Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission

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Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission The Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission operates under the authority granted to landmarks commissions by the West Virginia legislature.

The primary mission of the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission is to preserve historic sites, structures, and rural landscapes within the unincorporated areas of Jefferson County and to educate the public about the county’s heritage. Its primary mission is to preserve historic sites, structures, and rural landscapes within the unincorporated areas of Jefferson County, West Virginia, and to educate persons about the county's heritage. As a branch of Jefferson County government, the Landmarks Commission focuses on heritage education, historic preservation, historic resource development, and research. Jefferson County was established on October 26, 1801 by an act of the Virginia General Assembly. It was named after Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States. Located in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, Jefferson is the easternmost county in the state, being bounded by the Potomac River and Maryland on the north, the Blue Ridge Mountains and Loudoun County, Virginia, on the east, Clarke County, Virginia, on the south, and Opecquon Creek and Berkeley County, West Virginia, on the West. The county occupies 212.41 square miles, being 24 miles from north to south and 12 miles from east to west.

Today, we’re remembering a once-striking landmark that stood atop Bolivar Heights: a Scottish-style castle built for Roy...
10/16/2026

Today, we’re remembering a once-striking landmark that stood atop Bolivar Heights: a Scottish-style castle built for Royal Emerson Whitman, a U.S. Army officer who served from 1862 to 1879.

Following the Civil War, Whitman, a Union officer of Scottish descent, returned to the Harpers Ferry area and built an elaborate period revival home inspired by a medieval Scottish castle. Completed around 1891, the structure featured distinctive stonework, turrets, and even interior wall murals.

Constructed on the very site of the Civil War engagement at Bolivar Heights, the castle was a fascinating blend of history, heritage, and imagination. Sadly, the National Park Service demolished it in February 1963 as part of an effort to restore the landscape to reflect the viewshed of the time of the battle.

Some of you may remember seeing the Scottish Castle firsthand, while others may recognize it from vintage postcards that captured its unique appearance. Do you have any personal memories, family stories, photographs, or recollections of this unusual local landmark? We’d love to hear them as we look back on this fascinating chapter of local history.

Photographs courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The history of Eastwood Farm reaches back to the late 18th century, when the property was part of the disputed Mann Page...
10/14/2026

The history of Eastwood Farm reaches back to the late 18th century, when the property was part of the disputed Mann Page land grant. The dispute was settled in 1793 by Ralph Wormley and Dr. Ezekial Bull, a surgeon who served during the Revolutionary War. By 1798, tax records document a house associated with Bull, providing early evidence of a dwelling on the property.

By 1820, William Harding owned the farm. Following his death, his heirs sold the 334-acre property at public sale to John Humphreys in 1832 for $15,613. Tax records from 1842 note the addition of a new house to Humphreys’ property, marking an important chapter in the farm’s architectural history.

After the Civil War, the property passed to the Wysong family and later to Frank Jarsen. In 1962, Dr. Jarsen added brick wings to both sides of the main house.

The farm’s historic character is reflected in its two-story limestone main house, which features a three-bay front elevation, a decorative central entrance with sidelights, a hipped roof, and interior chimneys. A large frame bank barn, dating to the mid-19th century, also stands on the property. Together, these buildings offer a glimpse into the farm’s agricultural past and the generations of owners who shaped its history.

The Ring House, located in Middleway, Jefferson County, was built between 1750 and 1780. In 1807, a post office was esta...
10/13/2026

The Ring House, located in Middleway, Jefferson County, was built between 1750 and 1780. In 1807, a post office was established in the small brick section of the house. Because the town was originally incorporated as Smithfield in 1798, a different name was needed for the post office to avoid confusion with another Smithfield in Tidewater, Virginia. The name Middleway was chosen for the post office, and it eventually became the name by which the town was known. The post office operated until 1905, when it closed following the introduction of Rural Free Delivery.

