Institution

<p>"The Billmyer House is an important part of the district because
it was extensively used for an inn as early as the American Revolution; it was
also the home of John F. Hamtramck who was both ward of Henry Harrison and the greatest
military figure in Shepherdstown’s annals. After attending West Point, he
became a United States Indian agent, colonel in command of the Virginia
regiment during the war with Mexico, and from March to July 1848, he was
Military Governor of Saltillo, Mexico. He also commanded several local groups."&nbsp;<sup></sup><sup><a href="http://http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/jefferson/73001920.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">(1)</a></sup><span></span></p><p><span>“David Billmyer was one of the town’s most
illustrious 19th Century citizens. He owned 1,400 acres in the area and had
many business interests, including the first toll bridge across the Potomac
River here.”<sup><a href="http://historicshepherdstown.com/research/shepherdstown-250-parade/. " target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a></sup><a href="http://historicshepherdstown.com/research/shepherdstown-250-parade/. " target="_blank" rel="nofollow">&nbsp;</a></span>Billmyer purchased this building from the widow Ann Hammond, and it must have
been his first store. Before Billmyer bought the building, it was the house of
the Hammonds and Kearsley Store. There Elais Baker worked from 1862-1867 as
both an assistant store keeper and post master. In 1873, he completed the three
story section, which housed the Jefferson Security Bank. He served eleven terms
on the Town Council between 1859-1882. He helped to incorporate the Elmwood Cemetery
and Shepherd College. Billmyer was a Unionist during the Civil War.</p>

Official Website of Historic Shepherdstown Commission 

Website

NE corner of German and Church Sts (known as “Billmyer’s Corner” for generations). This is one of the oldest buildings in town. A log building occupied the site in 1776; the third story and the brick façade were added after the Civil War. During the Civil War the federal post office was located in the store. When the Confederates controlled the town, the store remained open, but the post office didn’t. Two different banks used the corner room from 1873 to 1940.

Billmyer Building

This walking tour offers two dozen stops along three blocks of Shepherdstown's historic German Street. The tour begins at Historic Shepherdstown and Museum and moves west, with stops at historic buildings and landmarks. 

