antietam Campaign of 1862 saw the farm occupied by Confederate forces under General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, with the artillery battery of Capt. William Poague positioned on the front lawn. In 1864, the farmhouse was used as the temporary headquarters of Union General Horatio Wright at the start of Sheridan's March. Individuals of the Strider family have made an impact on the development of Jefferson county, as well as West Virginia as a whole. Phillip's kinsman, Samuel, served during the War of 1812, and Phillip's son John P. and nephew John S. fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, the latter of which served with Jackson's "Stonewall Brigade." Isaac H. Strider served with the 12th Virginia Cavalry and would go on to be a Jefferson County Commissioner after the war. But the most noted member of the family would be Isaac's son Robert E. Lee Strider, the third Episcopal Bishop of West Virginia. Robert E. Lee Strider (1887-1969) was born on the Strider Farm and was ordained in 1911. Between 1915 and 1923, he served as the rector of St. Matthew's Church in Wheeling, WV until he was appointed Bishop Co-Adjuster, during which he wrote The Life and Work of George William Peterkin (1929). He would become the full Bishop in 1939 until his retirement in 1955. During his tenure as Bishop, he and the church purchased the Hampshire Hunt Club and converted it into the Peterkin Conference Center.

The Strider Farm was established in 1790 by Phillip Strider and has been continuously owned by the Strider Family into the present. The farm and the family were both influential in the economic and religious development of Jefferson County and West Virginia. However, the proximity to the B&O Railroad mainline made it a valuable location during the Civil War and was occupied by forces on both sides. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Strider Farm

The house was originally part of a 196-acre farm owned by Thomas Wilson. In 1799 Wilson leased the property to the Federal Government, under the authority of Secretary of War James McHenry, as part of the construction of the new federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. The land was acquired by the Lee family before 1813, part of around 1700 acres that the family owned around Harpers Ferry in the late-18th and early-19th centuries. In 1813 Richard and Elizabeth Lee, Edmond I. Lee, and Walton Jones, Jr. sold the 196-acre property to Ferdinando Fairfax for $3000, still subject to the government lease. Fairfax died around 1821 and the property was sold to George Rowles, again subject to the government lease. After his death, Rowles’ heirs sold their interest in the property to Amos Janney in 1830. Janney separated the acreage into smaller plots for sale and the house with 15 acres was purchased by John R. Hayden for $1400 in January 1831. Hayden struggled to pay the full amount owed for the house and he put the property in trust to John Janney to secure the money he needed to pay the final $500 of the debt. Unfortunately, Hayden was in debt for many of these years and he used the house to secure money to pay off debts several times. Likely due to this, the house and property was the center of a series of court cases and it was sold at public auction after Hayden’s death in 1843. The 15 acres of his lot were further broken down into smaller parcels for sale. The parcel with the brick house was acquired by James and Mary Fisher in 1844 and later inherited by James Fisher, Jr. and Charles Fisher. The Fisher family owned the house until the 1870s and was responsible for the enlargement of the kitchen wing. James and Ellen Fisher sold the property to Eugenia Burton on February 20, 1878 for $1050. At the time of the property’s nomination to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 it was owned by Mary Longsworth, thus it was listed as the “Lee-Longsworth” house. Local history attested that Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson used the house as a headquarters during his time in Harpers Ferry in 1861. In a letter of June 4th, Jackson writes to his wife describing his quarters and the description fits the Lee-Longsworth House, although this is not 100% established. Jackson described roses climbing up the house to his second-floor window, and the pink climbing rose has been named the Jackson Rose. In 1999 the Hale family opened the Jackson Rose Bed and Breakfast in the house, with guests able to stay in the room that Jackson reportedly used and wrote his letter from. The Jackson Rose was transplanted away from the house, and now graces the front arbor at the entrance.

The Lee-Longsworth House, currently named the Jackson Rose Bed & Breakfast, is a two-story brick house constructed in the Federal style around 1800-1810. There is also a two-story attached kitchen wing; this was originally 1.5 stories and was raised to two stories after 1850. Local history has it that Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson used the house as a headquarters in 1861 and stayed in one of the second-floor rooms. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Lee-Longsworth House (Jackson Rose Bed and Breakfast)

The land that became Harpers Ferry was originally part of the Thomas Fairfax holdings. Millwright Robert Harper purchased 125 acres of land from Fairfax on April 5, 1751. Harper established a water powered sawmill, ferry, and a stone tavern. Robert Harper died in 1782 and his holdings were inherited by his niece, Sarah Harper, and her husband John Wager, Sr. The Wagers lived in Philadelphia and controlled the development of Harpers Ferry from afar until 1836.During the early nineteenth century, Harpers Ferry was a center for industry and transportation. In August 1785 George Washington visited Harpers Ferry and selected it as the location for a new Federal musket producing armory due to the potential for waterpower. The United States purchased 118.25 acres of land from the Wagers, with the family keeping the two Wager tracts (the Six Acre Wager Reservation and ¾-acre Ferry Lot Reservation). The U. S. began construction on the power canal, dams, and factory buildings in 1798 and arms production began in 1802. The presence of the armory spurred the exponential growth in the town and the factory produced more than 500,000 firearms for the United States by 1860.In addition to the federal presence at Harpers Ferry, the area was a center of private industrial growth, particularly along the Shenandoah River at Virginius and Hall Islands. The potential for waterpower was being used as early as the 1820s and in the 1850s Abraham Kerr 39 industrial or related structures on Virginius Island. Hall’s Island just to the west was the site of the Lower Hall Rifle Factory in the 1820s. While new interchangeable technology was already being adapted by the U.S. government, John Harris Hall developed a system to mass produce truly interchangeable parts for a breechloading flintlock rifle. Hall was contracted by the United States to set up the machinery needed for this process on Hall Island and produce his rifles for the government.Transportation and Industry were both prominent themes in early Harpers Ferry. The Baltimore &amp; Ohio Railroad meets the Winchester &amp; Potomac Railroad in Harpers Ferry, along with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The canal was a way to transport goods from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington DC. With it’s ideal location for water powered factories, Harpers Ferry was home to cotton mills, paper mills, rifle works, and the Federal Armory and Arsenal. However, when you visit the park today all that remains are the ruins of the once industrial town due to the flooding that occurred.Harpers Ferry is perhaps most famous for John Brown’s Raid in October 1859. John Brown was an avid abolitionist and became known as “Osawatomie Brown” for his actions in “Bleeding Kansas,” and became a wanted man for killing five pro-slavery individuals. In Harpers Ferry, Brown devised a plan to lead a raid on the federal armory and arsenal. Brown’s plan was to obtain weapons from the armory and free all of the slaves in the south by providing them with weapons to rebel. Brown and his 18 raiders hid out at the nearby Kennedy Farm house in Maryland. On the eve of October 16th, 1859 Brown and his raiders entered the silent town of Harpers Ferry, it was a drizzly Sunday night. Brown’s men took several local citizens as prisoners, and once the local militia began to exchange fire, Brown took coverage in the armory’s fire engine house, now referred to as John Brown’s Fort. The U.S. Marines from Washington D.C., under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee offered Brown terms of surrender. Brown refused and after a short three-minute struggle Brown was captured and put under arrest. Brown was tried and found guilty of three crimes: murder, treason, and conspiring and inciting a slave rebellion, and was sent to the gallows on December 2, 1859. John Brown is quoted with his last words being “I John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land, will never be purged away with blood.” Brown was envisioning a Civil War to occur and it did.During the Civil War, Harpers Ferry was constantly in the path of the opposing armies. In 1861, at the very beginning of the conflict the Federal soldiers at the arsenal were forced to leave Harpers Ferry with the approach of Virginia’s state troops (once Virginia seceded and joined the Confederate States). The Federal force set fire to several of the buildings before the Confederates occupied the town. The other large wartime event was the Battle of Harpers Ferry in September 1862 when Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson approached the town during the Antietam Campaign and forced the surrender of the entire Union force there. Harpers Ferry was occupied by both forces several times over the course of the Civil War and much of the industrial sector was destroyed during the conflict. The damage from the war plus a series of major floods after 1870 largely caused Harpers Ferry to go into decline in the late nineteenth century.Harpers Ferry also holds a history of African Americans in West Virginia. After the American Civil War a school to educate newly freed African Americans was formed by missionaries. The school later turned into Storer College. In 1906, on the campus of Storer College, the second meeting of the Niagara Movement took place, and was led by W.E.B DuBois. The Niagara Movement was the forerunner of the NAACP. Storer College ended in 1954, when the Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education was passed making segregated schools illegal. Today, Storer College is a training center for the National Park Service.In 1944 the U. S. Congress recognized the historical significance of Harpers Ferry with legislation that allowed up to 1,500 acres to be designated as a national monument. It was officially declared a National Historical Park in 1963 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in October 1966.

Harpers Ferry Historic District contains the historic buildings and areas of Harpers Ferry that are not included in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The town of Harpers Ferry contains significant history related to eighteenth century settlement, nineteenth century industry, John Brown's 1859 raid, the Civil War, and African American education. The National Historical Park was established in 1963 and its area/structures was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The surrounding Historic District was added to the National Register in 1979.

