Shepherdstown in Jefferson County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Shepherdstown Rally Point
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 1, 2017
1. Shepherdstown Rally Point Marker
Near this site in July 1775, then part of Berkeley County , Va., two companies of riflemen, led by Captains Hugh Stephenson of Berkeley County and Daniel Morgan of Frederick County, Va. rallied prior to their 600-mile journey to join General George Washington in the defense of Boston Ma. These frontier patriots were among the first to answer the call to arms by the Continental Congress resolution of June 14, 1775, authorizing the raising of 10 companies of riflemen. This was the beginning of what was to become, under the Constitution the United States Army.
Dedicated in ceremony September 17, 1988, during Constitution Week, by the Honorable John O. Marsh, Jr. Secretary of the Army; Major General John A. Wilson, III, Adjutant General of West Virginia; The Honorable Audrey Egle, Mayor of Shepherdstown; and Mr. Charles Freeland, president of the Shepherdstown Men's Club.
Erected 1988 by the Shepherdstown Men's Club.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1775.
Location. 39° 25.301′ N, 77° 49.27′ W.
this page online
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: Fountain Rock (here, next to this marker); Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) (a few steps from this marker); The Spring House (within shouting distance of this marker); Morgan's Grove Park - A Witness to History (about 300
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 1, 2017
2. Shepherdstown Rally Point Marker
Another marker is no longer nearby. The Spirit of 1775 (was approx. 0.4 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Additional commentary.
1. Actual Rally Point
The actual rally point for the Beeline March was south of Morgan's Grove Park. Morgan's Grove Park is a misnomer; the park is on the Fountain Rock Property, not Morgan's Grove, which still stands to the east across Morgan's Grove Road.
— Submitted July 10, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 1, 2017
3. Shepherdstown Rally Point Marker
Internet Archive
4. Morgan Springs
From My Ride to the Barbecue by Alexander Boteler, 1860.
Internet Archive
5. Reporting at Cambridge
From My Ride to the Barbecue, by Alexander Boteler, 1860.
“In My Ride to the Barbecue, a short book published during the antebellum crisis, Boteler argued that because the people of the Lower Shenandoah, particularly of Jefferson and Berkeley counties, were the first people of the South to go to the aid of Boston in the Beeline March of 1776, the Bostonians should now reciprocate and defend their Southern allies against abolitionists.” — Historic Shepherdstown.
“In My Ride to the Barbecue, a short book published during the antebellum crisis, Boteler argued that because the people of the Lower Shenandoah, particularly of Jefferson and Berkeley counties, were the first people of the South to go to the aid of Boston in the Beeline March of 1776, the Bostonians should now reciprocate and defend their Southern allies against abolitionists.” — Historic Shepherdstown.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 2, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 872 times since then and 31 times this year. Last updated on July 9, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 2, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
