The pure massive sandstone forming Hanging Rock is the Oriskany of the driller and geologist. The "Oriskany Sand," an important gas Sand, has produced in excess of a trillion cubic feet of gas in West Virginia. — — Map (db m150664) HM
Early in 1862, Confederate raids and attacks put Hampshire County and much of the surrounding area under nominal Southern control. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and nearby telegraph wires were severed, impeding Federal troop movements. A militia . . . — — Map (db m30455) HM
In 1861, during the early part of the Civil War, Union Gen. Benjamin F. Kelley established Camp Washington here on the Washington Bottom Farm to secure the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in this area. Located between Romney and Cumberland, Maryland, . . . — — Map (db m81398) HM
On October 24, 1861, Union Gen. Winfield Scott ordered Gen. Benjamin F. Kelley to strengthen his position at New Creek Station (present-day Keyser) on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and then march to Romney and occupy the town. Situated on the . . . — — Map (db m81399) HM
This structure replicates the original fortress stockade, erected nearby in late 1755 by early Cacapehon Valley settler, Joseph Edwards. On his homestead, the fortress encompassed Edwards's house, barn, outbuildings, and a spring. The original . . . — — Map (db m167033) HM
Troops from this fort under Captain Mercer were ambushed in 1756 and many were killed. The French and Indians later attacked the fort but the garrison, aided by Daniel Morgan and other frontiersmen, repulsed the assault. — — Map (db m4556) HM
War Comes to the Frontier
It took over one hundred years from the time that European settlers first began to build Jamestown until Governor Spotswood and his Knights of the Golden Horseshoe stood on the Blue Ridge Mountains and gazed . . . — — Map (db m150674) HM
The British were not about to give up their claims to the western lands. In 1755 King George II sent Gen. Edward Braddock to America with orders to defeat the French. He brought two regiments of regular British soldiers. He also brought cannons . . . — — Map (db m203681) HM
Last night I had a dream the world was seen in an everlasting peace,
The world I saw was a beautiful world, for all war had finally ceased.
I dreamed the suppression had learned its lesson, as well as had tyranny,
All men treated . . . — — Map (db m150669) WM
In 1784, Washington proposed the Northwestern Turnpike as an all-Virginia route to the Ohio. Authorized in 1827 and started in 1831, it remains a monument to the skill of its engineers, Charles Shaw and Colonel Claudius Crozet. — — Map (db m4623) HM
In memory of the soldiers and settlers who lost their lives in Hampshire County during the French and Indian War
Dedicated by the Fort Edwards Foundation June 26, 2004 as part of our commemoration of the founding of Hampshire County . . . — — Map (db m150670) WM
1. A Road to War
When London decided to send Gen. Edward Braddock to the colonies to take over the confrontation with the French, they set in motion events that would lead to a very bloody war on the colonial frontier. Braddock arrived with . . . — — Map (db m167147) HM
Continent of Conflict
By the mid 1700s the British realized that the French had set
up trading posts throughout the heart of North America by
traversing the Mississippi River and in tributary and by exploring
the Great Lakes. The English . . . — — Map (db m203988) HM
This walking trail, opened on June 25, 2011, is dedicated to the life and memory of Kenneth Edmonds, a principal founding member and first president of The Fort Edwards Foundation in 1995. Ken, a retired businessman, artist, neighbor and friend, . . . — — Map (db m150671) HM
United States Navy
Recruiting
Aids Facility
Fallsway & Monument Sts.
Baltimore 2, MD.