Harpers Ferry Historic District

Until 1824, the town of Harpers Ferry and the surrounding area had to rely on a ferry of the same name for reliable transportation across the Potomac River. The first bridge was constructed in 1824 and was a wooden road. This was replaced in 1839 by a covered wooden truss about eight hundred and thirty feet long and capable of supporting the weight of a steam engine. An additional bridge was constructed alongside it in 1851, this time made out of metal in the Bollman Truss design.These two bridges were massive targets during the Civil War. Due to Harpers Ferry's relative proximity to the capital, they made the town into an immensely valuable strategic location. Controlling the Harpers Ferry junction was an effective choke-point to the north or the south. During the three years of fighting, Harpers Ferry changed hands eight times and the wooden bridge was destroyed in 1861.After the Civil War, two more bridges were constructed in 1894 and 1930 to accommodate the increasing weight of newer steam trains. The Bollman Truss bridge had been replaced with a new version in 1870, but it was washed away in a flood in 1936, leaving only the piers that used to hold it up. Both of the remaining bridges are now used by CSX for its Shenandoah (1894 bridge) and Cumberland (1930 bridge) Lines. The crossing was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Until 1824, Harper's Ferry relied on the ferry of the same name for transportation across the Potomac River. Since then, five bridges have been built over the Potomac, though only two are still standing. These bridges would be one of the factors that made Harpers Ferry into one of the most sought after positions in the Civil War, where it changed hands eight times between 1861 and 1864. The crossing was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

B&O Railroad Potomac River Crossing

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is nestled at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers in West Virginia with views of Maryland and Virginia. Visitors can cross the Potomac River and hike to the peak of Maryland Heights that overlooks Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park houses Storer College, buildings involved in John Brown's Raid, and a Civil War battleground.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and later the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, brought many Catholic Irish workers into the area, soon creating the need for a Catholic church. In the 1820s, a church was built on Shenandoah Street but it was soon destroyed in a flood before any services were held there. In 1830, construction began on a church on a four-acre piece of land conveyed to them by the Wager family, descendants of Robert Harper. Upon his passing in 1782, Harper had stipulated in his will that those four acres be set aside for the establishment of a church. St. Peter’s was finished and consecrated on May 5, 1833. The original building was a one-story brick structure over a stone foundation and had a wooden steeple. In 1896, the original church was torn down and the current one was built on the foundation. It was designed in the neo-Gothic style with red sandstone trim, granite walls, and a bell tower.Around 1854, St. Peter’s leased (and later acquired) an adjoining piece of property from the government. There the church built a two-story stone structure to serve as a school house. In 1886, the school closed and the church opened a new one on the north side of Shenandoah Street, which remained in operation until 1899. The original school building was converted into the church rectory in 1889. Around 1880, a wood frame bell tower was built near the northwest corner of the original school house, and was used for almost two decades until the construction of the new church in 1896.Harpers Ferry was devastated by the Civil War, having been fought over and switched hands numerous times. St. Peter’s was the only church not to be destroyed or severely damaged during the conflict. This was credited to the efforts of the church’s pastor, the Reverend Michael A. Costello, who chose to stay and protect his church during the war. Allegedly he flew the British Union Jack flag over the church as a sign of neutrality to discourage Confederate artillery from attacking it. The church and its school house were subsequently used as makeshift hospitals at several points during the war. Rumors that the amputated limbs of soldiers were buried on the property were discredited when excavations in 2000 found no such evidence.Due to declining attendance, St. Peter’s church ceased holding regular services in 1995 and in 1999 it was merged with the St. James’ parish in nearby Charles Town. St. James’ retains ownership of the church and has restored the building. In 2000, a group of volunteers excavated the grounds and uncovered thousands of artifacts, mostly everyday items. Today St. Peter’s is open to the public during the weekends from May to November, and offers Sunday Mass for tourists and locals. It continues to host community events as well, such as weddings and Christmas concerts.

St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church is a historic structure in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Completed in 1833, it was the third church in Harpers Ferry as well as the first Catholic parish in Jefferson County. In 1896, the original building was demolished and replaced with a larger structure in the same location. The church sits on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Lower Town district, making it one of the area’s most visible landmarks. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. In 1999, the parish combined with the nearby St. James' parish and regular church services at St. Peter’s ended. Today the church has been designated as a historic chapel and hosts community events, weddings, and conducts a weekly mass for visiting tourists.

St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church

The Allstadt House and Ordinary is located two miles west of Harpers Ferry and is both architecturally significant and historically significant during John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry. The house itself was originally built in 1790 and was a one story stuccoed brick nogging house. When the ownership of the property transferred to Jacob Alstadt in 1811, he used the property as an ordinary since he resided in a large stone house down the road. Allstadt added the second story to the original brick structure and constructed an additional two story stone building in the yard next to it. Both buildings were serviced by two tiered entrance porches. The stone building has a large fireplaces that is still intact and both buildings have original cupboards, trim of the two respective building periods, and original floors. Since the buildings have remained largely unchanged, the Allstadt House and Ordinary offers an exemplary example of 19th century taverns. On October 16, 1859 John Brown ordered a detachment under John Cook to round up important people in the area as prisoners. After taking Lewis Washington and three of his slaves from Beallair, the detachment stopped by the Allstadt House and Ordinary and took John Allstadt, his son John Thomas, and seven of his slaves prisoner and took them all to the Harpers Ferry Armory. John Allstadt survived the raid and the Civil War where he was a member of Company K of the Second Virginia Infantry of the Stonewall brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. He owned the Allstadt House and Ordinary until his death at age 83 in 1923, when the property was sold out of the family. Restoration work has been done since the 1940s to return the property to its 1859 state.

The Allstadt House and Ordinary, or tavern, property was originally built in 1790 by the Lees family. In 1811, 114 acres of the property was sold to Jacob Allstadt, who then obtained a license to run an ordinary on the site. The house was renovated and enlarged in the 1830s. The property's main claim to fame is its part in the John Brown Raid on October 16, 1859, where John Cook, one of John Brown's men, took John Allstadt, his 18 year old son John Thomas, and seven of their slaves as hostage along with the Washington's from the nearby Beallair estate. 

Allstadt House and Ordinary 

Beallair was originally owned by Thomas Beall, who's daughter Elizabeth married George Corbin Washington in 1807. In 1812, the couple had a son, Lewis Washington, who inherited the estate from his grandfather, Thomas, upon his death in 1827. Upon his inheritance, the property was a simple, old stone house with three feet thick walls. Washington carried out renovations and constructed additions to create the structure we see today. The house itself is a south facing, two story, stuccoed brick edifice with a stone foundation. The classical-revival style boasts an Ionic 4-column first floor portico on a brick foundation. The house features stepped gables and a shallow pitched roof. Washington had the front foyer walls and doors painted to look like wood-grained panels using the "faux bois" technique. The Winchester and Potomac Railroad freight logs show he imported many of the building materials, including the marble fireplace mantels. Along with inheriting the property, Lewis Washington also inherited several relics of particular interest to John Brown, including a sword form Frederick the Great and a pair of pistols from Lafayette. John Cook, who served as John Brown's advance party at Harpers Ferry, befriended Lewis Washington and noted the relics, as well as the slave population on the plantation. During Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, a detachment from his force led by Cook seized the sword and pistols along with Lewis Washington and three of his slaves. Brown's men arrived at Beallair around midnight and we Washington, to which he reportedly said "you can he my saves if you will let me remain." The hostages were taken to Harpers Ferry by way of Allstadt House and Ordinary, where more hostages were taken. All survived their captivity, and Washington identified Brown to the Marine rescue party and served as witness for the prosecution at his trial.

Beallair, or Beall-Air as it is sometimes written, was the home of Lewis William Washington, the great-grand-nephew of President George Washington. When Lewis William Washington inherited the property in 1827, he incorporated an old stone house into the taller, front portion he had built between 1850 and 1855. As it stands today, Beallair is a two story stuccoed brick structure with a stone foundation and boasting a classical revival architectural style. Aside from its impressive architectural features and state of preservation, Beallair played a part in John Brown's Raid of Harpers Ferry on October 16, 1859 when Lewis William Washington was kidnapped and held hostage by Brown and his men. Beallair was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. 

Beallair

Built in 1901 on the land of freed slave Thomas Edwards, this Sunday school was erected next to Edward's Halltown Colored Free School to serve his large family and the small African-American populace.The portion of the land given to Edward's for the Sunday School came from former state supreme court justice Daniel B. Lucas, whom was also desiring a church for the local African-American community.Laborers from the Charles Town and Harpers Ferry areas came down to work on the Sunday School.Besides functioning as a church, the Sunday school was also involved in the community buy way of weddings, funerals, community and social events. It was in operation for over 50 years.In 1982, the Halltown Memorial Chapel Association, INC purchased the structure and restored it.

Located next to the Halltown Colored Free School, this Sunday school was built in 1901. It served both the local Black community and a local African-American non-denominational congregation until 1967. 

Halltown Union Colored Sunday School

Prior to 1870, Halltown had about 100 residents with a small African-American community. This small group had no school or church for use due to segregation laws in place. Thomas Edwards, a freed slave, was able to purchase land from a Virginia Lucas. On this land also was built the Halltown Union Colored Sunday School in 1901 by laborers from the region. Edwards, using his own money and taking time off to help, and local 'Black males' worked on the regular school. Both schools are on the same lot. The school was originally intended to be used to educate Edwards' large family.The school suffered from low enrollment from the start. Edward's daughter, Ada R. Shelton (Edwards) and her family teamed up with Edward's granddaughter, Olive P. Braxton (Shelton), and her family, to increase enrollment. The building ceased as a school in 1929. From then on for a time, Ada and her family used the building as a private residence.The building was eventually abandoned as a residence, and is today owned by the Halltown Memorial Chapel Association, INC. In 1980, it was listed in the NRHP.

From 1870-1929, this school served African-American children. It was later converted to a private residence and is today owned by a non-profit organization that hopes to use the facility for educational purposes and as a window to understanding history of education during the era of Jim Crow.  