Established on an ancient Native American&nbsp;route, Shepherdstown&nbsp;originated as&nbsp;a farming community named Mecklenburg by the German immigrants that began settling in the area in the middle 1700s, Shepherdstown became an important center of trade along the&nbsp;Virginia colonial frontier. <br><br>The Entler Hotel is one of Shepherdstown's historical icons. The land around the museum was included in a&nbsp;deed from 1767 to a man named Christian Cookus.<sub>1</sub>&nbsp;In 1786, Phillip Entler bought the west part of the lot from Cookus and built a brick house. This house burned in 1912. Cookus developed the rest of the property, building a two-story brick building to the east of Philip Entler and another building with an entrance on Princess Street. Eventually, Daniel Bedinger, who marched with Captain Stephenson on the Beeline March, purchased the remaining property and built a three-story structure that butted up against both of Cookus' buildings.<sub>2</sub>&nbsp;Eventually, Bedinger owned all the property that now makes up the Entler Hotel. <br><br>In 1809, James Brown leased the building, and began operating a grocery store on the corner and sublet what is now the museum for a tavern. The “Globe Tavern” offered overnight accommodations and became a well-known meeting place in Shepherdstown. The hotel was entered from the Princess street entrance. Around 1811, the town council began meeting in the tavern. Brown and Edward Lucas bought the property in 1815. In 1820, Brown sold the property to Thomas Crown of Washington City. Daniel Entler, the grandson of Philip Entler, began managing the hotel.5&nbsp;In 1824, Daniel Entler became the proprietor of the entire complex which now contained 24 rooms, 19 fireplaces, three cellars and three kitchens. It was known as Daniel Entler's Tavern or Hotel, until 1850, when it was shortened to the Entler Hotel. Entler and his six children lived in the original Philip Entler House on the west side of the lot.&nbsp;<br><p>The Entler Hotel was used a Union hospital after the Battle of Antietam. Hotel operations continued until 1912 when a downtown fire damaged several buildings, including the Entler.<sub>3</sub> The hotel was renovated and reopened in 1914 as the Hotel Rumsey. Hotel operations ceased for the last time in 1917, and the property was eventually acquired by Shepherd College. The college opened the building as a men's dormitory named Rumsey Hall. It was used for a limited time for U.S. Navy and Air Force Cadets before being converted to faculty housing. Concerned locals saved the building from demolition in 1972 and petitioned to have the building placed&nbsp;on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. In 1979, an organization named “Historic Shepherdstown” began renovating the property and opened the museum in 1983.</p><p>Historic Shepherdstown and Museum is dedicated to preserving the heritage of Shepherdstown, its history, and architecture. The group worked to have the National Register of Historic Places designation extended to include the Shepherdstown Historic District. Some of the artifacts displayed in the museum include three clocks made by Jacob Kraft in the late 1700s, several Sheetz rifles, and many other items dating from the Revolutionary period. There are also items displaying items from the early 1800s.</p>
<span>Many of the hotel’s rooms have been recreated to reflect different periods in the town’s history. The Civil War display has been set to portray&nbsp;the lives of five different people as they lived in 1861, the dawn of the Civil War. The lives reflected represent a child, a slave, a preacher, a soldier, and a matriarch. Each room demonstrates life as it was lived by these segments of society. Another of the museum’s exhibits is the working replica of James Rumsey’s steamboat. The ship is housed in a boathouse located in the Entler’s garden area. This functional replica was built by the Rumseian Society, a&nbsp;group that seeks to preserve and promote the inventive genius&nbsp;of Shepherdstown’s James Rumsey. Rumsey invented his steamboat twenty years before Robert Fulton demonstrated his ship.<sub>4</sub></span>

Historic Shepherdstown Museum is located in the former Entler Hotel. The museum details the history of Shepherdstown and houses many historical artifacts crafted by local artisans. Rooms are arranged to reflect the history of the community at different periods, ranging from the colonial era to the 20th century. At lunchtime on weekdays, local historians present oral accounts of the town's history. The museum also features an archives room for genealogical and historical research. The working replica of James Rumsey’s steamboat is housed in a boathouse on the museum’s grounds.

Historic Shepherdstown and Museum

<p>Jefferson Security Bank
opened its doors on May 19, 1869 and was originally chartered as Jefferson
Savings Bank. The Bank changed its corporate name to Jefferson Security Bank in
1909. The bank operated from 1869 to 1873 at what is now a personal residence
at Church and German Streets. In 1873, it moved across the street&nbsp;to the&nbsp;<span>Billmeyer Building. The construction of this building in 1906 accompanied
an era of growth and optimism, with many believing that Shepherdstown would
become an important regional center of commerce.&nbsp;In 1975, the Bank wanted
to expand to add drive through services, so they moved to the corner of
Washington and Princess Streets. The Bank opened its first branch on 1986. <br>
</span><br>
Kevin Connell purchased the building in 1976 and operated
Yellow Brick Bank restaurant in the historic bank building until 2015, when he
began leasing the building to a local Mexican restaurant chain.&nbsp;</p>

Constructed in 1906 for Jefferson Security Bank, this distinctive Beaux Arts style building was one of Shepherdstown's leading downtown banks until 1975. In that year, the bank completed construction and moved to a larger building at Washington and Princess Street that could accommodate drive-thru baking. Jefferson Security continues to operate, and is the oldest bank in the county, having been established in 1869. 

Jefferson Security Bank 

SE corner of Princess and German Sts. Owner J. Matt Tolliver seems to have been the downtown area’s first successful Black businessman. His name appears in the town records during the years 1877 to 1908. After his popular restaurant burned in 1894, he built this brick building, where he ran a hotel and ice cream parlor. From 1899 to 1909 the town granted him an annual hotel license.

