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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 1787: Middletown, renamed Gerrardsto

#OnThisDay in 1787: Middletown, renamed Gerrardstown, was created by act of the Virginia legislature. Founder David Gerrard represented to lawmakers that he had laid off 100 lots "with convenient streets" for creating the town in southern Berkeley County.

Notable Visitor? Davy Crockett came to work for one of the town's trustees, John Gray, a dozen years after the town's founding. At the age of 13, Crockett left home after blow-up with his father about dropping out of school. Read Crockett's biography and the account of his visit to "Gerardstown" 🔽 🔽 🔽
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37925/37925-h/37925-h.htm

Photo: Hays-Gerrard House where Gerrard resided.

#berkeleywv250 #wv #davycrockett #rememberthealamo HISTORY

#onthisday in 1922, Bessie D. Kilmer was elected S

#onthisday in 1922, Bessie D. Kilmer was elected Superintendent of Berkeley County school district in the 1922 General Election. Kilmer was among several women elected as County Superintendent of Schools in counties across West Virginia. West Virginia women voted in the 1920 General Election following the approval of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but it was too late for them to participate in the primary process or seek election that year.

Kilmer is believed to be the only female to ever serve as Superintendent of Berkeley County Schools. She was reelected in 1926 and 1930.
Superintendents were appointed by elected County Boards of Education beginning on July 1, 1935 with the appointment of G.W. Ropp, who was principal of Middletown (Va.) High School.

On August 20, 1935, Kilmer was appointed principal of the Fairview-Arden School.

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#onthisday in 1922, during Prohibition, the courth

#onthisday in 1922, during Prohibition, the courthouse was nearly lost by a fire. It was the Saturday before Election Day. It has been said the cause of the fire was linked to a whiskey still in the upper floor of the building, but those stories have not been verified.

Inside the dome of our county's historic courthouse remains the bell that was manufactured by Clampitt & Regester in Baltimore, Md., in 1855, the same year construction of the county's (second) courthouse began. Since its completion, the courthouse has been expanded and remodeled, most significantly in 1908, with the dome you see today being the crowning feature.

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There have been no shortage of candidates for U.S.

There have been no shortage of candidates for U.S. President to visit Berkeley County. Pictured: Hubert Humphrey (April 26, 1960), John F. Kennedy (April 27, 1960), Jesse Jackson (May 9, 1988); George W. Bush (August 17, 2004). Other notable presidential candidates who visited Berkeley County include; Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt (April 5, 1912).
Traveling by train, President Harry Truman campaigned on September 2, 1952 in Martinsburg for Democratic president candidate, Adlai Stevenson. Listen to Truman's speech here: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/soundrecording-records/sr60-65-president-trumans-rear-platform-remarks-martinsburg-wv

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#onthisday in 1801, Jefferson County was created f

#onthisday in 1801, Jefferson County was created from Berkeley County. The Act for dividing the County of Berkeley was passed by Virginia lawmakers on Jan. 8, 1801, but did not take effect for several months.
“Be it acted by the general assembly, that from and after the twenty-sixth day of October next, all that part of the county of Berkeley, lying eastwardly of a line beginning at Opeckon creek in the Frederick line, then with the said creek to the bend immediately below Wallingford’s tavern, thence running a direct line to Wyncoop’s spring on the public road leading from Martinsburg to Shepherdstown and thence with the meanders of the spring run to its confluence with the Potowmac, shall form one distinct county, and be called and known by the name of Jefferson county …”

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Jefferson County Commission, West Virginia Visit Jefferson County WV

#OnThisDay in 1862: W.C. Quincy wrote to B&O Railr

#OnThisDay in 1862: W.C. Quincy wrote to B&O Railroad Co. President Garrett about the destruction of the railroad by Confederate troops during the Civil War.
"On Saturday last eight-thousand men arrived in Martinsburg. They immediately commenced to destroy our (rail) road. The ties were taken up & set fire to and the iron thrown on the burning piles ... I am not easily alarmed by rumors but I fear Sir that our entire tracks, bridges, buildings & all our property between Opequon (perhaps Duffields) & Back Creek will be destroyed."

Confederate Captain Wingfield's diary account:
October 18, 1862. Leave Camp and march to Martinsburg. Camp some two miles above the town.
October 19, 1862. Move up towards Hedgesville and turn to B. & O. R.R. Our Brigade ordered to tear up the track. Our Regiment out on picket.
October 20, 1862. Leave picket post and cook up day's rations. Move to old camp near Martinsburg.
October 21, 1862. We were ordered to tear up railroad between Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry. Spent the night some two miles below Martinsburg. I take command of the Regt.

#berkeleywv250 #civilwar

#onthisday in 2018, the Martinsburg High School fo

#onthisday in 2018, the Martinsburg High School football team broke the state record for consecutive wins (36) before the streak ended at 57 wins on September 18, 2020. Ansted High School in Fayette County, had held the previous record since 1973. MHS has won 9 AAA state championships in football.

#onthisday in 1966, W.Va. Gov. Hulett Smith headli

#onthisday in 1966, W.Va. Gov. Hulett Smith headlined the ribbon-cutting for the opening of all 26 miles of I-81 in Berkeley County. Martinsburg, Musselman and Hedgesville high school bands also were on tap to participate in the ceremony.