Halltown Colored Free School

The Rion Hall property was part of a 2,236-acre Fairfax grant to William Hall, Sr. in 1764. In 1774 Hall, Sr. sold 100 acres to John Rion as a lease &amp; release property. William Hall, Jr. conveyed these 100 acres and sold an additional 192 acres to Rion in 1784. In Rion’s 1785 will (probated in 1788 at his death) he divided the property between his wife, son John Rion, Jr., and daughters Sarah and Cloe Rion. Sarah Rion married Robert Lucas III (son of Edward Lucas III) around 1788-9 and brought her inherited property to the marriage. Lucas inherited part of his father’s Cold Spring property in 1809 and later purchased additional land to add to his wife’s inherited land (the Rion Hall property). In Robert Lucas III’s will he gave the Cold Spring and Rion Hall land jointly to his younger two sons, Robert and William Lucas. The two brothers held the lands jointly until 1859, after which it seems that Robert Lucas took the Cold Spring property and William Lucas the Rion Hall property. William Lucas constructed Rion Hall in 1836 (or 1840 according to tax records). He was a teacher and then studied law under Henry St. George Tucker. He was elected to the Virginia General Assembly for the 1837-1839 session and served in the U.S. House of Representatives 1839-1841 and 1843-1845 (he did not win reelection in 1840 but ran again in 1842). In 1844, Lucas was on board the USS Princeton with President Tyler and his cabinet when an explosion of the ship’s new cannon killed two cabinet members and several others. Lucas declined to take the position of governor in Virginia in the 1840s, but he was a member of the Virginia constitutional convention in 1850-1851. During the Civil War Union General Philip H. Sheridan and his staff used Rion Hall in August and September 1864 over the protest of Lucas. Damage was done to the interior woodwork of the house during this occupation, and several of the mantels still bear sabre marks. William Lucas remained prominent in Jefferson County until his death in 1877. Lucas’ son, Daniel Bedinger Lucas, inherited Rion Hall at his father’s death. Daniel B. Lucas was a prominent attorney who represented Jefferson County in the WV House of Delegates 1885-1887. He temporarily filled a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1887 and served on the West Virginia Supreme Court 1889-1893. Lucas is also known as a poet and author, particularly for “The Land Where We Were Dreaming” written in 1865 when he was in temporary exile in Canada. He also wrote a biography of his friend John Yates Bell (executed for espionage at the end of the Civil War), was co-editor of Southern Metropolis 1869-1870, and authored The Maid of Northcumberland (1879) and Ballads and Magricals (1884). His sister, Virginia, was also a poet and when she died at a young age he published a books of her poems titled The Wreath of Eglantine. Daniel B. Lucas died at Rion Hall in 1909. Lucas’ only child, Virginia Lucas, inherited the home at his death. Also a poet and writer, she is known for her short story “The Captain” and an anthology of her poetry titled June. Virginia Lucas died in an accident in 1929 and for about a decade after her death the house was abandoned. Charles L. Crane acquired Rion Hall in 1938 and started rehabilitating the house; following owners have continued the process of restoring the property. The main brick house constructed by William Lucas was originally a two-story structure with a central dormer. It was raised to three stories and given its current appearance by Daniel Lucas in the late 19th century. The second structure was originally a two-story brick kitchen and servants’ quarters that was later connected to the main house with the two-story wooden gallery. The architecture of the house is a mixture of Federal and Greek Revival styles. The main structure is Federal/Adams style with the end chimneys, corbeled caps, and horizontal parapet. The inside floorplan is also in the Federal style with a central hall with two rooms on either side and a central “grand” stairway. Greek Revival elements include a tripartite window on the second level, the portico entrance with Doric columns and triangular pediment, and the sidelights and fanlight surrounding the door. Rion Hall is one of several Jefferson County homes connected to the prominent Lucas family. His father, Col. Robert Lucas built Cold Spring and a cousin built Linden Spring near Shepherdstown, WV.

Rion Hall was constructed in 1836/1840 by William Lucas and later connected to the separate kitchen dependency by a two-story wooden gallery. The Lucas family was a prominent early settler family in Jefferson County responsible for several historic homes in the region. Rion Hall bears the name of William Lucas’ maternal family, his mother’s maiden name being Sarah Rion. Rion Hall was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its architecture, connection to the prominent Lucas family and their contributions to both politics and literature, and the use of the house by General Philip Sheridan during the Civil War. 

Rion Hall

During the 1700s much of this area in (then) Virginia (now West Virginia), had been surveyed and claimed by wealthy families from the Tidewater and Piedmont regions. These families held large estates and built grand stone mansions, many of which still survive today. In the early 1800s the social dynamics of the region changed slightly due to westward expansion and families breaking up their large landholdings between sons or selling/leasing land to smaller farmers. By the 1840s there was a three-tiered social class system in the area consisting of large, wealthy landowners (usually the families who had claimed land early), moderate and yeoman farmers aspiring to move up the social ladder, and a lower class of those working the land of other people (subsistence farmers, tenant farmers, and slaves). The Hurst family acquired land above Charles Town in the 1830s and James G. Hurst constructed Aspen Hill probably around 1840. The current house appears to be two original structures joined together by a more modern frame construction (that houses a kitchen). The original farmhouse is a L-shaped brick house and the second structure is an older log cabin that is 1.5 floors. Due to this multi-structure construction there is a mixture of building materials and styles. There are references to the architecture and interior layout of grander mansions (such as the layout of rooms and inclusion of fireplaces and mantel in each room), however the interior design is generally plain and less decorated than wealthier homes in the area. The architecture is in the vernacular Greek Revival style and the family referred to the building as the “mansion house,” evidence of a middle class family striving to attain a level of social class and respectability in local society. The Hurst family held the estate until 1918 when it was sold out of the family. Aspen Hill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as an example of middle-class architecture in the antebellum period and evidence of the social class structure of the region in the early-mid 1800s.

The historic Charles Town home known as Aspen Hill was constructed around 1840 by James G. Hurst and is an example of middle-architecture in the antebellum period. Aspen Hill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as an example of the middle-class homes constructed during this period. Aspen Hill typifies this type of home as well as the transition from the 1700s when the region was dominated by a handful of wealthy landowners. By the 1800s a middling class of planters and merchants emerged, and these families established estates and aspired to the lifestyle of their wealthy neighbors.

Aspen Hill

In the 1700s George Washington and his brothers acquired large plantations in the area that would become Berkeley and Jefferson Counties. Washington’s brother, Samuel Washington, inherited land from their brother Lawrence at his death in 1752. Samuel Washington moved his family to the Jefferson County estate in 1770 and built Harewood. He then purchased an additional 542 from Isaiah Pemberton in 1771, land that Pemberton had received by a grant from Lord Thomas Fairfax. He ultimately owned about 3,800 acres here. For a period of the 1770s this region was dominated by large plantations owned by the Washington family. In subsequent generations, these large plantations were divided into smaller pieces; there would be at least six estates split off from Harewood. Samuel Washington married five times, his wives all dying early, and he also died young. His son, George Steptoe Washington inherited Harewood and at his death the estate was divided among three sons. One of these sons, William T. Washington, built up an estate that included the land that would eventually be Barleywood. In 1841, W. T. Washington sold a parcel of 250 acres to his son-in-law Robert G. McPherson. McPherson had married Washington’s daughter, Millicent, the year before. In 1842, they built their house at Barleywood, a Greek Revival style brick house with a service wing extending to the east side. Millicent and Robert McPherson were modestly wealthy compared to the other nearby Washington estates. In the 1850 census Robert was listed as a “farmer,” the family owned ten slaves, and employed at least one domestic servant. The McPhersons sold Barleywood in 1853 to Humphrey Keyes who also purchased other Washington lands to a total of 1,000 acres. Jefferson County and Charles Town saw a lot of troop movement and combat during the Civil War, due to its location in the Shenandoah Valley and near Harper’s Ferry. Keyes lost a portion of his wealth during these years, due to damage during the war and the loss of his slave property. He was able to recover some wealth before his death and the estate was passed on to his two surviving daughters, Susan (Keyes) Ambler and Sarah Margaret Keyes. It appears that around 1900 Susan Ambler developed the farm into a tenant operation and there was a tenant house and garage constructed across the road around that time. When Ambler died in 1925 the estate was divided by her three children and has been further divided since to new owners. There is a possibility that the Barleywood home was occupied at some point in the 1960s; however, it has been vacant since then and subject to disrepair and vandalism. Despite its condition, the house does contain much of the original architecture and interior design, including traces of the original paint and wallpaper. Barleywood was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Barleywood is situated on land owned in the 1700s by Samuel Washington, one of several large Washington estates in the area. Divided among succeeding generations, this parcel of land was owned in the 1840s by Samuel Washington’s great-granddaughter Millicent and her husband Robert G. McPherson. In 1853, the McPhersons sold the land out of the family and the estate has been divided since into smaller plots. Barleywood has been vacant since the 1960s and is in a state of disrepair. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Barleywood

