St. Joseph’s School

One of the places I most wanted to see in Martinsburg was St. Joseph School. Founded in 1885, the school has been educating children for nearly a century and a half and has long been an important part of the city’s Catholic community. Standing in front of this red brick building, I was reminded that this was my father’s school.

Like many parochial schools established during the late nineteenth century, St. Joseph School was created to provide both academic and religious education to the growing Catholic population of the Shenandoah Valley. Over the decades, generations of Martinsburg children passed through its doors, receiving an education grounded in faith, discipline and service. The school became an anchor of the parish.  

For me, the significance of the school is personal. My father walked these halls and sat in these classrooms. His home, church and school were all within walking distance, creating a close-knit neighborhood that were common in small American towns during the first half of the twentieth century.  

Visiting St Joseph School was one more opportunity to honor the beginnings of my fathers’ life. I found myself imagining the young boy who would eventually become my father, unaware of the journey that lay ahead but already being shaped by the faith, education and community that surrounded him in Martinsburg.