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West Virginia Department of Transportation Berkeley County Schools

"We, the Subscribers do Enrole (sic) ourselves in

"We, the Subscribers do Enrole (sic) ourselves in a company to be known by the name of the Martinsburgh Fire Company and do bind ourselvves to obey such rules as may be adopted for the government of said Company." - "At a court held for Berkeley County the 12th day of March 1812. A list of the members ..."

#FirePreventionWeek #berkeleywv250

Completed in 1922, the clubhouse for the Opequon G

Completed in 1922, the clubhouse for the Opequon Golf Club, later known as the Stonebridge Golf Club, was the result of efforts by prominent community leaders, including U.S. Sen. Charles J. Faulkner, the only West Virginia U.S. Senator from Berkeley County (1877-1899). Faulkner served as the golf club’s first president.
Though the golf course has been closed for several years, the current owners have indicated they hope to bring the property back to life!

“A million bushels of apples at Martinsburg, Wes

“A million bushels of apples at Martinsburg, West Virginia, the apple center of the Eastern panhandle of West Virginia." The Mountain State produces more than 100 million pounds annually. Don't miss the Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival! Oct. 13-16 @WV_MSAHF
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Promoted as "A New Frontier in Shopping Value" in

Promoted as "A New Frontier in Shopping Value" in a Fall 1984 advertisement, the Blue Ridge Outlet Center attracted thousands of retail shoppers to Martinsburg for more than a decade. More than 50 retailers, including Anne Klein, Donna Karan, Jones New York, Nautica, Polo/Ralph Lauren and Woolrich filled three historic woolen mill buildings along West Stephen Street. The venture by Moncure Chatfield-Taylor was significantly impacted by the 1998 opening the Prime Retail outlets in Hagerstown, with only 17 stores remaining by July 1999. The complex, purchased by Berkeley County in December 2001, now is the current location of the County seat.

#OnThisDay in 1866: Famed Western artist William R

#OnThisDay in 1866: Famed Western artist William Robinson Leigh was born in Falling Waters. Leigh studied at the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore and at the Royal Academy in Germany.

After returning to the United States, Leigh established a studio in New York where he made illustrations for "Scribner's Magazine". Looking to expand his artistry, Leigh persuaded Santa Fe Railway to send him west in return for a painting of the Grand Canyon. The Hopi and Navajo tribes were the primary subject of Leigh's paintings in his travels across the Western U.S.

Pictured:
The Roping, 1914 oil on canvas.
Hopi Mother and Baby, 1919
Bears in the Path (Surprise), 1904
Hold Up, 1903

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Born in Martinsburg on September 26,1816, renown a

Born in Martinsburg on September 26,1816, renown artist, illustrator and journalist, David Hunter Strother served as a topographer in the Union Army. After the war, Strother was appointed by President Rutherford B. Hayes to serve as United States Consul to Mexico.
Prior to the Civil War, In 1853, Strother was commissioned by Harper and Brothers to write and illustrate an article about a sporting expedition into the Canaan wilderness area. Submitted under the pen name ‘‘Porte Crayon’’ and published in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine in December 1853, the article proved to be immensely popular. In the ensuing years Strother became a regular contributor to Harper’s Monthly and achieved considerable renown. Among the more than two dozen illustrated travelogues he penned between December 1854 and May 1861 were ‘‘A Winter in the South,’’ ‘‘The Dismal Swamp’’ and ‘‘A Summer in New England.’’ These articles transported readers, introducing them to localities and characters from Maine to Louisiana.

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#onthisday in 1924, West Virginia Gov. E.F. Morgan

#onthisday in 1924, West Virginia Gov. E.F. Morgan delivered the principal address at the dedication of the Morgan Morgan monument off U.S. 11 along Mill Creek in Bunker Hill in southern Berkeley County.
The granite monument, purchased with $5,000 from the West Virginia Legislature, recognizes Morgan Morgan, who is traditionally regarded as the first colonial settler in what is now West Virginia. Following the dedication, The Washington Star newspaper reported that the monument site was to be turned over to the State Road Commission for a "tourist camp" and that it was the only one of its kind - at the time - in West Virginia.
Earlier this year, the Berkeley County Council approved an agreement with West Virginia Division of Highways to maintain the property for recreational use. Gov. Morgan, who served as governor from 1921 to 1925 was a descendant of Morgan Morgan.