Middleway, WV is known for its high concentration of eighteenth and nineteenth century architecture and in-tact community structure as a crossroads town. Settlement of the area began in 1729 with the arrival of John Smith Sr. and his sons, John Smith, Jr. and Rees Smith. The Smiths set up a grist and hemp mill on Turkey Run by 1734 which gradually led to a concentration of farmers around the mill and later tradesmen settling in the new town. The layout of the town and roads was likely completed prior to the Revolution since the two main roads are “King” and “Queen” Streets. The Smiths wanted to develop a full corporate entity with their town, and they added a sawmill to their operations sometime in the late 1780s or early 1790s. In 1794 they launched the “Smithfield Promotion” to draw more people to settle at Smithfield and build homes and businesses. The town of Smithfield was officially incorporated in 1798.In the 1790s one of the most infamous occurrences of the town’s history happened, what is known as the “Wizard Clip.” Adam Livingston, a farmer just to the north of Smithfield, took in a traveler one night in 1797. The stranger died that night in Livingston’s home and tradition states that as he was dying he asked for a Catholic Priest to administer last rites, which was not provided. After the stranger’s death, the Livingston house was plagued with all sorts of hauntings, the most notable being the sounds of scissors and the shape of the crescent moon being cut into fabric in the house. Adam Livingston finally called for the help of a Catholic Priest who was able to stop the hauntings. Livingston eventually converted to Catholicism and donated his property to the Church; this is now the site of Priest Field Pastoral Center, to the north of town and outside of the Historic District. The crescent moon and scissors are symbols used frequently in the town of Middleway. While the town was officially chartered as Smithfield the name Middleway was frequently used because of its location in the middle of Martinsburg, Shepherdstown, Harpers Ferry, and Winchester. After being constantly confused with another Smithfield, VA, the name was officially changed to Middleway. Middleway experienced its highest period of prosperity between 1810 and the Civil War because of its location as a crossroads town between the surrounding major towns and the presence of several commercial businesses during that period. The Civil War marked the turning point of downturn in Middleway. The town did see some damage from the war itself, due to its location as a crossroads. More importantly, however, was the impact of the railroad. In the 1850s the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad constructed a route to the south of Middleway and by the 1870s the town was no longer an important crossroads for transportation and shipping of goods. There was little development of Middleway after this point, which has resulted in a community almost frozen in time in terms of the structures and layout. Much of the town is unchanged since the nineteenth century, which contributes significantly to the Historic District. List of structures included in the MIddleway Historic District (description in quotes from the 1979 NRHP nomination)1. “Non-conforming intrusion (mid-twentieth century house)”2. “Typical small, two story log (at least in part) dwelling.” (199 King Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #41)3. “Typical small, two story log (at least in part) dwelling. This building has recently burned and is now in a deteriorated state.”4. “Non-conforming intrusion (mobile home).”5. “This is a newer building, but it does not detract from the district. Size, design and materials are such that it blends well.” (149 King Street)6. “Pivotal structure. Good example of a double house with sections of log and brick. The former is a typical, two-story unit with plaster-covered exterior.” (129 King Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #38)7. “Typical small, two-story log (at least in part) dwelling with ell.” (99 King Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #36)8. “Non-conforming intrusion (new two-story, round-log house)”9. “Typical small, two-story log (at least in part) dwelling with rear extension or addition.” (9 King Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #33)10. “Typical small, two-story log (at least in part) dwelling” (254 King Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #43)11. “Larger two-story log (at least in part) dwelling with ell. Aluminum siding is now replacing clapboards and several alterations have been made to doors and windows.” (218 King Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #42)12. “Typical small, two-story log (at least in part) dwelling.” (182 King Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #40)13. “Non-conforming intrusion (mid-twentieth century cinder block house).”14. “Typical small, two-story log (at least in part) dwelling.” (142 King Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #39)15. “Typical small, two story log (at least in part) dwelling.” (112 King Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #37)16. “Pivotal structure. This example of the typical three-bay, single-pile, two-story log house with stone exterior and chimney and clapboarded façade, although deteriorating, may represent a directional force. Whether it is torn down or rehabilitated and reused can influence Middleway’s future.” (98 King Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #35)17. “Typical small, two-story log (at least in part) dwelling.” (80 King Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #34)18. “Non-conforming intrusion (mid-twentieth century, single-story house).19. “Typical small, two-story log (at least in part) dwelling with a frame addition to the east side.” (7 South Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #32)20. “Typical small, two story (at least in part) dwelling. It has been covered with a false-brick siding.” (47 South Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #31)21. “Pivotal structure. Substantial two-story log house with plaster-covered exterior. The property includes a large open space, and the dwelling (with associated log smokehouse) is important as a northern boundary to the district. The potential exists for use of its surrounding land for newer housing.” (7513 Leetown Road/Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #1)22. “Pivotal structure. Although plain in appearance except for detailing in a brick cornice and open bell tower, the brick Methodist Church of 1883 (it has a newer addition) has a long tradition in community religious and social history.” (7435 Leetown Road/Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #2)23. “This dwelling is probably partly of log construction, but it has had a number of alterations to basic lines.” (7417 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #3)24. “Typical small, two story log (at least in part) dwelling with associated log smokehouse. It has been covered with a false-brick siding.” (7405 Leetown Road/Queen Street)25. “This old storage and work shop or garage consists of a stone rear section and a frame addition at the front.” (Between 7405 and 7379 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #4)26. “Typical small, two-story log (at least in part) dwelling with rear extension. A log smokehouse is on this lot.” (7379 Leetown Road/Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #5—the number on the map is in the wrong place)27. Pivotal structure. Large two-story log (at least in part) dwelling with clapboarded sides and board-and-batten sided front. This is a good example of the five-bay log house found on Queen Street. A small stone barn is at the rear of the property.” (7365 Leetown Road/Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #6)28. “This is a sizable log and stone house with a small stone barn on the back lot.” (7337 Leetown Road/Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #7)29. “Typical small, two-story log (at least in part) dwelling.” (between 7337 and 7313 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #8)30. “Typical small, two story log (at least in part) dwelling. There is also a log smokehouse on this property.” (7313 Leetown Road/Queen Street)31. “Pivotal structure. Another good example of the longer log house; a small, one-story brick office is on the south side.” (7295 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #9)32. “Pivotal structure. This two-section log house includes a one-story ell that may be one of the oldest buildings in town.” (7279 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #11)33. “Around 1850 a two-story frame store/house was constructed on this lot. Until this day it remains as the only building with its gable facing the street except for the brick churches and lodge).” (7269 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #13)34. “Typical, small, two-story log (at least in part) dwelling with a frame addition to the rear.” (7255 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #15)35. “Pivotal structure. This two-story brick store has inside end chimneys, jack-arch lintels and a corbeled cornice. It was used as a hospital after the battle at Antietam Creek in 1862.” (7211 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #24)36. “Pivotal structure. Excellent example of the small, two-story log house. The front section is plaster covered, while an ell has clapboards. The north end chimney is stone to the second level and brick above. A stone smokehouse is at the rear.” (7155 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #25)37. “Pivotal structure. Combination log, frame and half-timber house. A frame section along the north front was added to the original log part, and a half-timbered, brick-infilled passageway was later constructed to attach what was probably a log kitchen at the rear.” (7121 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #28)38. “Non-conforming intrusion (mid-twentieth century, one-story house).39. “Typical small, two-story log (at least in part) dwelling.” (7035 Leetown Road/Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #30)40. “Larger two-story log house. It has had a number of alterations, including changes to windows and door configuration. (historic structure no longer stands)41. “Typical small, two-story log (at least in part) dwelling. This plaster-covered building has had several small additions; it now lists to one side.” (historic structure no longer stands)42. “Non-conforming intrusion (mid-twentieth century, single-story house).”43. “Another example of the combination house, part log and part brick.” (7290 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #10)44. “Pivotal structure. This is a long, two-story brick house with a one-story brick kitchen unit attached at the south end. It includes a good example of the later nineteenth century porch, with saw-worked balusters and brackets, that abounds in the community.” (7268 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #12)45. “Pivotal structure. This is the only all stone house in town. It is 2.5 stories high with an ell, inside end chimneys and dormers. There is a stone smokehouse at the rear.” (7248 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #14)46. “Pivotal structure. Log sections of one, 1.5 and two stories combine to form a long and deep ell-shaped dwelling. The property includes a stone smokehouse and small frame barn.” (7226 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #16)47. “Pivotal structure. Two brick sections (one of two stories and the other 2.5) are to either side of an older log unit. Detailing though not extravagant, is probably the best in Middleway. It includes a geometrically divided fanlight and sidelights around the entrance to the newer brick section and a porch with a rood supported by Ionic capitaled columns. There is also a log smokehouse and small frame barn on the large lot.” (7198 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #23)48. “Typical small, two-story log (at least in part) dwelling with an ell that includes a small stone unit.” (7170 Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #26)49. “Non-conforming intrusion (mid-twentieth century, one-story house).”50. “Non-conforming intrusion (mid-twentieth century, one-story house).”51. “Typical small, two-story log (at least in part) dwelling.” (7068 Leetown Road/Queen Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #29)52. “Pivotal structure. Former Union Church is a large brick edifice of c. 1823 construction with an open bell tower added around 1853. Plain, almost severe lines are part of its attraction. It is now used as an adjunct to Grace Episcopal Church.” (112 East Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #18)53. “Combination house of brick and frame sections; the latter includes late nineteenth century elements seldom seen (but not distracting) in Middleway. (154 East Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #17)54. “Pivotal structure. Triluminar Lodge, A.F. &amp; A. K. Simple rectangular, two-story brick building with a 1960s, brick-veneered addition at the rear. This 1851 lodge hall has served an important function in the social life of the community.” (105 East Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #19)55. “Pivotal structure. The Gothic features of the c. 1851 Grace Episcopal Church, including the high spires of its bell tower, are impressive in this town of simplicity.” (159 East Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #20)56. “Small, two story log or frame dwelling with ell.” (175 East Street)57. “Larger house consisting of an older frame section and a more recent stone addition.” (207 East Street) (Middleway Walking Tour #21)58. “Non-conforming intrusion (mid-twentieth century, one story house).”59. “Non-conforming intrusion (mobile home).”60. “Pivotal structure. This small brick church was constructed about 1887. Along with building #22 it represents the long division of American Methodism, this being the Methodist Protestant Church and that being Methodist Episcopal Church, South. It is now used as the Middleway Full Gospel Pentecostal Church.” (55 West Street)

The town of Middleway, WV is highly representative of eighteenth and nineteenth century architecture and community structure. It features a large concentration of early log structures and has not been significantly changed since the early nineteenth century. Middleway is also well known for a mysterious occurrence or haunting in 1797 known as the “Wizard Clip.” The town was designated a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Middleway Historic District

Harewood is a beautiful two-story Georgian style home, it was built by John Ariss for George Washington's brother, Samuel Washington. John Ariss is also credited with building other homes of Washington's family members. Samuel Washington was the first in the Washington family to move to Jefferson County when he arrived at this estate in 1770. Attracted by the fertile farmland of the Shenandoah Valley of&nbsp;Virginia, George Washington and his&nbsp;brothers began buying land&nbsp;in present Jefferson County, West Virginia (then Virginia) in 1750. Samuel served as colonel and eventually County Lieutenant in command of the militia of Frederick County and also as County Magistrate. Samuel became one of the leaders of the newly formed Berkeley County in 1772. He was appointed Justice of the peace and later Sheriff of Berkeley. Not only was he a political and military leader, he also served as a vestryman of Northborne Parish, later known as St. Geoge's Chapel. Samuel relinquished many duties due to battling Tuberculosis. This disease seemed to be common for four of his five wives died as well as three of his four sons.&nbsp; Harewood is well known for its connection to George Washington yet, he was not the only notable figure to visit Harewood. James Madison got married to Dolly Todd&nbsp;at Harewood, who was&nbsp;the sister of Samuel's son&nbsp;George S. Washington's&nbsp;wife. Other notable visitors of Harewood include Louis Philipe who would later become the king of France as well as his two brothers Duke de Montpensier and the Count de Beaujolais.&nbsp; Later, Harewood would also witness the Battle of Cameron's Depot. The battlefield spread across the neighboring estates of Richwood Hall and Locust Hill occupied by Union General Sheridan. When Samuel Washington died in 1781, he was buried in the family plot at Harewood, and his son George inherited the property. At the time of his death, he was in possession of 4,000 acres of land across Jefferson County. Today, Harewood still remains in the Washington family.

Located in Jefferson County, West Virginia, Harewood was the home of George Washington's brother, Samuel Washington. Harewood was one of the first houses in the Shenandoah Valley to built of native limestone. 