To learn more about Middleway, check out the Middleway Conservancy website and go on a guided walking tour of the Middleway Historic District!

https://middlewayconservancy.org/

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, come down to Middleway Day this Saturday, October 10!Hosted by the ...
10/07/2026

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, come down to Middleway Day this Saturday, October 10!

Hosted by the Conservancy, the event will run from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM and will feature wonderful vendors, food, and local musicians.

We’ll have cemetery preservation equipment on hand and will be providing demonstrations on how it is used.

We hope to see you there!

The Bower was built in 1806 by Adam Stephen Dandridge I on land that had been granted to his grandfather, Major General ...
09/30/2026

The Bower was built in 1806 by Adam Stephen Dandridge I on land that had been granted to his grandfather, Major General Adam Stephen, by Lord Fairfax in 1753. Stephen later founded Martinsburg, West Virginia. The property passed to his daughter, Ann Stephen, and then to her son, Adam Stephen Dandridge I, in 1791, who built the present house fifteen years later.

The two-and-a-half-story brick house was designed in the Federal style. Its most distinctive feature is the elegant double-door entrance, framed by a semi-elliptical fanlight and paneled sidelights. A fire in 1892 resulted in alterations and additions, particularly to the second floor, which introduced elements of the Gothic Revival style. The house today reflects this blend of its early nineteenth-century Federal origins and its later Victorian-era changes.

During the Civil War, the Bower served as a field headquarters for Confederate Major General J.E.B. Stuart. The Dandridge family was also known for breeding horses, and one of their horses, Lucy Long, was presented to General Robert E. Lee.

After the war, the Bower became a summer residence for Bishop Edmund Pendleton Dandridge. The house has remained in the Dandridge family and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Situated along Middleway Pike, Caledonia is a distinguished example of late 18th- and early 19th-century domestic archit...
09/28/2026

Situated along Middleway Pike, Caledonia is a distinguished example of late 18th- and early 19th-century domestic architecture. This four-bay, Flemish bond brick farmhouse features a gable roof, interior gable-end chimneys, and a laterally oriented facade with a hipped-roof porch supported by Doric columns. Its flat-topped, multi-light sash windows reflect the Federal style typical of the period.

Constructed in phases, the earliest section dates to 1795, built by a member of the Briscoe family on one of the original Lord Fairfax land grants. In 1807, the property passed to the Cameron family, who added the front section in 1816, a date still inscribed in the basement masonry. The nearby settlement, originally known as Cameron's Depot, was renamed Aldrich after the property was sold to the Aldrich family, who also gave the farm its enduring name, Caledonia.

Today, Caledonia remains a private residence and is recognized as a Jefferson County Historic Landmark.

“Little Elmington,” located near Charles Town, is a fine example of an early Federal-style home. Built around 1800, the ...
09/25/2026

“Little Elmington,” located near Charles Town, is a fine example of an early Federal-style home. Built around 1800, the house is constructed of brick laid in Flemish bond. In this pattern, the brickwork alternates between the short end of a brick, called the header, and the long side, called the stretcher. This creates a distinctive checkerboard-like appearance and was often used in carefully constructed houses of the period.

The exact builder remains uncertain. William Helm owned the property from 1787 to 1810, while Matthew Ranson owned it from 1810 to 1821. Based on these dates, the house could have been built during either period of ownership.

The name “Little Elmington” comes from the later ownership of the Lippitt family. Their home, “Elmington,” was located in Clarke County, Virginia, and the name appears to have been adopted in reference to that earlier family residence.

Today, Little Elmington is recognized for its architectural and historical importance. It is a designated Jefferson County Historic Landmark and is individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Constructed in 1800, the Old Market House is recognized as the oldest surviving market building in West Virginia. The or...
09/23/2026

Constructed in 1800, the Old Market House is recognized as the oldest surviving market building in West Virginia. The original structure consisted of an open pavilion, 57 feet long and 20 feet high, supported by brick piers with a gable roof.
In 1845, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows added a second story for use as a lodge hall. It was at this time that the building received its most distinctive feature: the large wooden “all-seeing eye” set above the entrance, a symbol that caught the attention of visitors throughout the nineteenth century.