[Lower plaque:]
Donated To
Capon Bridge Post 137
Of the American Legion
By The United States Navy
Dedicated To The Veterans . . . — — Map (db m150666) HM WM
First erected in 1874 as a two span bridge on US Route 50 near Romney, one span was moved here in 1938 and re-erected on a new foundation. the 17' wide by 176' long bridge is a Whipple-Murphy Truss. The state’s oldest extant metal truss, the bridge . . . — — Map (db m92752) HM
Capon Springs bears Indian name meaning the "Medicine Waters." Discovered in 1765. Famous resort of early days. President Franklin Pierce, Daniel Webster, and his guest, Sir Henry Bulwer, the British Minister, were among guests. — — Map (db m50808) HM
Built in 1874 on U.S. Rt. 50 near Romney and re-erected at the present site in 1938 in use until 1991. And made an historic site by the WVDOT in 1992. It is the oldest of the few Whipple Trusses left in WV. — — Map (db m50809) HM
Named for James Caudy, pioneer and Indian fighter, who took refuge from the Indians on a mass of rocks overlooking Cacapon River during the French and Indian War (1754–1763). From his position on the Castle of Rocks, he defended himself by . . . — — Map (db m20850) HM
Bloomery Iron Furnace
The furnace was built, 1833, by Thomas Pastly and later was owned by Lewis Passmor. He placed a Mr. Cornwell in charge who operated it until 1848 when it was sold to S. A. Pancost. He and his heirs operated it until 1875 . . . — — Map (db m11019) HM
Hampshire County
Oldest county; established by the Virginia Assembly, 1754. Formed from Frederick and Augusta. Lord Fairfax, owner, named it for the English shire of the same name. Ice Mountain and Hanging Rocks are among its natural . . . — — Map (db m159337) HM
The shop of Jacob Sheetz, a Hampshire County gunsmith, once stood ahead of you in the yard to the right of the house. In 1861, Sheetz found himself unusually busy converting ancient flintlock rifles to the modern percussion type.
The long . . . — — Map (db m58647) HM
Confederate troops under Captain George F. Sheets were defeated by Colonel S. H. Dunning's 5th Ohio Infantry here, Jan. 7, 1862. North River Bridge and a number of buildings were burned by the Federals. — — Map (db m203986) HM
Huge natural refrigerator, five miles north along North River, where ice is found for several hundred yards on the hottest summer days. Raven Rock, on North Mountain, overs one of the finest views in West Virginia. — — Map (db m25085) HM
Built by Richard Sloan in 1790. Early stage coach stop and civil war pickett post. Owned by the Sloan family until 1854 and the Parker Family since.
Current owners are fourth generation, David. R. Parker Family — — Map (db m150652) HM
The Union troops at Fort Mill Ridge continued their duties until June 14, 1863. Then, in response to Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania, Campbell's command was ordered to concentrate with the rest of their division at New Creek (Keyser). Confederate . . . — — Map (db m25438) HM
From the protection of the fort and their encampment along Mill Creek, Union soldiers were stationed at picket posts throughout adjacent valleys at key junctions, fords, and approaches. Patrols were sent through the country-side to feel for the . . . — — Map (db m25433) HM
On March 16, 1863, Col. Campbell ordered his command to move their encampment from Romney to the fields adjacent to Mill Creek immediately west of Mill Ridge. Sheltered between the mountain to the west and the ridge, the camp was less vulnerable to . . . — — Map (db m25203) HM
Federal Battery E, 1st (West) Virginia Volunteer Artillery was assigned to the command at Fort Mill Ridge. The Battery was armed with six 3-inch rifled cannons. It is believed that two of these cannons were positioned in the central redoubt. The . . . — — Map (db m25315) HM
In early April, 1863, a Confederate force led by Captain John H. McNeill's Rangers and four additional companies of Virginia cavalry left Rockingham County for West Virginia. At Moorefield, 20 miles south of Fort Mill Ridge, the force divided into . . . — — Map (db m25353) HM
Fort Mill Ridge is a Union fortification constructed between March and June, 1863, to defend the Mechanicsburg Gap and South Branch Potomac Valley. The remains of the fortification have been undisturbed over the past 135 years and are among the most . . . — — Map (db m167998) HM
Constructed in Spring 1863 by the 54th Pennsylvania under Col. Jacob Campbell, the fortifications took advantage of the natural defenses overlooking Mechanicsburg Gap and the South Branch of the Potomac. The site was occupied March-June and . . . — — Map (db m150658) HM
The central redoubt consists of a square earthen platform or rampart, and earthen walls, or parapets. Cuts in the parapets, or embrasures, provided openings through which cannons could fire. The remains of the embrasures can be . . . — — Map (db m25300) HM
Mechanicsburg Gap