Harewood, Home of George Washington's Brother Samuel Washington 

Richwood Hall is located on land surveyed by George Washington and purchased by Washington from Lord Fairfax. Washington turned the land over to his brother, Samuel Washington, a colonel in the Frederick County militia. Samuel Washington appeared before royal officials and took the oath of allegiance to his majesty's person and government on May 7, 1771. Samuel, due to ill health, resigned as county lieutenant on April 3, 1777 and later joined the Continental army .  When Samuel died,  Washington was placed in charge of his wild and uncontrollable nephew, Lawrence Augustine, he sent him to school to receive an education to study law under Edmund Rudolf. In 1796, Lawrence inherited the land on which Richwood stands.  Lawrence married Mary Wood; together they built the oldest section of the home and resided here until 1802 when they moved to Harewood when Smith Slaughter purchased it. Slaughter served as a justice of the piece in 1822. Slaughter only resided here for a short time, he sold the Hall to Joseph Shewater in 1829. Richwoods was built using the best and most beautiful materials. The rich wood carved interior provides Richwood with a name that it lives up to. In 1846, Shewater sold the property to John R. Flagg. Flagg was the resident during the battle of Cameron's Depot. Confederate General Early placed his cannon near the Hall and formed battle lines north and south of this point. Union General Sheridan was east of his location at Locust Hill home. Richwood Hall received many bullet holes; shells and holes can still be seen in the brick walls. When the shelling became too heavy, Flagg and his family escaped across the fields to Charles Town.   Richwood remains a beautifully well preserved home; the original ornate woodwork give Richwood its beautiful character. It has survived the force of the Civil War as well as the test of time. Mystery such as the remnants of an earlier structure suggest there once was another building of unspecified use; this could be an early part of the house, a slave quarters, or served as a kitchen. Furthur research into Richwood Hall and its history could provide unturned stones of information.

Located on land that was once owned by George Washington, Richwood Hall is a historic mansion constructed in 1829. Washington's nephew Lawrence Augustine, the son of Samuel Washington, resided here with his wife and family prior to the construction of the current mansion. The property was sold several times and in 1829, this brick mansion was constructed and has been well-preserved in subsequent years. Richwood passed ownership throughout the century from the Washington family to the Slaughter, Shewater, and Flagg families, each of whom were leading families in Jefferson County. The estate is best known for its connection to the Civil War battle of Cameron's Depot. In this battle, the Confederate army established a defensive position against men led by Union General Sheridan. Flagg and his family escaped but shells and bullet holes remain in the brick walls of the home. 

Richwood Hall

Cedar Lawn was the home of John Thornton Augustine Washington (May 20, 1783-October 9, 1841), the great nephew of George Washington. It is a Federal style two story, white painted brick structure with a hipped roof and two central chimneys. The front porch faces east and boasts a one story Greek revival style with a pediment. South of the main house is a long, 1.5 story kitchen wing. To the north, there is a small, one story attachment added in the 20th century but in the 19th century style. The Cedar Lawn property was originally part of the Harewood estate. The National Register of Historic Places reports that the property was left to Thornton Washington (born 1760- died 1787) and "in 1780, Thornton built a large log and plank house, naming it Berry Hill in honor of the Miss Berry he had married." Unfortunately, this property and structure was destroyed by fire. When John Thornton Augustine inherited the property, he built the present day structure of Cedar Lawn 1825.

Norborne Parish was organized in 1771 to serve present-day Jefferson, Berkeley, and Morgan counties. This was a division of the previous Frederick County parish, as the population increased in the western counties of Virginia. The Anglican Church was the state supported religion of colonial Virginia and parishes oversaw administration of local areas, including the taxation of residents for the maintenance of church property. The parish leadership was often comprised of influential men who held power within their communities. In the case of the Norborne Parish, the first vestry consisted of twelve men: Samuel Washington (senior warden), William Henshaw (junior warden), Robert Worthington (collector of tithes), Adam Stephen, Thomas Rutherford, James Keitz, George Cunningham, Magnus Tate, John Neville, William Baldwin, Morgan Morgan II, and Hugh Stephenson. They were responsible for two existing churches, a 1769 church in Shepherdstown and a 1738 church in Bunker Hill. As the population grew in the late 1700s, especially in Charles Town, and the wealthy elite of the region complained about the long travel times to the existing churches, the vestry decided to build another church. Originally called “Norborne,” “Berkeley,” or “Trinity,” the church was constructed sometime between 1771 and 1774. All documents related to the construction of the church have been lost, so the architect and exact date is unknown. The exact cost is unknown as well, although the estimate is £600, twice the cost of an average church. The design of the church was much larger than the older churches in the area; the “T” shape and second-floor gallery meant that the new church had twice the seating as the other churches. Local families would have been tithed to support the construction of the new church, and many prominent families donated furnishings and other items. Robert Worthington, Jr. of Quarry Banks (now Piedmont) donated the plot of land for the church (apparently the land was not officially deeded to the church and was part of the Piedmont estate until the plot was sold to the Davenport family in the 1850s). Because the Chapel was constructed during the American Revolution it was in use for only a short period of time. The congregation split over the Revolution and the Anglican Church was a symbol of Britain. Many families in the local population were not Anglican worshipers, and the taxation of these residents to support the Church was one of the grievances against the British. After the Revolution, the Anglican Church was abolished and replaced with the Episcopal Church. Taxation for state-sponsored religion was prohibited under the U.S. Constitution, and it was now the responsibility of church congregations to raise funds for their own support. Lack of funds, the decline of the Anglican Church, and the aging population of the original supporters put the church into rapid decline. Within twenty years of construction, it was noted that the church was deteriorating and in need of repair. The church was serviced by rotating ministers until the early 1800s when the name “St. George’s Chapel” was adopted by the community. The last service mentioned in local records was in 1811, although it is possible that the church was used later than that. In 1817 a new Zion Episcopal Church was constructed in Charles Town, and this left the St. George Chapel to deteriorate. A fire in the new church in 1843 likely destroyed any original items moved from the Chapel and the original records of the church. St. George’s Chapel quickly deteriorated in the 1800s. It was used as a barn for the Briscoe’s at Piedmont for a period and by 1859 sketches of the site show that the church had lost its roof and a wall. That year the church and grounds were purchased by Braxton Davenport, owner of neighboring Altona. During the Civil War, it is very likely that the ruins and property were used as part of encampments as the armies traveled and operated through the region. From the 1890s through the 1930s the ruins were a popular tourist spot and more embellished myths about the Chapel and its worshipers emerged during this period. With the Colonial Revival interest in anything related to George Washington and his family increased, in this case the role of brother Samuel Washington in the founding of the church. In addition, with the economic devastation of the Civil War and then the Great Depression, St. George’s Chapel became a local symbol of a wealthier and grander time. The interest in St. George’s Chapel is evidenced by the decision of the Historic American Building Survey to record the ruins in 1936, it being only the third site in WV to be so recorded. The nation’s bicentennial in the 1970s increased interest in the Chapel again, and in 1974 the Davenport family deeded the Chapel property to the Bee Line Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). The family also made a donation towards the stabilization of the ruins and this launched the process to highlight the property as part of Bicentennial celebrations. The stabilization project in 1975 was conducted by stonemasons from Harpers Ferry NHP and the goal was to prevent further loss by removing unstable portions of the walls. The majority of the walls were brought to a uniform height of about four feet and capped with a course of mortared stone. One corner (NW) was stable enough to leave at eighteen feet. A lot of rubble was moved inside and outside the foundations as the ground was excavated; much of this rubble now rings the walls in piles up to six feet representing the collapsed walls. One doorway was left open as an access point into the ruins. Some other improvements were made for the Bicentennial, including a parking area, road, and landscaping. After the Bicentennial, interest in the Chapel faded rapidly and the DAR struggled to maintain the site and prevent problematic recreational use of the ruins. By 1989 the DAR surrendered the chapel back to the Davenport family to maintain the grounds. In 1999 an archaeological investigation was done on the grounds. When St. George’s Chapel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 it was nominated for its historical significance but also the possibility of further archaeological explorations. There is a cemetery within the church grounds, but the location, size, and burials have not been determined. The 1999 archaeological investigation discovered one possible grave shaft. According to the NRHP nomination, one hope is locating the missing graves of Washington family members, including Samuel Washington. At the time of the 2001 nomination archaeological digs were happening at Harewood, Washington’s home, to try and find his grave. There is a plaque there stating that Washington was buried there in the graveyard, but as of 2015 the family historian, Walter Washington, stated that the location of Samuel Washington’s grave, and those of his wife and children, were still unknown. Because Samuel Washington was the senior warden of St. George’s Chapel, the NRHP nomination mentions that he might be buried at the church, and this is a goal for future archaeology on the site.

The ruins of St. George’s Chapel are a “T” shaped building with stabilized walls that range from four to eighteen feet in height and two feet thick. This Anglican Church was constructed between 1771 and 1774 to serve local families such as the Washingtons, Worthingtons, Morgans, and Stephensons. The church was only active a short time because the Anglican Church declined after the Revolution. In use only until the early 1800s, the Chapel rapidly declined and became ruins that were a popular local tourist location. The ruins were stabilized in 1975 as part of the Bicentennial and archaeological investigation of the property were done in 1999. St. George’s Chapel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 with the hope that further archaeology will be done on the property. 

Ruins of St. George's Chapel

Robert Worthington constructed the original one-story stone house with attic in 1730. The stone on this section has been whitewashed and Worthington named the house “Quarry Banks-New Style” after his home in England, “Quarry Banks.” His son, Robert Worthington, Jr., was involved in erecting nearby Norborne Parish/St. George’s Chapel, the ruins of which can be seen at the beginning of Piedmont Lane. Worthington, Jr. married Margaret Edwards in 1760 and they lived at “Quarry Banks” until 1770 when they sold it to James Norse. While Norse owned the home, it was Dr. John Briscoe who lived there and constructed the second addition of the house. What is now the main house, called Piedmont, was a two-story brick structure, with attic and basement, built onto the original stone house in 1784. The house was designed in the Georgian style, and the NRHP nomination calls it “one of the noblest specimens of Georgian design found in West Virginia.” After living in Piedmont for several years, Briscoe officially purchased the property in 1786. Around 1806 Briscoe’s heirs added the unique French wallpaper that is still preserved in the home. The Briscoe family still owned Piedmont when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, but it has since passed to new owners.

