Bakerton, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Bakerton is an unincorporated town in Jefferson County
, West Virginia
, USA. It is located along Bakerton Road between Shepherdstown
and Harpers Ferry
.
By 1888, they had established the Standard Lime & Stone Company and acquired the 39 acres (157,827.5 m²) tract of high-calcium limestone associated with the Engle Quarry. This place, previously known as Oak Grove, became the heart of the Bakers' quarry. The following year, the Bakers built a railroad spur to connect their quarry with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Engle and by 1890, the town they helped establish was known as Bakerton.
For decades, baseball teams from Bakerton were in fierce competition with other industrial teams in the area. In the 1920s and '30s, Bakerton could be characterized as a mining or company town and during the depression of the '30s, it was hard pressed. Prosperity returned in the 1940s with the demands of World War II increasing quarry production to very high level. Bakerton was the site of the Bakerton Colored School which was in operation from 1917 to 1928. The Board of Education
selected the Black Methodist Church in Bakerton for the school.
Bakerton is now a small, quiet community. The general store and the post office are the only businesses still in operation.
In 2006, Bakerton Volunteer Fired Dept was established and now serves Jefferson County as Company 7. Company 7 now has 20+ firefighters and administrative members. As of April 2010, Bakerton Company 7 serves with One Fire Engine, One 3500 gallon water tanker, a Brush fire truck, Jefferson County's only Air Cascade Unit and a Suburban Utility truck/ EMT chase vehicle. Serving Bakerton Is Chief James Johnson and President Kenneth Nusbaum.
Jefferson County, West Virginia
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 53,498. Its county seat is Charles Town...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, USA. It is located along Bakerton Road between Shepherdstown
Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located along the Potomac River. It is the oldest town in the state, having been chartered in 1762 by Colonial Virginia's General Assembly. Since 1863, Shepherdstown has been in West Virginia, and is the oldest town in...
and Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. In many books the town is called "Harper's Ferry" with an apostrophe....
.
History
The founders of Bakerton were the descendants of a German who immigrated to America in the mid-eighteenth century. Daniel Baker's three sons Joseph, William and Daniel II were responsible for the establishment of Bakerton.By 1888, they had established the Standard Lime & Stone Company and acquired the 39 acres (157,827.5 m²) tract of high-calcium limestone associated with the Engle Quarry. This place, previously known as Oak Grove, became the heart of the Bakers' quarry. The following year, the Bakers built a railroad spur to connect their quarry with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Engle and by 1890, the town they helped establish was known as Bakerton.
For decades, baseball teams from Bakerton were in fierce competition with other industrial teams in the area. In the 1920s and '30s, Bakerton could be characterized as a mining or company town and during the depression of the '30s, it was hard pressed. Prosperity returned in the 1940s with the demands of World War II increasing quarry production to very high level. Bakerton was the site of the Bakerton Colored School which was in operation from 1917 to 1928. The Board of Education
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
selected the Black Methodist Church in Bakerton for the school.
Bakerton is now a small, quiet community. The general store and the post office are the only businesses still in operation.
In 2006, Bakerton Volunteer Fired Dept was established and now serves Jefferson County as Company 7. Company 7 now has 20+ firefighters and administrative members. As of April 2010, Bakerton Company 7 serves with One Fire Engine, One 3500 gallon water tanker, a Brush fire truck, Jefferson County's only Air Cascade Unit and a Suburban Utility truck/ EMT chase vehicle. Serving Bakerton Is Chief James Johnson and President Kenneth Nusbaum.
External links
- Shepherdstown Forums - Discussion Forums