Shepherdstown Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Shepherdstown Historic District comprises the historic core of Shepherdstown, West Virginia
. The town is the oldest in West Virginia, founded in 1762 as Mecklenburg. No structures are known to exist from the time time before the town became known as Shepherdstown. The historic district is concentrated along German Street, the main street, with 386 contributing resources and 69 non-contributing elements. The chief representative period is the late 18th century, with many Federal stylebrick houses. German Street is also furnished with 19th-century "street furniture" such as metal fences, mounting blocks, wooden pumps and mature trees.
The town has a significant place in American history. James Rumsey
made a public demonstration of a steamboat
in 1787 on the nearby Potomac River
. Shepherdstown was proposed as the National Capital in 1790, losing to Alexandria, Virginia
and Georgetown, Maryland at the tidal headwaters of the Potomac. During the Civil War, Shepherdstown was in a pivotal position, with Confederate
forces burning the covered bridge
over the Potomac in 1861, then using nearby Pack Horse Ford to and from the Battle of Antietam. The entire town became a field hospital following this action. Later, Federal troops occupied the town to preserve the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
link to the west.
Some of the more significant elements are:
The historic district was expanded in 1987 to include properties from the late 19th century, including the Register Building, the Opera House and the Jefferson Security Bank. The expansion also includes Elmwood Cemetery, with a large number of Civil War graves. Outer portions of the expanded district include American Foursquare
and bungalow
styles of housing. The older portions of the Shepherd University campus are also included.
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...
. The town is the oldest in West Virginia, founded in 1762 as Mecklenburg. No structures are known to exist from the time time before the town became known as Shepherdstown. The historic district is concentrated along German Street, the main street, with 386 contributing resources and 69 non-contributing elements. The chief representative period is the late 18th century, with many Federal stylebrick houses. German Street is also furnished with 19th-century "street furniture" such as metal fences, mounting blocks, wooden pumps and mature trees.
The town has a significant place in American history. James Rumsey
James Rumsey
James Rumsey was an American mechanical engineer chiefly known for exhibiting a boat propelled by machinery in 1787 on the Potomac River at Shepherdstown, now West Virginia, before a crowd of local notables, including Horatio Gates...
made a public demonstration of a steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
in 1787 on the nearby Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
. Shepherdstown was proposed as the National Capital in 1790, losing to Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
and Georgetown, Maryland at the tidal headwaters of the Potomac. During the Civil War, Shepherdstown was in a pivotal position, with Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
forces burning the covered bridge
Covered bridge
A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
over the Potomac in 1861, then using nearby Pack Horse Ford to and from the Battle of Antietam. The entire town became a field hospital following this action. Later, Federal troops occupied the town to preserve the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
link to the west.
Some of the more significant elements are:
- Baker House, a Federal style brick house with a Roman Revival porch, dating to the 1790s. It was the home of US Representative John BakerJohn Baker (representative)John Baker was an American politician who represented Virginia in the United States House of Representatives from 1811 to 1813....
. - The Great Western Hotel, owned by Jacob Entler. Originally a log structure, it was extensively modified in the early 19th century.
- The Presbyterian Manse, a brick Federal style or Classical Revival house, home of John Kearsley, a prominent local landowner.
- Trinity Episcopal Rectory, a Federal style house that was a home of John Baker, as well as US Representative Thomas Van SwearingenThomas Van SwearingenThomas Van Swearingen was a U.S. Representative from Virginia.Born near Shepherdstown, Virginia , Van Swearingen attended the common schools.He served as member of the State house of delegates 1814-1816....
. - The Lane House, a Federal style house once owned by Harriet Lane, niece and hostess for President James BuchananJames BuchananJames Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
. - The Sheetz House, a Federal style house where muskets were manufactured during the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. - The Old Market House, the town's former market built in 1800, with stepped gable ends. A second story was added in 1845 by the Odd FellowsOdd FellowsOdd Fellows is a name broadly referring to any of a large number of friendly societies, fraternal and service organizations and/or Lodges.-Societies using the name "Odd Fellows" or variations:...
with a 999-year lease. The first floor has been a public library since 1922.
- McMurran Hall, a yellow brick Greek Revival building in the Corinthian orderCorinthian orderThe Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
, which served as the Jefferson CountyJefferson County, West VirginiaJefferson 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...
Courthouse immediately after the American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. It was later the first building used by Shepherd College. - The Entler Hotel, a thirty-two room complex, which is itself on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. - The Shepherd District Free School, a public school on the campus of Shepherd University, built in 1868.
- The Chapline-Shenton House, built in 1793 on the site of the original Sheetz gunnery, and bought in 1818 by Captain William Delyea, stepson of General William DarkeWilliam DarkeGeneral William Darke was an American soldier. In 1740, he moved from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Virginia. He was in Braddock's army in the defeat in 1755, and was made a captain at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War...
. Congressman Van Swearingen lived in the house during the winter. During the Civil War the house was used as a hospital following the battle of Antietam. - The Weltzheimer Tavern, which housed the Potowmac Guardian and Berkeley Advertiser in 1790, the first newspaper published in West VirginiaWest VirginiaWest 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...
. The newspaper was operated by Nathaniel Willis, grandfather of Nathaniel Parker WillisNathaniel Parker WillisNathaniel Parker Willis , also known as N. P. Willis, was an American author, poet and editor who worked with several notable American writers including Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He became the highest-paid magazine writer of his day. For a time, he was the employer of former...
and a participant in the Boston Tea PartyBoston Tea PartyThe Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies...
. In 1808 the building became known as Weltzheimer's Tavern. - Shepherd's Grist MillShepherd's MillShepherd's Mill is a gristmill in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, located on Town Run just as it descends to the Potomac River. The mill was built some time prior to 1739 by Thomas Shepherd, Sr. as a two-story structure. The original millwheel was probably a wood overshot wheel...
, itself listed on the National Register of Historic Places. - Billmyer House, a Federal style house the served as an inn, and home of John F. Hamtramck, a figure in the Mexican-American War.
American Foursquare
The American Foursquare or American Four Square is an American house style popular from the mid-1890s to the late 1930s. A reaction to the ornate and mass produced elements of the Victorian and other Revival styles popular throughout the last half of the 19th century, the American Foursquare was...
and bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
styles of housing. The older portions of the Shepherd University campus are also included.