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Explore all of our posts and discover more about Berkeley County’s past, present and future! There’s always something new to learn!

#OnThisDay in 1863, the West Virginia Legislature

#OnThisDay in 1863, the West Virginia Legislature admitted Berkeley County into the 35th state. The County vote to join West Virginia in May 1863 was disputed by claims that Union troops helped ensure pro-West Virginia voters went to the polls over pro-Virginians.

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#didyouknow: 2022 not only is the 75th year of the

#didyouknow: 2022 not only is the 75th year of the Berkeley County Youth Fair, but also marks the centennial (September 9, 1922) of the founding of the Berkeley County Fair Association, the predecessor to Berkeley County Youth Fair, Inc.
In 1922, the Berkeley County Fair, held Sept. 25-28, had more than 20,000 admissions!

What events and activities bring you out to the fair?

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The 75th Berkeley County Youth Fair, the only coun

The 75th Berkeley County Youth Fair, the only county-level youth fair in the United States, begins tonight and continues through Aug. 6! The county’s very first Youth Fair was a one-day event with 15 exhibitors and 12 winning prizes. In the fair’s first few years, exhibits were presented in a rented tent staged in a parking lot between Martinsburg High School and Cobourn Field. The fair moved to the current fairgrounds at Harry D. Shelley Park east of Martinsburg in 1981. The first Miss Berkeley County Youth Fair contest was held in 1960. The very first Berkeley County fair was held in 1916 and a group known as the Valley Agricultural Association held annual exhibition years earlier. But these events were not strictly a youth fair

What are your favorite Fair memories?

#berkeleywv250 Berkeley County Youth Fair Association

This week in 1864: The Boydville estate in Martins

This week in 1864: The Boydville estate in Martinsburg is spared by direct order of President Lincoln. Union troops were ordered on July 17, 1864 to burn the dwelling house and outbuildings of Charles J. Faulkner, a supporter of the Confederate cause. Faulkner recalled by Lincoln from his appointment as Minister to France and imprisoned for disloyalty. Faulkner, who served on the staff of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson, was later offered a pardon by Lincoln. The order to burn Faulkner's estate came in response to Confederate forces burning of Maryland Gov. Bradford's home in Maryland.

#berkeleywv250 #civilwarhistory

#OnThisDay: The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 bega

#OnThisDay: The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began in Martinsburg after the B&O Railroad cut wages for the third time in a year. West Virginia Gov. Henry Mathews sent in the National Guard to restore train services, but the soldiers refused to fire. The governor then called upon President Rutherford B. Hayes for federal troops. The strike spread to Pittsburgh, Chicago and St. Louis before ending in the summer of 1877.

Fun Fact: While serving in the Union Army, Hayes is said to have laid "ill" at the Wegenast Brewery, which was along Tuscarora Creek near the railroad underpass on East Burke Street in Martinsburg.

Read more about President Hayes here https://bit.ly/3yYvqft

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#Onthisday in 1863, Gen. Robert E. Lee, in retreat

#Onthisday in 1863, Gen. Robert E. Lee, in retreat after the Battle of Gettysburg, crossed the Potomac River with Confederate troops at what is now Falling Waters, W.Va.
While waiting to cross, Union troops charged in a surprise attack from the east, and Gen. James J. Pettigrew, already wounded at Gettysburg, was mortally injured near the Daniel Donnelly house north of the road. Pettigrew later died at the home of John Boyd in Bunker Hill.
While Lee's escape into what was then still part of Virginia was his second and last visit to Berkeley County, he resurfaced in a Berkeley County Circuit Court case in October 1865, five months after the War ended. The court papers bearing Lee's signature were returned to the custody of the Berkeley County Circuit Clerk earlier this year.

#berkeleywv250 #wv #civilwar

#didyouknow: George Washington and his brother, Sa

#didyouknow: George Washington and his brother, Samuel, weren't the only prominent stakeholders in the town of Bath after it formed in 1776. Charles Carroll of Carroll, the longest-surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, purchased lots there too.

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#onthisday in 1776, Jacob Hite, one of Berkeley Co

#onthisday in 1776, Jacob Hite, one of Berkeley County's founding fathers and rival of Martinsburg founder Adam Stephen, was killed by Cherokees in Greenville County, SC.
Hite moved south after he lost a bid to make his "Hitetown," now Leetown, the seat of Berkeley County government, instead of Martinsburg.
While the county court controversy was raging, Sheriff Adam Stephen seized 15 of Hite's slaves and 21 horses, which were to be auctioned off in settlement of an apparent judgement against Hite.
Horatio Gates, an ally of Hites, later broke into the county jail and reclaimed Hite's property. Gates served as a general in the Revolutionary War.
The feud gained in notoriety after Hite made public claims against Stephen in The Virginia Gazette, and Stephen responded to the charges via the newspaper.
Disgusted with the affair, Hite sold his property to Charles Lee, who served as as general in the Revolutionary War and moved his family to South Carolina.

