Hedgesville, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Hedgesville is a town in Berkeley County
in the U.S. state
of West Virginia
's Eastern Panhandle. The population was 240 at the 2000 census. The Town of Hedgesville was laid out in 1832 along the old Warm Springs Road (now West Virginia Route 9) and named for the prominent local Hedges family. Hedgesville is a National Register Historic District
.
Hedgesville is located in what is known as Skinners Gap in North Mountain, seven miles north of Martinsburg. As a political entity, Hedgesville is older than the State of West Virginia.
In 1836, the Virginia General Assembly passed an act establishing the town of Hedgesville. It was originally platted in 1830 from land owned by Josiah Hedges and Mary Claycomb. These plots came from the Lord Fairfax and Westenhaver grants. The town grew out of a trading village in a gap of the North Mountain used by settlers moving west. The town was located at the site of a natural limestone spring which had been an Indian meeting place before the white man came into the region.
George Washington, while a young man and a surveyor came into the area and worshipped at the site of what is now Mt. Zion Episcopal Church. John Marshall, a founding member of the U.S. Supreme Court, had a sister who likewise attended the church.
The little village was much crossed by invading armies of both the North and South in the Civil War. A mile east of the village the Battle of North Mountain was fought that resulted in the capture of 1,500 Union soldiers who were marched into the south to prisoner of war camps.
From the 1880s through the 1920s, it was a summer resort town with a large Victorian hotel, Mt. Clifton, and a smaller Summit House, providing summer lodging for guests from Washington, D. C. and Baltimore, MD. The town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U. S. Department of the Interior as the Hedgesville Historic District.
On August 17, 2004, President George W. Bush
made a re-election campaign stop and photo-op at Hedgesville High School.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²), all land.
of 2000, there were 240 people, 88 households, and 65 families residing in the town. The population density
was 772.2/km² (1,980.4/mi²). There were 99 housing units at an average density of 816.9 per square mile (318.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.08% White, 3.75% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.42% Pacific Islander, and 3.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.83% of the population.
There were 88 households out of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples
living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the town the population was spread out with 34.6% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 75.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $49,375, and the median income for a family was $46,563. Males had a median income of $31,042 versus $21,985 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,772. About 2.8% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 9.7% of those sixty five or over.
Berkeley County, West Virginia
Berkeley County is a county located in the Eastern Panhandle region of the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population is 104,169, making it the second-most populous county in West Virginia, behind Kanawha...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
's Eastern Panhandle. The population was 240 at the 2000 census. The Town of Hedgesville was laid out in 1832 along the old Warm Springs Road (now West Virginia Route 9) and named for the prominent local Hedges family. Hedgesville is a National Register Historic District
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Hedgesville is located in what is known as Skinners Gap in North Mountain, seven miles north of Martinsburg. As a political entity, Hedgesville is older than the State of West Virginia.
In 1836, the Virginia General Assembly passed an act establishing the town of Hedgesville. It was originally platted in 1830 from land owned by Josiah Hedges and Mary Claycomb. These plots came from the Lord Fairfax and Westenhaver grants. The town grew out of a trading village in a gap of the North Mountain used by settlers moving west. The town was located at the site of a natural limestone spring which had been an Indian meeting place before the white man came into the region.
George Washington, while a young man and a surveyor came into the area and worshipped at the site of what is now Mt. Zion Episcopal Church. John Marshall, a founding member of the U.S. Supreme Court, had a sister who likewise attended the church.
The little village was much crossed by invading armies of both the North and South in the Civil War. A mile east of the village the Battle of North Mountain was fought that resulted in the capture of 1,500 Union soldiers who were marched into the south to prisoner of war camps.
From the 1880s through the 1920s, it was a summer resort town with a large Victorian hotel, Mt. Clifton, and a smaller Summit House, providing summer lodging for guests from Washington, D. C. and Baltimore, MD. The town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U. S. Department of the Interior as the Hedgesville Historic District.
On August 17, 2004, President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
made a re-election campaign stop and photo-op at Hedgesville High School.
Geography
Hedgesville is located at 39°33′15"N 77°59′42"W (39.554188, -77.994967).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²), all land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 240 people, 88 households, and 65 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 772.2/km² (1,980.4/mi²). There were 99 housing units at an average density of 816.9 per square mile (318.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.08% White, 3.75% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.42% Pacific Islander, and 3.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.83% of the population.
There were 88 households out of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the town the population was spread out with 34.6% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 75.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $49,375, and the median income for a family was $46,563. Males had a median income of $31,042 versus $21,985 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $17,772. About 2.8% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 9.7% of those sixty five or over.