Piedmont is also known as Quarry Banks and the Robert Worthington House. The first section of the home was built in 1730 by Robert Worthington and the main house was constructed in 1784 by Dr. John Briscoe. Piedmont was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as the Robert Worthington House, in 1973 as an example of Georgian architecture in Jefferson County. 

Piedmont / Robert Worthington House

Altona was the ancestral home of the Davenport family; Major Abraham Davenport, Jr, a Revolutionary War veteran,&nbsp;bought the property from Charles Washington in 1793.&nbsp; Abraham became one of the first magistrates in the newly formed Jefferson County in 1801 and served as sheriff in 1813. The original structure was enlarged in the 1830s by Abraham's son Braxton Davenport; his wife, Elizabeth Bedinger named the estate Altona after her family estate in Germany. Davenport created enterprise at Altona by using slave labor&nbsp;to&nbsp;expand beyond farming. He built a mill to process flaxseed oil from the flax he grew and processed it into linen cloth; planted mulberry trees; bought silkworms to introduce silk spinning into the county; and also owned one of only two flocks of Agora goats in the country. Records of the individual slaves who lived here have yet to be found; names and numbers have been lost to history. However,&nbsp;the quarters where they lived still stand and provide us with a testament that they were there.&nbsp;In 1812,&nbsp;Braxton&nbsp;Davenport&nbsp;became a Colonel for his service in the War of 1812 and&nbsp;began the first of&nbsp;four terms in the Virginia Legislature.&nbsp;He&nbsp;also served as a magistrate over the Jefferson County court; he arraigned and sentenced John Brown for his raid on Harpers Ferry. On May 22, 1861, Colonel Braxton was the presiding justice over a council to authorize the Virginia county courts to make appropriations to arm the militia;&nbsp;a committee headed by himself was&nbsp;appointed&nbsp;to negotiate a loan of $12,500 to be appropriated to the use of soldiers of the counties and their families.&nbsp;Davenport later passed away in 1862.&nbsp;His son Henry served in the Confederate army as a first lieutenant in Stonewall Jackson's Brigade.<div></div><div>During the Civil War, Altona was the site of camps for both&nbsp;sides at different time. Confederate troops occupied the grounds until their retreat. General Sheridan, of the Union army,&nbsp;stayed in the carriage house during the Union&nbsp;occupation.&nbsp;Once the war was over, Altona continued to operate as a farm and was only briefly out of possession of the Davenport family from 1906 to 1936. The Davenport family still reside on and farm this land.</div>

This historic estate dates back to 1793 with the construction of a small weatherboard farmhouse by Abraham Davenport, Jr. In 1830, the estate was enlarged and a brick facade was constructed, adding to the size of the home in addition to adding two formal Federal-style entrances. The house was enlarged further in the 1830s by Colonel Braxton Davenport and his wife, Elizabeth Bedinger, named the estate Altona after her family estate in Germany. During the Civil War, both Union and Confederate troops encamped on the property. Union General Sheridan stayed in the carriage house during the Union occupation. Altona is an excellent example of a well-preserved colonial home and an early important economic center to Jefferson County and has operated as a plantation and farm since its construction in 1793. 

Altona 

The Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing &amp; Improvement Company (CMM&amp;I Company) was founded in 1890 by seven prominent residents: Roger Preston Chew, Frank Beck, Forrest W. Brown, T. C. Green, W. F. Lipitt, A. W. McDonald, and B.C. Washington. Chew served as the Company’s president; he had served as a Lieutenant Colonel under General J.E.B. Stuart in the Civil War and served in the West Virginia Legislature between 1884 and 1890. The Company’s founders wanted to improve the economic prospects of the eastern panhandle, especially investing in new industry and taking advantage of local mineral resources. Similar organizations operated around Harpers Ferry and Bakerton at this same time. The CMM&amp;I Company purchased 850 acres just outside of Charles Town city limits to develop their planned community. Their intention was to have several industrial tracts surrounded by worker neighborhoods. They also planned to have community parks and a resort hotel. The CMM&amp;I Company building was designed by local architect J. C. Holmes. He was the only architect listed for Charles Town between 1884 and 1915. He was also involved with the construction of the Hotel Powhatan that used to stand near the CMM&amp;I building before it burned in the 1930s. The CMM&amp;I building has a rusticated limestone foundation and first floor with the rest of the building done in common bond brick. Distinct architectural features include a central tower with pyramidal roof, arched windows and cross gables, and its unique keyhole shaped entrance. The building was completed in 1891 for a cost of $10,700. The full economic plan of the CMM&amp;I was never fully realized, although several manufacturers did establish themselves in the town. The Company quickly fell into bad financial times, possibly connected to the Panic of 1893, and they sold the headquarters building to the Board of Education of the District of Charles Town in 1893. Despite the failure of the company, Ranson did maintain a very separate identity from Charles Town and voted to incorporate as a separate city in 1910. Between 1893 and 1912 the CMM&amp;I building was used as Charles Town High School. During this period it was the only high school for students in Ranson and Charles Town. The school was called the “Keyhole School” by students because of the front entrance and was also known locally as the Wright Denny School after its popular principal. In 1912 the school was replaced by a more modern school building in Charles Town. Gerard D. Moore, former mayor, purchased the CMM&amp;I building as a private owner in 1917. The building housed the Ranson Post Office and a confectionary on the first floor and apartments on the upper floors. In 1925 Moore’s executors sold the property to H. C. Getzendanner. The City of Ranson purchased the building in 1936 and it has been City Hall since that point. Until 1983 the Post Office continued to operate in the northern half of the 1st floor and the city offices were in the southern half. After the Post Office moved to a new building the police department operated from that section of the first floor; they have since moved to their own building. The upper floors were used as apartments until the 1970s and then left vacant. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 and since then the City of Ranson did a renovation of the building to update it the needs of modern government.

Built in 1891, this 3.5-story Romanesque Revival building is a unique and commanding presence in Ranson, WV. It was constructed as the headquarters of the Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing & Improvement Company, which hoped to develop the economic prospects of the region. It was later used as a high school, post office, and is now Ranson City Hall. The building’s design makes it unique in Ranson, and it is one of the few buildings remaining from the early development period. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 for its historical significance for Ranson and its architectural significance. 

Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing & Improvement Company Building / Ranson City Hall

In the early 1900s
Annie G. Packette, a noted local and descendant of the Washington family,
sought to increase the role of the performing arts in the Charles Town
community. In 1910 she spearheaded an effort to raise $50,000 for building an
opera house on North George Street. Washington D. C. architect Thomas A.
Mullett was commissioned to design the structure. The New Opera House, as it
was originally called, was given a simple design, with seating for at least
500, an orchestra pit, and a curved balcony. The house had its grand opening on
February 14, 1911 with a performance of the comedy play Bachelor Girls’
Federation of Clubs, featuring local actors. Proceeds from the show went to the
local United Daughters of the Confederacy branch to care for Confederate
veterans. 

The New Opera House
originally hosted theatrical performances but also included vaudeville,
minstrels, readings, circuses, and even basketball games and boxing matches.
Occasionally it held church services and election returns, and at one point it
stored supplies for disaster relief. The first films began to be screened in
1915. By the 1930s, with the introduction of the “talkies,” the opera house was
serving primarily as a movie theater. Business declined as movies overtook live
entertainment, and in 1948 the opera house closed. The building was converted
into commercial space and for the next few decades it served variously as a
florist shop, antique store, apartments, and a bowling alley. Gradually it
began deteriorating and accumulating waste, including a large amount of pigeon
droppings in the auditorium.

In 1971 a group of
local citizens, including Dixie Kilham, owner of the Hilltop House hotel in
Harpers Ferry, arranged to clean out the inside of the building. In 1973 the
Old Opera House Theatre Company was formed with the intention of acquiring,
restoring, and reopening the theater for performances. The Todd family, which
owned both the theater and an adjacent building constructed in the 1890s,
agreed to donate both structures to the group. The next several years were
spent fundraising and doing restoration work. The theater ceiling was re-plastered,
a new floor and new seats were installed. The second building meanwhile was
converted into space for a theater workshop, offices, and a rehearsal area. In 1978
the New Opera House, renamed the Old Opera House, was added to the National
Register of Historic Places. 

The opera house
reopened to the public in October 1976 with a production of My Fair Lady. Today the theatre company
hosts six plays, a one-act play festival, a ballet, and a summer youth theatre
camp at the opera house. In 2008 the Old Opera House Arts Centre was
established to offer lessons in acting, dance, and voice to people of all ages.
The lower level of the building is now also home to the Jean Heiler Gallery,
showcasing the work of local artists. The opera house also operates a thrift
store on North Charles Street as a fundraising initiative.

The Old Opera House is a historic performing arts center in Charles Town. It opened in 1911 under the direction of Annie Packette, a prominent local who sought to bring more culture to the community. The opera house hosted a number of plays, vaudeville shows, minstrels, sporting events, and film screenings before closing in 1948. In 1973 the building was donated to the newly-formed Old Opera House Theatre Company which worked to restore and refurbish the old theatre. It reopened to the public in 1976 and today hosts a variety of plays along with an art gallery and acting, dance, and singing lessons. The Old Opera House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. 