Tolliver's Hotel and Ice Cream Parlor

SW corner Princess and E German Sts. A large brick structure and residence from the early 1800s to the 1880s. Resident families included three generations of the Reinhart family, then the Line family. From 1854 until his death in 1858, it was the home of the Honorable Henry Bedinger, the first U.S. Ambassador to Denmark. In the 1880s, G.T. Hodges established a large general store in the front corner room. The old entrance is still visible from the Princess Street side.

Hodges Building

<p><span>James
Rumsey is an inventor, credited with inventing the steam engine and having the
first successful test of the steamboat. He was born in 1743, in Cecil County,
Maryland, but his family moved to Berkley County, Virginia. Rumsey was mechanically
minded and became a miller, mill mechanic, and designer, canal builder,
Blacksmith, and rustic architect. Rumsey kept an inn in Berkley Springs and created
the first bath houses there.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a>
Rumsey met George Washington at these bath houses and had a credible connection
for his inventing. Washington hired Rumsey to build a “dwelling House, Kitchen,
and Stable” on his Bath property.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a>
&nbsp;Washington also wanted Rumsey to supervise
operations of the Potomac Company, Washington’s enterprise to make the Potomac
River navigable from Cumberland to Georgetown.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[3]</a>
</span></p>

<p><span>Rumsey’s
time working on the Potomac fit with his work on steam power. The first
self-propelled boat was a pole boat. Carriage of the boat was fitted with a
bank of poles that dragged the river bottom to propel the boat forward.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[4]</a>
This design was not very effective in propelling the boat forward. </span></p>

<p>1785
brought Rumsey to Shepherdstown with his work with the Potomac Company. Rumsey’s
contact with George Washington and Benjamin Franklin may have sparked his
invention of the steam powered- water jet propelled boat. Rumsey made his first
demonstration on December 3, 1787, 20 years before Robert Fulton’s boat. In
1788, Rumsey published “A Short Treatise on Steam,” then he went to
Philadelphia to seek help from the American Philosophical Society. Rumsey
demonstrated his steamboat invention for Washington and received certification
of the event from Washington. <span>Washington wrote
“The model &amp; its operation upon the water … not only convinced me of what I
before thought … quite impractical, but that it might be turned to the greatest
possible utility in inland navigation.”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[5]</a></span></p>

<p><span>Rumsey’s
invention of the steamboat was controversial, Rumsey had to defend his
invention against other’s. John Fitch invented a boat, but his used oars, while
Rumsey used water-jet propulsion.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[6]</a>
Rumsey also had to defend his patent against Robert Fulton, who also invented a
steamboat, but had his first test much later than Rumsey’s.</span></p><div><p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a>&nbsp;DuBose, Georgia Caldwell "James Rumsey." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. 08 December 2015. Web. 06 April 2017.</p></div><div><p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a>&nbsp;From a letter to James Rumsey written by Watt’s partner, Matthew Boulton, August 14, 1788. Ella May Turner, James Rumsey: Pioneer in Steam Navigation, Mennonite Press, 1930. p.12-13. Quoted in Allen, David G.. Jamesy Rumsey: American Inventor. Accessed April 24, 2017.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.appaltree.net/aba/downloads/james_rumsey_biography.pdf">http://www.appaltree.net/aba/downloads/james_rumsey_biography.pdf</a>.</p></div><div><p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[3]</a>&nbsp;Allen, David G.. Jamesy Rumsey: American Inventor. Accessed April 24, 2017.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.appaltree.net/aba/downloads/james_rumsey_biography.pdf">http://www.appaltree.net/aba/downloads/james_rumsey_biography.pdf</a>.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.appaltree.net/aba/downloads/james_rumsey_biography.pdf">http://www.appaltree.net/aba/downloads/james_rumsey_biography.pdf</a></p></div><div><p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[4]</a>&nbsp;Andrea Sutcliffe, STEAM: The Untold Story of America’s First Great Invention, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, p. 3. Quoted in Allen, David G.. Jamesy Rumsey: American Inventor. Accessed April 24, 2017.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.appaltree.net/aba/downloads/james_rumsey_biography.pdf">http://www.appaltree.net/aba/downloads/james_rumsey_biography.pdf</a>.</p></div><div><p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[5]</a>&nbsp;George Washington’s diary entry of September 6, 1784,&nbsp;DuBose, Georgia Caldwell "James Rumsey." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. 08 December 2015. Web. 06 April 2017.</p></div><div><p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[6]</a>&nbsp;Allen, David G.. Jamesy Rumsey: American Inventor. Accessed April 24, 2017.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.appaltree.net/aba/downloads/james_rumsey_biography.pdf">http://www.appaltree.net/aba/downloads/james_rumsey_biography.pdf</a>.</p></div><div><div>

