Shepherdstown in Jefferson County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Waterfront Commerce and the Mecklenburg Warehouse
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 29, 2019
1. Waterfront Commerce and the Mecklenburg Warehouse Marker
An inspection of tobacco shall be established on the lands of the said Abraham Shepherd to be called and known by the name of Mecklenburg warehouse.
Act of the Virginia Assembly, passed November 29, 1788.
You are standing near the Mecklenburg warehouse, once part of a busy transportation hub that connected the Shenandoah Valley with domestic and overseas markets. The warehouse was built around 1800 as a tobacco inspection facility, ensuring that Virginia's growers offered tobacco of the utmost quality. Tobacco's importance to the region soon waned, however, and the stone structure came to serve a new purpose, storing a variety of local crops before shipment: corn, wheat, oats, flour, and timothy seed. These products were loaded from the nearby wharf onto barges, which made their way down the Potomac River and the C&O Canal to Georgetown for far-flung distribution.
Erected by West Virginia Development Office's Governor's Community Participation Grant and the Friends of the Shepherdstown Riverfront.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce
this page online
Location. 39° 26.064′ N, 77° 48.113′ W. Marker is in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, in Jefferson County. It is on North Princess Street 0.1 miles north of Bones Wright Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 214 North Princess Street, Shepherdstown WV 25443, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in the Eastern Panhandle. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: River Crossing (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The James Rumsey Bridge (about
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 29, 2019
2. Waterfront Commerce and the Mecklenburg Warehouse Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 26, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 29, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 364 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 29, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