Old Opera House 

Jefferson County was created from portions of Berkeley County by the Virginia legislature in 1801. Charles Town, named after George Washington’s brother Charles, was designated as the county seat. Charles, who had died in 1799, stipulated in his will that a portion of his property would be donated for use as the town square. A modest two-story courthouse was soon constructed on the site in either 1803 or 1808. The demands of the new county soon outgrew the small building, and in 1836 a new courthouse was constructed on the same site. The brick structure was designed in the Georgian Colonial style and was modeled off a Greek Doric temple. This same building remains in use as the seat of county government today, although it has been renovated and expanded over the years.The Jefferson County Courthouse became permanently embedded in American history when it hosted the trial of John Brown in 1859. On October 16, Brown and a group of followers attempted to seize the federal arsenal in nearby Harpers Ferry and instigate a slave insurrection. The raid, which received nationwide attention, ultimately failed and Brown was brought to Charles Town for trial. Local district attorney Andrew Hunter served as the prosecutor. The trial only lasted five days from October 26 to October 31; Brown was swiftly pronounced guilty and sentenced to execution. After his conviction Brown gave a speech declaring that the teachings of the Bible legitimated his actions. He was hanged a few blocks away on December 2, 1859. Today a marker stands in front of the courthouse acknowledging it as the site of John Brown’s trial.Charles Town changed hands multiple times during the Civil War, and the courthouse suffered as a result. On October 13, 1863 a battle between surrounding Confederate troops and Union troops barricaded inside left the building badly damaged. For the rest of the war it was used as a stable. Meanwhile the county seat was transferred from Charles Town to Shepherdstown under the new West Virginia government. The seat was finally returned to Charles Town in 1872, and the courthouse building was restored and renovated. From 1873 to 1912 it also served as the home of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.In 1922 the Jefferson County Courthouse became the scene of another sensational trial, this time involving coal miners. Attempts among miners to form a labor union in Logan County were met with fierce resistance from mine operators. Thousands of armed miners from around the region marched towards Logan County to force unionization. Local police forces and mercenaries hired by the coal companies confronted the miners, resulting in the Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921. The miners were forced to back down, and hundreds were eventually detained and tried. In order to ensure a fair trial and prevent more violence, many were moved to the courthouse in Charles Town. Among those tried were union leader Bill Blizzard. The trials were later moved again to Morgan, Greenbrier, and Fayette Counties. In 2017 controversy arose over the presence of a Confederate plaque near the front entrance of the courthouse. Installed in 1986 by a local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, it honors Confederate soldiers from Jefferson County in the Civil War. Several locals submitted a letter urging the plaque to be removed in the summer of 2017, arguing that it is offensive to African Americans. Other locals defended the plaque, arguing that it memorializes history. After much publicity and debate in local meetings, the Jefferson County Commission voted not to remove the plaque.

The Jefferson County Courthouse was originally built between 1803-1808 in Charles Town on a plot of land donated by Charles Washington. It was replaced by a larger structure in 1836. Due to damage incurred during the Civil War, the Jefferson County seat was temporarily moved to Shepherdstown, and then moved back to Charles Town in 1872. The Jefferson County Courthouse is famous for housing two treason trials: John Brown's trial after his raid on the Harpers Ferry armory in 1859, and the trial against unionizing coal miners from Logan County in 1922. Today the courthouse remains in operation and is open to the public. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Jefferson County Courthouse

Charles Town was established in 1787 by Charles Washington, younger brother to George Washington. George and Lawrence Washington both owned large amounts of land in (then) Berkeley County, and when Lawrence died in 1752 younger brothers Charles and Samuel inherited land in the area. Charles’ property was called “Happy Retreat” and he had eighty acres divided into ½ acre plots to lay out the town in 1786. Charles named the streets after his family—Lawrence, Charles, Samuel, George, Mildred, and Washington—and for the new United States—Liberty and Congress. In his plan Charles designated the corner lots at George and Washington Streets as a public square—the Court House, City Hall, Market House, and Jefferson County Jail (now post office location) were constructed in these lots. Jefferson County separated from Berkeley County in 1801 (named for President Thomas Jefferson) and Charles Town was chosen as the county seat due to its location and the public square laid out by Washington. Charles Town was the site of the 1859 trial and execution of John Brown after his raid on Harper’s Ferry. Brown and two of his men were tried at Charles Town because it was the county seat and Brown was hanged on December 2, 1859 at a site on the east side of S. Samuel Street. During the Civil War, Charles Town was constantly in the path of the armies due to its location at the top of the Shenandoah Valley near both Harpers Ferry and the B &amp; O Railroad. The town was occupied for much of the war and eighteen engagements occurred at Charles Town, including two major engagements in May 1862 and October 1863. Charles Town was the site of the first experimental Rural Free Delivery of Mail in 1896. While mail delivery was standard in urban areas, there was no mail delivery for the 65% of Americans who lived in rural areas. After a couple years of hashing out the proposal and budget in the U.S. Postal Service and Congress, Postmaster General William L. Wilson was able to start the first experimental service in Charles Town and the service quickly expanded nationwide. Charles Town was also the site of the 1922 treason trials of union leaders and miners from the 1919-1922 Mine Wars in Logan County. The Downtown Charles Town Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. At the time, the historical integrity of the district was high, with only 13% of the structures labeled as non-contributing. The District extends down Washington, Liberty, and Congress streets and dominant architectural styles include Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, and Classical Revival.

Charles Town was laid out and established in the 1780s by Charles Washington around a public square where the Jefferson County Court House stands. In addition to the connection to the Washington family, Charles Town was the site of the 1859 trial and execution of John Brown, several Civil War engagements, the first Rural Free Delivery of Mail in 1896, and the treason trials of Logan County miners and union leaders after the Mine Wars. The Downtown Charles Town Historic District includes the central blocks of the town extending down Washington, Liberty, and Congress Streets. Of the 238 structures documented within the Historic District boundaries, 87% were considered contributing to the historic and architectural nature of the District. 

Downtown Charles Town Historic District

Charles Washington laid out and established Charles Town in 1786/7 on land he inherited from his older brother, Lawrence Washington. He divided 80 acres into plots and laid out the road network with streets named after his family. He also designated the town center at the intersection of George and Washington Streets. While Washington was responsible for the establishment of Charles Town, there was already a crossroads here prior to 1786 with a mill on Evitts Run and a few inns and buildings on West and Washington Streets. Thus the Old Charles Town Historic District includes some buildings older than Charles Washington’s establishment of Charles Town. Water Street is the oldest street in Charles Town, followed by West and Washington Streets, and some of the oldest buildings are found there. While Charles Town is most famous for the trial of John Brown, events during the Civil War, and the beginning of the rural mail delivery, the old Charles Town district has a complex social history, particularly with the changes in the African American community. The District was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural history, and its significance in education, African American history, early settlement history, military history (especially the Civil War), religious history (particularly the historic churches in town), and social history. The National Register of Historic Places nomination linked below has a fuller account of this rich history.

The Old Charles Town Historic District surrounds the commercial downtown center of Charles Town on three sides. The nomination to the National Register of Historic Places was based on the historic resources survey of Old Charles Town done in 1999 and surrounds the Downtown Charles Town Historic District placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. The period of significance for the Historic District is 1745 to 1945 which includes significant history and architecture from the Colonial period through World War II. 

Old Charles Town Historic District

Charles Town was laid out and established by Charles Washington in 1786/7 on land he inherited from his older brother, Lawrence Washington. He divided 80 acres into plots and laid out the road network with streets named after his family. He also designated the town center at the intersection of George and Washington Streets. George, Mildred, Samuel, and Church Streets were original intersecting roads with Washington Street in Charles Washington’s plan for the town. After the Civil War, after a period of recovery, Charles Town entered a period of economic growth. As a result, the town expanded south into what was largely rural fields prior to the war and these four streets were extended. The architecture of this Historic District is more upscale than other parts of Charles Town, representing the new economic growth of the city in the late nineteenth century. The neighborhood was annexed to Charles Town in 1891. One of the most famous events in Charles Town history was the trial and execution of John Brown and his men after their Raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. The South Charles Town Historic District includes the execution site of Brown and his men, located on the property of the Gibson-Todd House on South Samuel Street.

The South Charles Town Historic District is one of the three historic districts in Charles Town, WV. This District represents the economic expansion of Charles Town after the Civil War, with a period of significance from 1840-1950. The District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. 

South Charles Town Historic District

The execution of John Brown and his men occurred on the property of what is now the Gibson-Todd House. John Brown, a staunch abolitionist, along with 18 men raided Harpers Ferry, VA on October 18, 1859 with the plan to seize the weapons and ammunition there, distribute them to slaves, and create a mass slave rebellion to take down the institution by force. His plan ultimately failed and Brown with several of his surviving men were arrested and placed on trial in Charles Town. Brown and six of his men were sentenced to death by hanging for treason and murder. In 1859, Academy Street was the southern boundary of Charles Town and the land south was open field. For security reasons, largely the need to use militia to secure the site and prevent any attempted rescue of Brown, the field owned by Rebecca Hunter was chosen as the execution site. There were three separate executions here connected to the Brown Raid. John Brown was hanged first on December 2, 1859. Four of the raiders—John E. Cook, Edwin Coppic, Shields Green, and John Copeland—were executed on December 16, 1859. The two final Brown raiders—Aaron Stevens and Albert Hazlett—were hanged here on March 16, 1860. The Gibson-Todd House was built for John Thomas Gibson (1825-1904). Gibson served in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1851-1853 and again in 1859-1861, participating in the session that made the decision for Virginia to secede from the Union prior to the Civil War. In 1859, Gibson commanded the county’s unit of the Virginia militia, known as the “Jefferson Guards of Charles Town,” and his men were the first troops to respond to John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry. Gibson also commanded the 800 militia posted at John Brown’s execution in December 1859 to secure the scaffold and prevent any attempts to free Brown before he was executed. For his actions Gibson was given an original copy of Brown’s “Chatham Constitution” and the table on which Brown’s death warrant was signed. Gibson fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War and was paroled at Appomattox Courthouse with General Robert E. Lee’s army. After the Civil War Gibson was Mayor of Charles Town and on the Jefferson County Commission. He constructed this house in 1891 on the site of John Brown’s execution. The house is a 2.5 story brick Victorian Era home with 18 rooms and a three-story tower in the Norman style. It follows “eclectic design principles” popular in the period and combines Norman, Romanesque, and Queen Anne architectural and design elements. The architect who designed the Gibson House, Thomas A. Mullett, also designed the Charles Town Opera House and Charles Town Jail. John T. Gibson lived in the house until he died in 1904 and the house remained in the family for many more years. His son, Braxton D. Gibson, served in the West Virginia Legislature from 1889-1891. His daughter Anne married William Bainbridge Packette, a great-great nephew of George Washington. Anne and William Packette’s only child was Frances Packette who married Augustine J. Todd in 1925. She inherited the house (thus the Gibson-Todd name) and owned it until the 1980s. In 1982, Frances Packette Todd deeded the house to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Gibson-Todd was sold into private hands in 2015. On the property, near the foundation of the house, is a monument to the execution site of John Brown. This was erected by John T. Gibson sometime after 1873. The stone of the marker is from the original Jefferson County Jail where Brown was held during his trial. The Jail was located across from the Jefferson County Court House (where the U.S. Post Office is now) and it was heavily damaged during the Civil War. A second jail was built on the same site in 1873, so it is likely that this is when Gibson acquired the stone to erect this monument. The new jail on George Street was constructed in 1919 and the Post Office building was built in 1922, both occurring after Gibson’s 1904 death.