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Located behind the Entler Hotel, the Rumsey Steamboat Museum was built in 1988 to house the Rumseian Experiment, a working replica of James Rumsey's 1787 steamboat constructed for the bicentennial of Rumsey's original, on 1987. Built to resemble stables for the Hotel, the Steamboat Museum houses some exhibits of Rumsey's life an inventions in addition to the replica. The Boathouse also has a mural by artist Larry Drechsler showing the bank of the Potomac during the demonstration of the steamboat on December 3, 1787. 

Rumsey Steamboat Museum

<p>John Francis Hamtramck
was born to a military father with a distinguished career, when the death of
his father left him as the ward of General William Henry Harrison. Hamtramck
attended the U.S. Military Academy from 1815-1819. He was promoted to 2nd
Lieutenant and stationed in Pennsylvania. Hamtramck resigned his commission in
1822. </p>

<p>Hamtramck moved to
Missouri, where he owned a farm, but he somehow ended up in at a ball in
Shepherdstown hosted by Walter Bowie Shelby. At the ball, Hamtramck met his
wife Eliza Clagett Shelby. They were married on December 27, 1825 and lived in
Missouri. Hamtramck worked for a time as the U.S. Indian Agent for the Osage
Tribe from 1826-1830. When he was replaced, Eliza exerted her influence to move
back to Jefferson County. They bought a farm east of the Boteler’s Fountain
Rock, but lived in the Shelby home on East German Street. </p>

<p>Hamtramck was mayor of
Shepherdstown form 1850-1854, and served on Jefferson County Court from
1853-1858. He also served as captain of both the Potomac Rifle Company and the
Shepherdstown Light Infantry. Hamtramck returned to the army during the Mexican
American War and led the 1st Virginia Volunteer Regiment. After his
death, the Shepherdstown light infantry changed its name to the Hamtramck
Guard. </p>

<span><br>
Despite Shepherdstown inclusion in what would become the
Unionist state of West Virginia, the town was home to many Confederate
sympathizers. In fact, a local ordinance required townspeople to pay local
taxes with Confederate currency. When men from the town organized one of the
first Confederate volunteer units from Virginia, the unit named themselves the
Hamtramck Guards in honor of the town's most famous military leader. &nbsp;</span>

The exterior of this historic downtown building has changed little from the time of the early republic, it might be the only on the south side of town with little renovations. From the late 1790s to the mid 1850s, it was the residence of John F. Hamtramck, one of the town's military heroes. Later it became a business address, and had become a part of the town's tradition of inns and taverns. Today, is home to the Mecklenburg Inn-a popular local tavern.  

Hamtramck Home - Mecklenburg Inn	

Built in the early 1800s and spared from the 1912 fire which burned adjacent buildings to the east on East German Street, including part of the Entler property. Charles Harper started an apothecary shop here in 1816. After the Civil War, B. S. Pendleton, a Confederate veteran, bought the property and opened his green grocer store. In the early 20th century, Pendleton was still selling Confederate Generals Lee, Jackson, and Stewart lead pencils, and "Blind John" Lamb operated his roasted peanut stand just off the sidewalk. Across the alley to the right, a brick wall from 1798 survives in a structure built in 1913, after the big fire. 

