Shepherdstown

Shepherdstown, the oldest town in what is now West Virginia was incorporated as Mecklenburg in 1762, but was renamed Shepherd's Town in 1798 in honor of its founder Thomas Shepherd. From the French and Indian War to the Civil War the town has been at the epicenter of American History. Shepherdstown was the jumping off point for the Bee Line march, the first large contingent of southern volunteers to hike overland in record time to reinforce George Washington's fledgling Continental Army around Boston., The town's claim to be the birthplace of the steamboat is based upon the invention of a self propelled boat by James Rumsey, who demonstrated the boat before town residents in 1787. George Washington appointed Rumsey to be the first superintendent of the Potomac Company formed in 1785 to build a bypass canal at the Great Falls of the Potomac., While Shepherdstown was not directly involved with the 1862 battle of Antietam, less than five miles away, the town became an impromptu hospital for General Robert E. Lee's retreating army of Northern Virginia., Today, Shepherdstown is a vibrant college town situated on high bluffs overlooking the Potomac River. The town is protective of its past, as the whole town is a historic district. The streets and parks of the town reflect its history and its appealing architecture and colonial look inspires both residents and visitors. In combining the past with the present, Shepherdstown maintains a cosmopolitan atmosphere where restaurants, hand made arts and crafts, theatre festivals, outdoor recreational shops, coffee bars and natural food shops welcome one and all.