A history of Shepherdstown,
since 1734
Postcards, papers and photographs of Shepherdstown from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Established on December 23, 1762, by consecutive acts passed by the Virginia House of Burgesses and approved by the governor, Mecklenburg (later renamed Shepherdstown), and Romney in Hampshire County are the oldest towns in West Virginia. On a list of more than 30 approved "publick and private bills" of that date, the bill containing An Act for establishing the town of Mecklenburg, in the county of Frederick immediately follows An act for establishing the town of Romney, in the county of Hampshire, and for other purposes therein-mentioned.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Shepherdstown’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewCa-1861-1865-bridge-ruins-C&O-Can…, 1861: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Shepherdstown
See all 17 →
Shepherdstown, decade by decade
1990s
11 historic places in Shepherdstown
Shepherdstown has 11 listings on the National Register, and they protect 382 historic buildings, because Shepherdstown Historic District alone counts 192.
Where they are
Architectural styles
When they were listed
Listed 1971Shepherd's Mill
Listed 1973Rumsey Hall
Listed 1973Shepherdstown Historic District
Listed 1983Morgan-Bedinger-Dandridge House
Listed 1983Van Swearingen-Shepherd HouseListed 1987Shepherdstown Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed 1989Falling Spring-Morgan's Grove
Listed 1999Morgan's GroveListed 1988Fruit HillListed 1988James Marshall HouseListed 2025Jacob Folk HouseThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Ca-1861-1865-bridge-ruins-C&O-Canal-Lock-38-Potomac-Shepherdstown (1861) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.