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#OnthisDay in 1872, the first annual fair or "exhi

#OnthisDay in 1872, the first annual fair or "exhibition" of the Berkeley County Agricultural and Mechanical Association opened on their "magnificent" fairgrounds in the vicinity of what is now State Circle off East Stephen Street in Martinsburg. The Association purchased the property from Philip Showers for $5,875 on August 1, 1872, after first gaining use of the site little more than a year earlier. The Agricultural and Mechanical Association's fair continued into the 1880s, when newspapers reported that an auction of the property was scheduled for October 15, 1887. Nearly two years later, on July 4, 1889, a game of "base ball between two crack clubs" at the Fairgrounds was announced. (Horse racing photos previously shared by Berkeley County Historical Society)

#onthisday in 1838, Frederick Douglass escaped fro

#onthisday in 1838, Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery and years later became a prominent leader of the abolitionist movement. On July 10, 1879, he met with "a large number of leading white citizens" of Martinsburg and Berkeley County and separately spoke for about two hours to a crowd gathered at the Fairgrounds. The Fairgrounds, at that time, were located on what is now the eastern side of Martinsburg in the vicinity of State Circle. Douglass made several visits to West Virginia, including speaking engagements in Wheeling, Parkersburg and Harpers Ferry, where he had served as a trustee of Storer College, the first historically black college in what is now West Virginia. Check out the coverage of Douglass' visit by the Martinsburg Independent newspaper!

#berkeleywv250 Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Marlowe Consolidated School, now Marlowe Elementar

Marlowe Consolidated School, now Marlowe Elementary School, opened for students this month in 1922 under the principalship of Arnold Mish.
The eight-room, two-story brick school house served Grades 1 through 8 when it opened. The school building in Marlowe, along with Winchester Avenue Elementary and Burke Street school buildings in Martinsburg, are among the oldest school buildings that welcomed students again last month.
The following schools were listed in the 1889-1890 "Catalogue of the Public Schools" for Berkeley County (Martinsburg schools were in a separately-run school district);
ARDEN DISTRICT
Burkharts
Cambridge
Darkesville
Douglas Grove*
Green Hill
Fair Haven
Forrest Hill
New Haven
Tuscarora School
Van Meters

FALLING WATER DISTRICT
Bedington
Broad Lane
Cedar Grove
Falling Waters
Honey Wood
Maidstone
Nipetown
Walnut Grove*

GERRARDSTOWN DISTRICT
Ganotown
Gerrardstown**
Jones Spring
McCubbin
Morgans
Mountain Grove
Mt. Carmel
New Hope
Ridge
Shanghai
Smiths
Sulphur Spring
Union Corner

HEDGESVILLE DISTRICT
Dry Run
Greenwood
Hedgesville Schools (4)
Johnsontown
Little Georgetown
Locust Grove
Locust Knob*
Mingo
North Mountain
Tomahawk
Well Town

MILL CREEK DISTRICT
Bunker Hill
Darkesville*
Pine Grove
Silver Hill
Sylvan Retreat
Three Runs
Woodbine*

OPEQUON DISTRICT
Fairview
Greensberg
Holly Grove*
Mt. Pleasant
Mt Airy
Newtown
Oak Grove
Ridenour
Scrabble
Smoketown
Swan Pond*

*"Colored" School
**Two schools with same name, including one for "Colored" children.

Happy Birthday, Marlowe Elementary!

#berkeleywv250 Berkeley County Schools

"The Siren of the Shenandoah," famed Confederate s

"The Siren of the Shenandoah," famed Confederate spy Belle Boyd of Martinsburg, married Union naval officer Lt. Samuel Hardinge #onthisday in 1864 in England. Arrested six or seven times during the Civil War, Boyd on one occasion, was taken into custody by Union forces and held at the Berkeley County Courthouse in 1863. "I wonder if I'll be shot tomorrow," Boyd apparently wrote in a Berkeley County Chancery book.
Several months after her release in December 1863, Boyd volunteered to carry Confederate papers to England via ship. The ship was stopped on May 10, 1864, and Boyd eventually managed to escape, first to Canada, then to London where she married Hardinge, one of the Union naval officers who had seized the ship.
When Hardinge returned to the U.S. to answer charges that he had aided and abetted an enemy spy, he was jailed and, soon after his release, he apparently died. Boyd married two more times before she died in Kilbourn, Wisc., on June 11, 1900 while touring the U.S.

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#DidYouKnow: On March 18, 1774, less than two year

#DidYouKnow: On March 18, 1774, less than two years after Berkeley County was created, George Washington leased 125 acres in the County to William Bartlett for the planting of 100 peach trees and 100 winter apple trees in the "barens of Bullskin" in the Kabletown area, which became part of Jefferson County when it formed in 1801.
Bartlett's annual rent? Six Pounds in Virginia currency payable at Mount Vernon, Christmas Day.
The Washington-Bartlett venture is regarded as the beginnings of horticultural history of Berkeley County, and West Virginia!
Fast-forward to 1902, the West Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station based in Morgantown, W.Va., described conditions found in Berkeley County during a survey the year before:
"This county contains some very large peach orchards. The largest now in bearing are those lying some miles westward from North Mountain station, near the north end of Sleepy Creek mountains. Woods & Norris are the most extensive growers in this section with 44,000 trees."
In addition the B&O Railroad report, the pounds of peaches per railroad station carried by the Cumberland Valley Railroad in 1901 in Berkeley County were reported as follows;
Falling Waters 9,470; Inwood 1,175,395; Martinsburg 20,000; Bunker Hill 3,500; Tabler's 847,895; Ridgway, 40,000. Total - 2,095,760 pounds or nearly 105 train carloads.

What's your favorite peach variety?

#berkeleywv250 West Virginia Department of Agriculture WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design

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