Sheperdstown, WV
Situated along the Potomac River in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, Shepherdstown was chartered in 1762 as Mecklenburg and shares with Romney the distinction of being the oldest incorporated town in present-day West Virginia. Later renamed for Thomas Shepherd, the community developed around river trade, local farms, mills and workshops. In 1787, James Rumsey demonstrated a steam-powered boat on the Potomac, giving the town a place in the early history of American transportation.
During the Civil War, Shepherdstown became a place of refuge and treatment for wounded soldiers after the Battle of Antietam. Its postwar future took a new direction when Shepherd College opened in 1871 in the former courthouse, now McMurran Hall. The institution eventually became Shepherd University, helping shape the town’s enduring identity as a center of education and cultural life. Today, its historic homes, brick storefronts and compact streets preserve the character of an early river community.
On my visit to Martinsburg, I drove to Shepherdstown because I knew my father had attended the college here.
Recent Posts
Trinity Episcopal Church
Standing quietly among the trees in Shepherdstown is Trinity Episcopal Church, a stone building whose history reaches back to the years before the Civil War. Completed in 1859, the church was part of a community that was about to experience one of the most difficult periods in its history. Only a few years after its […]
The Shepherd College Picket
Among the papers my parents preserved are copies of The Shepherd College Picket from November 1940 and January 1941, when my father, Roger, attended Shepherd College. These newspapers belong to our family history, but they also preserve a small part of Shepherdstown’s story: the life of the college that became one of the town’s enduring […]
Moulder Hall
At the corner of German and King Streets, a small sign on Moulder Hall identifies a chapter of history that its brick walls otherwise keep quiet: this building served as a hospital during the Maryland Campaign of 1862. Beneath it, another plaque dates the building to about 1791. Together, these markers connect an ordinary downtown […]
Knutti Hall
Knutti Hall’s pale brick walls, stone foundation and tall columned entrance reflect an era when college buildings were designed to give education a prominent place in the community. Completed in 1904, the building became an important home for academic life at the institution now known as Shepherd University. Its construction followed a significant loss. An […]
Remembering Shepherd’s World War I Generation
A bronze memorial at what is now Shepherd University preserves the names of thirteen men who gave their lives during World War I. Beneath them, the inscription also honors 197 men of the college who served between 1917 and 1919. Together, these words record both the breadth of the college community’s participation and the individual […]
A Generation Remembered
At Shepherd State Teachers College, now Shepherd University, a bronze memorial preserves the names of men who lost their lives during World War II. Its inscription pays tribute to those “from our midst” who gave their country “the last full measure of devotion.” Beneath those words, individual names and military ranks give a personal identity […]
McMurran Hall
At the corner of German and King streets, McMurran Hall stands with tall columns, a triangular pediment and a clock tower rising above its entrance. Its formal appearance reflects its original purpose as a public building, although its history would carry it from town government into education. Rezin Davis Shepherd, a local benefactor who made […]
The War Memorial Building
At the corner of German and King Streets, Shepherdstown’s War Memorial Building has welcomed people through its doors for more than a century and a half. Its tall windows, red brick walls, and prominent entrance reflect its original purpose as a church. The plaques beside the doorway tell another chapter: after World War II, it […]
The Old Market House
Standing in the middle of King Street near its intersection with German Street, Shepherdstown’s Old Market House occupies a place that has brought townspeople together for more than two centuries. Its white walls, stepped front, and unusual eye above the entrance give it a distinctive appearance. Behind those features is a history of farmers, fraternal […]