Pendleton Property

<p><span>The War Memorial
Building was originally erected as a Methodist Church. During the Civil War,
even the Church could not escape the divisions of slavery, and southerners
broke from the Northern Methodist Church and formed their own. Shepherdstown
was home to both.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a> The Northern Methodist
Church met in their building on New and Church Street, while the Southern
Methodist Church built their building on the corner of Main and King Street.
For the next seventy years, the churches would remain separated.</span></p><p><span>In 1940, the Churches
reunited, and in 1945, the Men’s Club started negotiations to purchase the
building from the Southern Methodist Church.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a>
The building was not purchased until 1947 for $7000 and renamed the “War
Memorial Building” after those that died in WWII. The Club added restrooms,
furnace, and kitchen, making the building a major venue for community meetings.
In 1947, the Club added a new kitchen. </span></p><p>On January 15, 1975, the
upper floor of the community building caught fire and the community responded
with donations of money, labor and materials to fix the building. In 1990, the
Club spent $45000 to renovate the kitchen, restrooms, an exterior facelift,
painting, electrical and plumbing work. The building is still used today for
events. </p><p>





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<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a>&nbsp;Kave, Reva. History. New Street Methodist Church. Accessed May 30, 2017. <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://nsumc.wordpress.com/about/">https://nsumc.wordpress.com/about/</a>.&nbsp;</p>

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<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a>&nbsp;War Memorial Building History. Shepherdstown Community Club. Accessed May 30, 2017. <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://shepherdstowncc.org/war-memorial-building/war-memorial-building-history/">http://shepherdstowncc.org/war-memorial-building/war-memorial-building-history/</a>.&nbsp;</p>

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SE corner of German and King Sts. Also known as the Men’s Club Building. Built in 1868 to house the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, it was the first substantial building on the eastern half of the block. Until then a large tannery occupied the entire area. Just before World War I, Pearl S. Buck’s uncle served as pastor of the church. In 1940, the Methodists reunited at the New Street Methodist Church. The Shepherdstown Men’s Club purchased the property in 1947 and named it the War Memorial Building. The club, now called the Community Club, holds its dinners and meetings here and makes its large meeting rooms available for many community activities.

War Memorial Building

<p>The building was constructed by Rezin Davis Shepherd, the great-grandson of town founder Thoams Shepherd. Rezin Shepherd became a wealthy New Orleans landowner and businessman in the early 1800s but also maintained a residence in Shepherdstown and hoped to promote the building that bore his family name. In that spirit, Shepherd began building this impressive Greek Revival building in 1859 with the intention that it would become city hall, this consisted of only the center portion of the building. The clock in McMurran Hall Tower was also a gift of Rezin Shepherd, but not initially for the Town Hall. The clock was given to the Trinity Episcopal Church in 1842, but it was removed and relocated to McMurran Hall in 1860. Construction in the stone wall around the building also started, it was made from stones on Rezin Shepherd’s farm. Construction was halted by the Civil War.</p><p>After the Battle of Antietam, the building was used as a hospital for the wounded. Mary Bendiger Mitchell tells how McMurran Hall transformed after the Battle in her essay "A Woman's Recollections of the Battle of Antietam" found in Battles and Leaders Vol. II. She says "The unfinished Town Hall had stood in naked ugliness for many a long day. Somebody threw a few rough boards across the beams, placed piles of straw over them, laid down single planks to walk upon, and lo, it was a hospital at once."</p><p>The war's toll upon the former county seat of Charles Town necessitated a move of the County Seat. In February, the Jefferson County seat was moved to Shepherdstown, to McMurran Hall. This led to the construction of the two wings on each side of the building. When the county seat move back to Charles Town, the building was left vacant. The town asked the Shepherd family if they could use the building to start a school, becoming Shepherd University. The college leased the building until 1891, when Shepherd Brooks, grandson of Rezin Shepherd, deeded the property to the Shepherd College Board of Trustees.</p><p><br /></p><p>The building held offices and classrooms for many years but like many early campus buildings, this structure is no longer used for instruction. Today, the building is home to the offices of the University's Foundation. The building was named in honor of Joseph McMurran who served as the school's first principal when it was a normal school.</p>