Scenic canyon cut through Mill Creek Mountain by Mill creek. Here an old Indian trail was the pathway from the Valley of Virginia to the Alleghenies, then the Northwestern Turnpike, now the George Washington Highway
Col. . . . — — Map (db m19355) HM
The central redoubt house the fort's artillery. The square structure is approximately forty feet wide inside. The fort's entrance was located on the north, its least vulnerable side. Two artillery positions were constructed on each of the other . . . — — Map (db m25244) HM
At the time of the Civil War, the South Branch Valley was comprised of many small, independent farms. The mid-19th century was a golden age of agriculture in the eastern United States, and the valley was among the most agriculturally productive . . . — — Map (db m25186) HM
Around the outside of the central redoubt is the ditch, a significant obstacle attackers would have to climb through to assault the redoubt. At Fort Mill Ridge, the ditch also appears to have been used as a trench from which defending . . . — — Map (db m203672) HM
In late April 1863, the Confederates launched a major raid from Rockingham County into West Virginia. A primary goal of the raid was the destruction of the Cheat River Bridge of the B&O Railroad near the Northwestern Turnpike crossing the Cheat . . . — — Map (db m25436) HM
This peak on Hampshire-Hardy line rises a thousand feet above the surrounding hills to a height of more than half a mile. From it can be seen points in three counties. It overlooks "The Trough," famed for its history and scenery. — — Map (db m152775) HM
Built by State Road Comm. and local artisans in 1932; land given by H.R. Edeburn. Crystal quartz quarried from behind nearby Bloomery iron furnace, and stone from hillside behind the fountain. Spring water, gravity fed from hill above, supplied . . . — — Map (db m391) HM
This is Hickory Grove, the home of Adam and Mary Stump and their son Capt. George W. Stump, who led a company of the 18th Virginia Cavalry during the war. Capt. Stump was always heavily armed with a carbine and numerous revolvers; his men called . . . — — Map (db m174941) HM
The Daughters of Old Hampshire, erect this tribute of affection to her heroic sons, who fell in defence of Southern Rights.
Captains
G.F. Sheetz. •
A. Smith. •
G.W. Stump. •
I.M. Lovett.
Privates
J.D. Adams. •
I.P. Armstrong . . . — — Map (db m159296) WM
This homesite served as residence and office for beloved Romney physician, Dr. James F. Easton from 1927 until his death in 1972. Born in Clearfield, Pennsylvania in 1879, “Doc” Easton saw patients here every day of his life, until well . . . — — Map (db m128847) HM
On the night of June 12, 1861, Col. Lewis Wallace
led his 11th Indiana (Zouaves) Regiment from
Cumberland, Maryland, by train across the
Potomac River and into present-day West Virginia. He had learned that “several . . . — — Map (db m33450) HM
“Fort Pearsall was on or in view of this site.”
Job Pearsall built a fort as protection against the indians in 1754 on Lot 16, granted by Fairfax in 1749 containing 323 acres, including part of Indian Mound Cemetary.
On May . . . — — Map (db m2101) HM
"Somehow they found out we were in the woods east of town. They took two cannon up the pike to where the Toll House now stands and fired several rounds of grapeshot among the pines." John Starnes Memoir The road passing before you is the Old . . . — — Map (db m67937) HM
On May 23, 1861, Virginians voted in a statewide referendum to approve or disapprove the Ordinance of Secession that the convention in Richmond had passed on April 17. Here at the Hampshire County Courthouse, 1,188 out of 2,635 eligible voters . . . — — Map (db m58656) HM
In honor of Hampshire's sons who gave their lives and their service in the World War "We are the dead, Short days ago we lived, Felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved." Lieut. Robert W. Gilkeson • Corp. James Cleveland Lee • Corp. Joshua . . . — — Map (db m19345) HM
The Indian Mound Cemetery, which is 7 feet high and about 15 feet in diameter, is one of the largest remaining mounds in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. This mound has never been excavated but similar mounds of area dug by Smithsonian . . . — — Map (db m155358) HM
This cemetery is centered around what is known as the Romney Indian Mound. Indian Mound Cemetery is also the site of the First Confederate Memorial, Parsons Bell Tower, and re-interments from Romney's Old Presbyterian Cemetery. The cemetery is . . . — — Map (db m150650) HM
On January 1, 1862, Confederate Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson led four brigades west from Winchester, Va., to secure Romney in the fertile South Branch Valley on the North Western Turnpike. He attacked and occupied Bath on January 4 . . . — — Map (db m159294) HM
This was the home of John J. Cornwell,
15th governor of W. Va. (1917-1921).
