South 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.

"National Register of Historic Places Registration Form--South Charles Town Historic District." Accessed February 16, 2021. http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/jefferson/09000733.pdf.