Springdale
Introduction
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Images
Springdale
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Richard Morgan’s son, William Morgan, built Springdale in 1760 while he was helping his father farm the property. The current property includes the original house and outbuildings as well as many of the original stone walls.
William Morgan was the eldest son of Richard Morgan and he served in the Revolutionary War along with several other family members. After the Battle of Lexington and Concord in April 1775 local militias began drilling in preparation for coming action. The call for men to join the Continental Army came in June 1775 and the Continental Congress requested two companies of one hundred men from Virginia. Two companies were quickly organized by the following month, one by Captain Hugh Stephenson of Shepherdstown and the other by Captain Daniel Morgan of Winchester. Colonel William Morgan hosted a patriotic barbeque on the Morgan property before the men left for Boston with food and song. On July 17, 1775, the companies left for Boston and marched 600 miles in 24 days; this march was called the Bee Line March and the two Virginia companies were the first from the south to join Washington’s forces at Boston. Morgan’s Spring was the starting point for the Shepherdstown company, and they marched from the spring past Springdale to start their march. Part of the original route on the property is lined with trees and stone walls. In 1932, the Daughters of the Revolution erected a monument to commemorate the Bee Line March; this monument has been moved to the Elmwood Cemetery on Rt. 480.
Sources
“National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Morgan’s Grove.” Accessed October 16, 2020. http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/jefferson/99000286.pdf.
"The Beeline March: The Journey to Cambridge & the Birth of the United States Army." Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission. Accessed October 21, 2020. http://jeffersoncountyhlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/FINAL_JCHLC_BeelineMarch_Brochure_PRINT_Nov5.pdf.
Suggested Reading:
Dandridge, Danske. Historic Shepherdstown. Charlottesville: Michie Company Printers, 1910.
Bailey, Kenneth R. Mountaineers Are Free: A History of the West Virginia National Guard. St. Albans WV: Harless Printing, 1978.
"Springdale, Shepherdstown, Jefferson County, WV." Library of Congress. Accessed October 21, 2020. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/wv0072.photos.172707p/resource/.