The three story Greek Revival Four Square
home was built by Governor Cornwell in 1914
and he lived there until his death in 1953. — — Map (db m203984) HM
On June 13, 1861, Col. Lew Wallace (11th Indiana Infantry) led a raid against Southern forces occupying Romney. Wallace passed through the Mechanicsburg Gap and took South Branch Bridge. The Rebel retreat from Romney forced Gen. Johnston to abandon . . . — — Map (db m150660) HM
Made his escape from the room immediately above when held as a Confederate spy on 20th day
of April, 1862, when Romney was occupied by a regiment of Union soldiers. — — Map (db m203983) HM
Mt. Pisgah Benevolence Cemetery, since the 1800's, has been land for cemetery burial for black slaves, men who served in the Armed Forces, a governess who served for 25 years for the late Governor John Cornwell, two brothers who were barbers, . . . — — Map (db m150661) HM
This property is listed in the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Old District
Parsonage
c. 1872 — — Map (db m150649) HM
Literary Society of Romney organized in 1819, oldest in the state and one of the first in America. A splendid Public Library was accumulated which by 1850 was the largest in West Virginia. Destroyed during the War Between the States in 1862. . . . — — Map (db m203678) HM
The massive sandstone forming the top of the exposure and the great arch is the Oriskany, and the limestone below it is the Helderberg of the driller and geologist. The "Oriskany Sand", an important gas Sand, has produced in excess of a trillion . . . — — Map (db m150659) HM
Presbyterian Church was first organized in Romney in 1787, after supplications dating as early as 1740. The present church was erected in 1860. It was used as a stable and hospital during the war between the states. — — Map (db m128846) HM
Romney. Incorporated as a town, 1762. Owned and laid off as a town by Lord Fairfax. Named for one of the five English Channel ports. Not far away was Fort Pearsall, built, 1756, as Indian defense. Town changed military control 56 times, . . . — — Map (db m159299) HM
Romney in 1861–1865. Sitting astride the natural invasion route from the Shenandoah Valley to the Potomac and the B. & O. Railroad, Romney was scourged by both armies. No great battles were fought here, but during the War the town . . . — — Map (db m159297) HM
Romney experienced many troop movements and skirmishes during the course of the war because of its location on the vitally important North Western Turnpike. The road linked Winchester, near the northern end of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, with . . . — — Map (db m159293) HM
We held a counsel of war and decided that it would be safe to go over to town. We got some where near where Judge Dailey now lives and from there we saw that the town was thick with Blue Coats. We took our heels and got back to the woods at . . . — — Map (db m150645) HM
The middle of these three structures was built circa 1760 on property owned by Lord Fairfax. It is a two-story, four-room dwelling distinguished by half-timbered construction, a closed stairway, and massive double chimneys, characteristics . . . — — Map (db m150646) HM
General "Stonewall" Jackson used this brick home as headquarters when the Confederates took possession January 14, 1862. He regarded Romney highly enough to resign from the army when ordered to fall back from the town. Later he reconsidered… — — Map (db m175171) HM
Francis Taggart (also spelled Tygart) A Quaker, was responsible for the construction of this Clapboard "Half" House on one of the one hundred lots which Lord Fairfax had surveyed to encourage settlement of the western countries. According to his . . . — — Map (db m150639) HM
Romney High School
pays tribute to the memory
of her sons who gave the last
full measure of devotion to their country
Donald M. Cookman • Russell Duckworth • Paul P. Harmisch • Clinton R. Rigewick • Kenneth M. Taylor • William . . . — — Map (db m150637) WM
Established, 1870. The Classical Institute was donated by the Romney Literary Society as the initial building unit. Co-educational school giving academic and vocational training to the State's deaf and blind youth. — — Map (db m459) HM
Fairfax issued George Wilson a patent for this property in 1763. After Wilson's death, the property passed to his son-in-law Andrew Woodrow, the first clerk of the court of Hampshire Co. after the creation of the U.S. Woodrow then built the front . . . — — Map (db m150648) HM
The Presbyterians established a church near here in 1792. At first called the Mountain Church in 1808, it became the nucleus of Presbyterian work in Hampshire County under the auspices of the Rev. John Lyle. The Rev. James Black reorganized the . . . — — Map (db m19356) HM
Frontier outpost, Capt. William Forman (Foreman), in 1777, led a company from this county to the relief of Fort Henry at Wheeling. He, two sons, and others were killed in an ambush by Native Americans at the "Narrows" near Moundsville. — — Map (db m19357) HM
