A touch of history surrounds all of the beautiful
rustic countryside of Berkeley County located in the Eastern Panhandle of
West Virginia. In 1832 Josiah Hedges laid out the rural town of
Hedgesville and if we traveled to Martinsburg from Morgan County on Route
9 we would first pass this quaint town that has log buildings built from
1832 to the Civil War. Also located on Route 9 is the Mt. Zion Episcopal
Church, a meetinghouse originally called the Hedges Chapel that was built
in 1818.
In Martinsburg as we begin our historical tour there we
can only start out at the General Adam Stephen House now open as a public
museum located at 309 East John Street. Founder Adam Stephen came to
America in 1748 practicing as a doctor in the beginning of the French
Indian War and followed through continuous military service as a colonel.
Purchasing land near the Tuscarora Creek, he built his residence, a mill,
distillery and gun factory in the 1770’s and petitioned to have the town
named after Thomas Bryan Martin, his friend and a nephew to Lord Fairfax.
The town of Martinsburg came to be and every year a
Founders Day celebration takes place at the Stephen House with
reenactments, blacksmithing demonstrations and horse drawn carriages. The
event usually takes place in June call (304) 267-4434 for more
information.
Close by is the Triple Brick Museum at 313 East John
Street that was built in 1874 that includes exhibits of early surveying
equipment, wood spinning wheels and railroad items.
Built in the eighteenth century, the Berkeley County
Court House at 100 West King Street was used as a prison during the Civil
War for Confederate spy Belle Boyd and still has some of the original
pressed tin ceilings, lighting fixtures, iron vaults and hardware.
The Civil War museum the Belle Boyd House built in 1853
that holds artifacts from Berkeley and Jefferson County and archives for
the tri-county area from the time of settlement can be found at 126 East
Race Street in Martinsburg. It was Belle’s childhood home until 1858 and
is the only known house that is still standing that she had lived in. On
my trip to the museum last year I had found it to be very enlightening
with the help of the wonderful curator there Don Wood who is happy to
discuss places of interest and the history of the area.
“New this year are some wonderful displays such as WWI
and WWII uniforms and memorabilia in the military room and in the Civil
War display an artificial leg that belonged to Union soldier William Dean
Smith that dates back to 1870.” Says Don. “A fabulous display of women’s
purses is now available with one from 1812 being the oldest that is made
from leather and is sewn together with human hair, there is a total of
twenty seven on display.” He continued. “Also there is a new collection of
Belle Boyd’s youngest son John E. Hammond who was a world wide known race
car driver with photos and original documents.” Don said.
The Belle Boyd House is also the place to find a garden
with one hundred and forty five varieties of roses, an herb garden with
several hundred varieties and you can sit in the garden gazebo and view
this spectacular foliage. “The site of the house that Belle had shot and
killed a Union soldier can be found at the 500 block of South Queen Street
and is identified by a historic marker.” Don tells us. For information on
special tours call (304) 267-4713. An annual Belle Boyd’s Birthday
Celebration is held each year with a full weekend of Civil War activities
call the Martinsburg Visitors Bureau at 1-800-498-2386 for additional
information.
The oldest known house in Berkeley County is the
Snodgrass Tavern who was visited in the past by George Washington. The
houses first log section was built in 1742 and is now privately owned and
is located near the northeast side of the bridge that crosses Back Creek
on Route 9.
One of the oldest brick buildings in downtown
Martinsburg is the Boarman House, the home of the Boarman Arts Center on
208 South Queen Street. Built in 1832 it was the home of Rear Admiral
Charles Boarman who served in the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The
historic Boydville Inn at 601 South Queen Street that was built in 1812
now houses a bed and breakfast inn. This mansion was spared from being
torched during the Civil War by direct order of President Lincoln.
Constructed in 1842 is the B & O Roundhouse and Station
Complex located at 229 East Martin Street and during the Civil War all but
the stationhouse was destroyed by Stonewall Jackson’s troops and the
roundhouse was rebuilt in 1866. “This is the last great cathedral to the
age of steam.” Says Jim Surkamp, historian and producer of programs on
commercially supported cable television. It has been said that this is a
very active place for a ghost tour. “The first time it was ever used they
thought the Railroad would be important during the war so they fought over
it and as a consequence a lot of lives were lost in the wake of that
fighting.” Said Susan Crites, author and “The Ghost Lady”. “There are many
spirits and people from the workers to the commuters have ghostly
encounters.” She said. Summer Ghost Tours with “The Ghost Lady” start in
July, call the Ghost Line at (304) 754-6983.
The Green Hill Cemetery Historic District can be found
east of the South Water Street District and is considered to be a museum
of stone carvers art. Thirty known Confederate soldiers, Captain Alburtis
and Porte Crayon Civil War author and artist are buried there. Hack Wilson
the holder of the most unbeatable National League home run hitting records
in history since 1932 that was just beaten two years ago is buried at the
Rose Dale Cemetery located at 917 Cemetery Road. “In the 20’s Wilson was
on a local Martinsburg team, the Blues.” Says Jim. “This is one of my
favorite places it’s a wonderful monument.” He says. The cemetery has been
there since 1929.
Situated around six miles north of the center of
Martinsburg at the intersection of Spring Mills Road and Route 11 the
first Civil War battle took place in the Shenandoah Valley. A monument at
the Edgewood Manor that sits along Route 11 on the edge of Bunker Hill can
be found, a marble pillar with cannon balls on top of it that is dedicated
to General Pettigrew who died there after being carried into the manor.
Gerrardstown and Bunker Hill is also located in
Berkeley County with Gerrardstown keeping its eighteenth century charm and
having many of the original historic buildings from its founding in 1784
including the Hays – Gerrard stone house that was built in 1743 which is
open to the public as a gift shop on the lower floor. Bunker Hill has two
original church buildings damaged during the Civil War still stand today
and many Civil War conflicts took place there.
Two miles west of Bunker Hill on Route 26 is the Morgan
Cabin that was built in 1731-34 and was once the home of Morgan Morgan the
first white settler of West Virginia. This cabin was rebuilt with part of
the original cabin in 1976 and is open for public viewing. For more
information and group tours call (304) 229-5631.
Berkeley County is also part of the George Washington
Heritage Trail, the one hundred and twelve driving tour that spirals its
way through the Eastern Panhandle and young Washington surveyed many of
these areas.
On your visit to Berkeley County just 79 miles from
Washington DC there is many nearby shops and antique malls including the
well-known Blue Ridge Outlet Center and the Tanger Shopping Outlet. In
Kearneysville handcrafted treasures of pottery, baskets and furniture can
be found. The Middleway Historic District with fifty historic structures
is known as “the Paris of the Valley” for its numerous shops and crafts
people.