This Greek Revival building was constructed by Rezin D. Shepherd in 1859. The building was intended to be a Town Hall, when the center portion of the building was constructed. The building was used as a hospital in the Civil War, and for a few years, it was used as the county seat because of the devastation in Charles Town. When is became the county seat, the two wings were constructed. With the support of Shepherd, this building was leased to the new school and later deeded to the college's Board of Trustees. This became the first building of what later became Shepherd College (Shepherd University today) when it was established in 1871. The following year, the college was incorporated into the state of West Virginia's system of higher education as one of the state's six normal schools. 

McMurran Hall

<p>This building sits in the middle of King Street, originally this area served as a market space in the 1700s. The town built the market house in 1800, placing the shipping post and public hog pen on the south end. Offenders of Town ordinances suffered public punishment; loose hogs could also be seized for public auction. The building was originally a single story with large doors in the front and the back, a typical layout for a market house. In 1845, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows approached the town about adding a second story to the Market House, in exchange for a 999 year lease. The Order needed a meeting room, and ritual demanded that it be located on the second floor with opaque windows to preserve the secrecy surrounding the meetings. The building contains a Seeing Eye symbol above the front door. The work was completed and the second story served as the Order’s meeting room until 1962.</p><p>When the town market closed in 1854, the town enclosed the stalls in brick walls and turned the building into a firehouse. The Market House served as a makeshift hospital during the nearby Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Throughout the Civil War, the building was used by the U.S. military as a holding area for soldiers. The building also served as council chambers, private school, and meat market.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 1926, the Shepherstown Women’s Club took over the bottom floor of the building for a public library, but they were not alone. The Women’s Club shared the building with the town jail. The library was operated by the club, funded by donations, and staffed by dedicated volunteers for fifty years. Despite limited funding, the library thrived. The town removed the jail cells, after much persuasion, in 1948, and in 1962, the Women’s Club bought the lease from the Order of Odd Fellows and took possession of the upstairs, which become a children’s department. In 1971, the Women’s Club turned the library over to the state and it continues to operate as a library today. </p>

Located in the heart of Shepherdstown, the Shepherdstown Public Library was built in the 1800s as a market house, offering local farmers a sheltered place to sell their wares. It has also been home to the fire department, the town council offices, a butcher shop, a school, and the local jail. Today, it is the home of a thriving library. 

Old Market House - Shepherdstown Public Library

<p>Prominent among the gunsmiths were the Sheetz family, who arrived in 1762. For more than 100 years, until the shop closed in 1866, they made and sold guns in Shepherdstown. Most famously, they made the guns that Shepherdstown soldiers carried when they joined George Washington after Lexington and Concord. John Jacob Sheetz (1785 – 1860), his brother, Martin Sheetz and their father, Philip Sheetz, were respected gun builders.[1] Philip Sheetz apprenticed under George Unkafare of York County, Pennsylvania in 1760.[2]</p><p>The Sheetz specialized in making longrifles, a uniquely American gun design that differed based on the region that it was made in. “The Sheetz rifle is an excellent example of a flintlock longrifle made in what is known as the Golden Age, the time frame when these guns reached the zenith of their architectural design and artistic development—loosely from the American Revolution to 1830.”[3] After the Civil War, the Sheetz shop eventually could not compete. By the end of the Civil War, gunmaking had become a factory industry, and in 1866 the Sheetz shop closed down.</p><p><br /></p><p>[1] Sage, Mark. The John Jacob Sheetz Rifle Project. 2013 CLA Fundraising Auction. Accessed July 08, 2017. <a href="http://www.contemporarylongriflefoundation.org/cgi-bin/2013news.cgi?record=8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.contemporarylongriflefoundation.org/cgi-bin/2013news.cgi?record=8</a>.</p><p>[2]Sage, Mark. The John Jacob Sheetz Rifle Project. 2013 CLA Fundraising Auction. Accessed July 08, 2017. <a href="http://www.contemporarylongriflefoundation.org/cgi-bin/2013news.cgi?record=8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.contemporarylongriflefoundation.org/cgi-bin/2013news.cgi?record=8</a>.</p><p>[3] Sage, Mark. The Sheetz Rifle. NRA American Rifleman. May 30, 2013. Accessed July 08, 2017. <a href="https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2013/5/30/the-sheetz-rifle/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2013/5/30/the-sheetz-rifle/</a>. </p>