Although the public market closed in 1854, the building continued to serve a variety of civic and commercial purposes, including firehouse, town council chamber, private school, meat store, and even town jail. In 1926, the Shepherdstown Women’s Club established a library within the former market house, which remained in use as part of the public library system until 2022.

Today, the building serves as the home of the Jefferson County Convention & Visitors Bureau, continuing its long history as a focal point of the community.

Print courtesy of the West Virginia and Regional History Center

While Charles Town Races is well known today, it once had a nearby competitor. Shenandoah Downs opened on May 1, 1959, j...
09/21/2026

While Charles Town Races is well known today, it once had a nearby competitor. Shenandoah Downs opened on May 1, 1959, just a short walk from Charles Town. The five-eighths-mile track had originally been built for harness racing, but when the West Virginia Racing Commission declined to approve harness racing, the new track turned to thoroughbred racing.

Built at a cost of $4 million, Shenandoah Downs was an impressive facility. Its long, glass-enclosed grandstand seated 4,000 people, while the clubhouse held another 1,000. Altogether, the facility could accommodate more than 18,000 spectators.

The opening-day program featured the $5,000 Governors Purse, a six-furlong race for horses three years old and older. Six horses competed, with Sand Boy, owned by George W. Parker, winning by four lengths under jockey Joseph Servis. Servis also rode Sawal to victory in the first race ever held at Shenandoah Downs.

Servis later remembered Shenandoah Downs as one of the best-banked tracks he had ridden, praising its smooth and evenly balanced surface. During an 11-year riding career, he won more than 500 races before joining the Jockeys' Guild. In 1973, he became a state steward at nearby Charles Town.

Shenandoah Downs experimented with day-night doubleheaders in its first year and held its first winter meet in 1963. Racing switched from night to day in 1968. Among the track's featured events was the $25,000 Tri-State Futurity, a race for two-year-old horses bred in Maryland, Virginia, or West Virginia. First held in 1962, its winners included North Flight and Christopher R.

By the 1970s, attendance and betting had declined. Shenandoah Corporation purchased Charles Town in 1972, and the West Virginia Racing Commission petitioned to close Shenandoah Downs in 1975. The track closed in 1976, reopened in 1978 after Kenton Corporation purchased both facilities, and closed again soon afterward.

For many years, the track continued to serve as a training facility. Then, on June 14, 2006, its most recognizable landmark, the grandstand, was demolished, bringing an important chapter in the history of racing in Charles Town to an end.

Photographs from the WV GeoExplorer Project

This year, the Two Rivers Giving Circle named its Preservation Award in honor of Martin Burke, recognizing his years of ...
09/18/2026

This year, the Two Rivers Giving Circle named its Preservation Award in honor of Martin Burke, recognizing his years of dedicated service to historic preservation in Jefferson County. Martin served on the JCHLC beginning in 2009 and as Chair from 2012 through 2025. His professional experience in conservation, along with his deep commitment to Jefferson County’s historic places and stories, brought invaluable knowledge and leadership to the Commission.

We are honored that the inaugural recipient of the Martin Burke Preservation Award is our current JCHLC Chair, Addison Reese, in recognition of her important work preserving African American cemeteries in Jefferson County.

Addison has dedicated herself to documenting, caring for, and advocating for Jefferson County’s African American cemeteries. As caretaker of the Kearneysville Methodist/Boyd Carter Memorial Cemetery, assistant superintendent of Fairview-Gibsontown Cemetery, and a member of the Rose hill Cemetery board, she plays an active role in preserving these important places and the history they hold. Her commitment to this work also extends beyond cemetery care. She has contributed her time and expertise to the African American Community Association of Jefferson County and previously served on the Mayor’s Select Committee for the African American Cemetery in downtown Charles Town.

We are incredibly proud to celebrate the legacy of longtime Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission Chair Martin Burke and the dedication of our current Chair, Addison Reese.

Address

116 E Washington Street
Charles Town, WV
25414

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+13047283195

Website

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