Built in 1891, the Gibson-Todd house was designed by the architect Thomas A. Mullet. While the building has gotten attention over the years, the site is better known for being the place where John Brown was hanged following his trial. John Thomas Gibson was the first occupant of the house after it was completed. His granddaughter, Frances Prakette, married Augustine J. Todd and donated the house to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The house is now privately owned. 

The Gibson-Todd House/Site of John Brown's Execution

“Belvedere” means “beautiful view” and from the home’s front porch the vista stretches to the Blue Ridge Mountains. An example of Federal Style architecture, the mansion was built by the prominent Tate family. They settled at Belvedere’s site as early as the 1760s and likely had a log house originally. The current mansion is two original buildings joined together. The smaller original house was constructed around 1807 by Magnus Tate II; he was involved in the organization of Charles Town and served on its first board of trustees. Three of his sons were also very active in local, state, and national affairs. George served in the Virginia Assembly, William was a member of the first organized bar in Jefferson County and also served in the Virginia Assembly, and Magnus Tate III served seven terms in the Virginia Assembly, was High Sheriff of Berkeley County twice, and served in the US House of Representatives (1815-1817). The 1807 building is a two-story house of hand-molded brick. There are two rooms on each floor with a central chimney and this is sometimes referred to as the “kitchen house.” The second, larger home was built in 1824 by William Tate who inherited the estate from his father. This house is also two-story, built from pressed brick, and is laid out in a “two over two” room arrangement with a central hall on each floor. The west entrance of the main home is a prime example of Federal Style with Doric columns, podium entrance, and transom window. Both houses combine American Common bond and Flemish bond brickwork. The two buildings were connected in 1939 by Thomas Willis; the connection and the addition of a bathroom in that new space were the only major changes made to the architecture of both structures. After William Tate, the estate passed to his son George and it remained in the family through the Civil War. Belvedere transferred to T. H. Bates, a prominent attorney, in 1882 and the Wilson family acquired it in the later part of the 20th century. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 for being an example of federal style architecture in a rural setting and for its connection to prominent Jefferson County families.

The two parts of Belvedere were constructed in 1807 and 1824 by the Tate family and joined into one structure in the 1930s. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 for being an example of federal style architecture in a rural setting and for its connection to prominent Jefferson County families. 

Belvedere

Vinton is a two-story white brick house with three interior chimneys. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as an example of Greek Revival architecture. Clear features of this architectural style include a shallow hip roof, entrance porch with Doric columns, rectangular transom with three muntins, and side lights by the double doors. The layout of the house is four rooms on each main level with a central hall, plus basement and attic. A standout feature of the house is the doorway between the entrance hall and stair hall that is topped by a semi-circular fanlight and flanked with full-length shutters. Vinton was constructed around 1840 for prominent planter Robert Jacks, although it may have been built closer to 1830. Jacks married Julia Davenport whose immediate family was highly involved in local politics. Their daughter, Rebecca Jacks, married Thomas J. Manning and the Manning family continued to own Vinton at least into for more than 150 years. The family held the property when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In 2003 a developer bought the house and surrounding property and a private family purchased Vinton in 2012. They are in the process of restoring the house.

Vinton, or the Jacks-Manning Farm, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places for its Greek Revival architecture. Both the Jacks and Manning families, connected through marriage, were engaged in county politics and the local community. While the Manning family held the home into the 2000s it has been bought by another private family that is working to restore the home. 

Vinton Manor (Jack-Manning Farm)

Hopewell and the nearby mill are a part of the history of milling on the Shenandoah River. The Shenandoah powered many types of mills, including iron mills, grist mills, sawmills, and woolen mills. In the 18th and 19th centuries the Shenandoah Valley developed rapidly due to its fertile soil and abundant natural resources. The natural corridor of the Valley between the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains encouraged settlement from Maryland and Pennsylvania, and the area was settled largely by German immigrants. The Shenandoah River between Harpers Ferry and Martinsburg was particularly populated with farms and mills. The mills were needed to grind the grain produced by local farmers and produce timber for construction. The wagon roads created by farmers to bring their crops to the mills are now many of the local roads, like Bloomery Road that passes Hopewell.   The Hopewell property was initially part of Lord Fairfax’s land and it was granted to Col. John Carlyle in 1761. Shortly after, Carlyle sold the tract to William Little who started to operate a grist mill and sawmill. Little built the original section of Hopewell, a three-story log farmhouse with a single room on each floor, around 1765. The house sits on a limestone foundation, a usual feature for early homes, and is built into the hillside. Being a “bank” farmhouse build into the hill is a unique feature for the area and it allowed the family to utilize more of the flat land for agriculture. The family quickly built an addition that expanded each floor to have two rooms. The log structure was constructed with V notches, a German construction technique, and was later covered with weatherboard. There is a two-story porch across the front of the house. In the 1770s Little served as Justice of the Peace and may have served in the Revolutionary War because some later records refer to him as Captain William Little. In the 1780s, his property was assessed as 500 acres, slaves, horses, and cattle, and his house was valued in 1798 as worth $525. In 1786 Little was a trustee in the newly incorporated town of Charles Town and in 1801 when Jefferson County separated from Berkeley Little was appointed a Justice of the Peace and the county’s first sheriff. The section of the Shenandoah River near Hopewell was named Little’s Falls due to his mills there. In 1798 the Virginia General Assembly passed “An Act for opening and extending the Navigation of the Shenandoah River.” These were plans to build canals around the falls of the Shenandoah to open navigation. This was part of a larger plan to increase transportation from the east into the western counties of Maryland and Virginia promoted by the Potowmack Navigation Company started by George Washington. In 1802 the Potowmack Company was authorized to start construction on the Shenandoah and a canal and lock was built at Little’s Falls. This improvement allowed boats to better navigate the river and the constructed basin allowed boats to dock directly at the mills. William Little, Sr. died in 1803 and his property was divided between eight heirs. William Little, Jr. bought the shares of his siblings and ran the mills. Due to this canal construction, William Little, Jr. initiated more plans to mill at Little’s Falls. In 1806 William Little partnered with Leonard Harbaugh to locate and purchase other mill seats. In the following year 1807 Little Jr and his siblings sold a 2.5 acre mill seat to Michael Dorsey; Dorsey had already constructed in 1804 using water from the canal (this became Riley’s Woolen Factory). Little, Jr. surveyed several mill sites for his use, including one on an “island” created by the new canal. William Little, Jr. ran the mills until 1827 when he sold the mills and property to James Hite and Jacob Newcomer. Hite renamed the property Hopewell to connect it to the property of his ancestor Jacob Hite who owned Hopewell in Leetown in the 1740s. The German community church there was the Hopewell Quaker Meeting House. The Hite family owned the property until the 1860s. Thomas Hite Willis was a Justice of the Magistrate Court and was at the preliminary hearing of John Brown in October 1859 in Charles Town. By the 1860s there was a stone woolen mill, considered the largest such mill on the Shenandoah. Willis operated the mills until 1862 when he sold it to James Watson and the mill operated under several owners until the 1920s. The farmhouse and tenant house were not owned by the owners of the mill after the Watson heirs sold it in the 1880s. After the 1920s than a new process was used at the mill that did not require waterpower and it continued to operate into the 1940s when it made military uniforms during WWII. The current structure of Hopewell reflects the original 1700s building as well as several additions in the 1800s and 1900s. Also included in the National Register of Historic Places is the Viand Cottage (tenant house) which also dates from around 1765 and shows a similar construction to the main house. There is also an 1850s shed standing near the house. There is an 1850s vaulted brink and stone springhouse built into the hillside, but it has been repaired in a matter that affects its historic nature and it was not included in the nomination. The ruins of the woolen mill was also included in the nomination.

Hopewell was built in several phases starting around 1765. William Little constructed the first part of Hopewell, as well as a grist mill and sawmill on the Shenandoah River at what became known as Little Falls. In the early 1800s, projects to improve navigation and trade on the Shenandoah River included building a canal and lock to navigate past Little Falls. This prompted his heirs and future owners to build an additional woolen mill at the river. The house was expanded several times in the 1800s and 1900s. The Hopewell property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Hopewell

The original owner of Claymont Court, Bushrod Corbin Washington, was a local justice of the peace, a representative in the Virginia House of Delegates, and representative in the General Assembly. He also was also a Virginia State Legislator. Bushrod was also the great nephew of George Washington, who used to own the land that Claymont Court was built upon. Bushrod built this birck home in 1820, and it became the most pretentious of the Washington homes in Jefferson County, WV. While Bushrod was attending his first week in the General Assembly in 1838, his home was destroyed by a fire that only left the brick. When Bushrod returned home, he used the brick remains and rebuilt his mansion which still stands today. The entire Washington family live in the area of Claymont during the Civil War when hostilities were high. The home was sold in 1870 by Bushrod's grandson. This Claymont Mansion is the largest home in Jefferson County West Virginia today. The mansion itself is over 250 feet long with nearly 60 rooms and 25 fireplaces. The property itself is over 300 acres which includes a very large cattle barn. Frank Stockton, who is best remembered for his classic short story "The Lady or the Tiger?" bought the property in 1899 and remained here until his death in April 1902. In 1943, philanthropist R.J. Funkhouser bought Claymont Court. Funkhouser was responsible for establishing the Blakely Bank and Trust Company, and donated generously for the construction of a local hospital. Since the the home has been expanded by its many owners, it is the now the largest home in Claymont, WV. In 1973 this Claymont Court was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The home is now in possession of the Claymont Society, who purchased the home in 1974. The Claymont Society is a nature based society that looks to leave behind the modern rush of life. The society operates mainly in the historic cattle barn which has been converted into a conference center.

Claymont Court was built by Bushrod Corbin Washington, the nephew of George Washington.  The home was built in 1820 on what was once Washington's land. The original home was damaged by a fire, and was rebuilt and thought to be finished in 1840. Claymont Court has been the home of author Frank Stockton, and also philanthropist R.J. Funkhouser. Today the home is Claymont Home for Continuous Education and provides a location for seminars and retreats.

National Register of Historic Places, Jefferson County, WV

Cedar Lawn

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information