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HISTORY

#onthisday in 1788, Berkeley Co. delegates William

#onthisday in 1788, Berkeley Co. delegates William Darke (pictured) and Adam Stephen (no image available) voted to ratify (89-79) the U.S. Constitution @ the Virginia Convention. Established in 1791, the village of Darkesville, south of Martinsburg (and Darke County, Ohio), is named for Darke. Stephen, who founded Martinsburg, and Darke served as officers in the American Revolutionary War.

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Happy West Virginia Day! 💙💛 #OnThisDay in 1

Happy West Virginia Day! 💙💛

#OnThisDay in 1863, West Virginia was established as 35th state of the Union. Berkeley County voted to join the new state in February 1863 and was added by West Virginia lawmakers on August 5, 1863 The county votes were challenged in a court case filed by the state of Virginia. Virginia's legal challenge contesting the transfer of Berkeley and Jefferson counties ended with a 6-3 Supreme Court decision in 1870.

See names of some of the Berkeley and Jefferson Countians who petitioned to join West Virginia ▶️ https://bit.ly/3CMYw3I

#berkeleywv250 #scotus

Plans launched in 2021 to create a new public park

Plans launched in 2021 to create a new public park in Inwood come about 130 years after the first "Inwood Park" was established along the Cumberland Valley Railroad (now Winchester & Western Railroad). Originally a campground and park established by J.R. Strong on his land, Inwood Park was incorporated in 1890 #onthisday for the creation of the recreation site.
Originally known as Strong's Grove, the park became a popular spot for picnics, tent revivals, reunions, dances and home of the Inwood Fair.
Various improvements included a clubhouse, dancing pavilion, refreshment stands, bowling alley, shooting gallery, swings and seesaws and merry-go-round.

#OnThisDay in 1796: President George Washington si

#OnThisDay in 1796: President George Washington signed a deed to purchase land for a federal armory and arsenal in Harpers Ferry, which was then part of Berkeley County. Selected by Washington, the 125-acre site bounded by the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers was purchased from the heirs of Robert Harper for $7,016.66. The firearms manufacturing facility and storehouse was targeted in 1859 by abolitionist John Brown in an attempt to initiate a major slave rebellion.

The site is now part of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
#berkeleywv250 #harpersferrywv

#onthisday Mary "Beezie" Kearse was elected to Mar

#onthisday Mary "Beezie" Kearse was elected to Martinsburg City Council, becoming the first female to be elected to the municipal office. Kearse served from 1974 to 1978.

#onthisday in 1925, the World War I "doughboy" mon

#onthisday in 1925, the World War I "doughboy" monument was unveiled in Martinsburg. Originally placed next to the U.S. Courthouse and Post Office in the 300 block of West King Street, the doughboy was hand-wrought by Cleveland sculptor Walter A. Sinz. The Berger Granite Co. of Chambersburg, Pa., made the granite base.
Weighing about 1,700 pounds, the 97-year-old monument was taken down for refurbishment in April 2020 and relocated to War Memorial Park in November 2021, just before Veterans Day.

#berkeleywv250 #memorialday2022 #memorialday

Thanks to Mill Creek Intermediate for the birthday

Thanks to Mill Creek Intermediate for the birthday wishes!

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Special thanks to the former members of the Berkel

Special thanks to the former members of the Berkeley County Commission (now known as the Berkeley County Council) who attended today's dedication of the County Seal. May 19, 2022 is the 250th anniversary of the first meeting of Berkeley County's governing body.

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Special thanks to Eagle School Intermediate for th

Special thanks to Eagle School Intermediate for the birthday greetings!

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Special thanks to the Musselman High School Marchi

Special thanks to the Musselman High School Marching Band for the birthday wishes! 🎂 🎁 🎈 🎊 🎉

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Berkeley County Schools Musselman High School Bands

Special thank you to Let There Be Rock Schools in

Special thank you to Let There Be Rock Schools in Martinsburg for this rockin' birthday greeting by Scatterbrained for Berkeley County's 250th Commemoration!

#berkeleywv250 #birthday

Very special thanks to Bunker Hill Elementary Scho

Very special thanks to Bunker Hill Elementary School for the birthday greeting! 🎊 🎈 🎁 🎂 🎉

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Berkeley County Schools

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