NW corner of German and King Sts. One of the oldest buildings in town, it is located on Town Lot No. 1. Three generations of the Sheetz family manufactured guns and stocks here from before the American Revolution to c.1830s. The gun shop was in a structure behind the Sheetz building facing King Street. From c.1810 to 1821 the family also maintained a tavern. The brick building held the saloon, the adjacent stucco house contained the dining room, and the living quarters were upstairs. William Sheetz manufactured gun stocks for the armory at Harpers Ferry. After the armory was destroyed during the Civil War, Sheetz used the left over gun stocks to build a picket fence.

Sheetz Building 

<p><span>The building known as Moulder Hall was built in 1791.
During the 1800s to the 1980s the building was used as a general store and a
grocery store, but the building gained the most recognition in the Civil War.
After the Battle of Antietam, the whole town became a hospital. Moulder Hall became
one of the most crowded of the hospitals because the second floor was used for
surgery. There were scores of badly wounded men here, and their groans and
cries were pitiful. Some of them had been wounded at the battle of South
Mountain, several days before and not all had been so fortunate to have their
injuries dressed. Under the direction of surgeons, good women of the town first
of all cleaned and washed the wounds and soothed them with warm water
preparatory to surgical attention.”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a> Local stories say that the
second floor of the building was used for all the amputations and the removed
limbs were tossed out of the second story window. When the sidewalk was redone
outside of the building, limb bones were discovered, giving credibility to the
rumors. </span></p>

<p>Confederate surgeon Dr. Alexander Tinsley worked as the
lead surgeon in Moulder Hall assisted by Mary Dare Parran of Shepherdstown.
Tinsley and Parran eventually married. Today the building is used by the Sweet
Shop &amp; Bakery. </p>

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<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a>
Snyder p. 1 "The Shepherdstown Register" September 22, 1921, as quoted in,&nbsp;Surkamp, Jim. "Beyond a Cut Finger ..." - Wounded Thousands in Shepherdstown, Va. - September, 1862. Civil War Scholars. July 21, 2012. Accessed June 29, 2017. <a href="http://civilwarscholars.com/2012/07/beyond-a-cut-finger-wounded-thousands-in-shepherdstown-va-1862/" title="Link: http://civilwarscholars.com/2012/07/beyond-a-cut-finger-wounded-thousands-in-shepherdstown-va-1862/">http://civilwarscholars.com/2012/07/beyond-a-cut-finger-wounded-thousands-in-shepherdstown-va-1862/</a>.&nbsp;<small></small></p>

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SW corner of King and German Sts. Was used as a general store or grocery store from the early 1800s until the late 1980s. During the antebellum era local militia organizations used the brick double house attached to the rear of the building as a meeting and drill room. Following the battle of Antietam (September 17, 1862) wounded men were carried to the second floor, one of the main surgeries pressed into action in the emergency. Contemporary accounts reported amputated limbs being thrown from upper windows into waiting wagons. Here also Joseph McMurran, who was to become the first principal of Shepherd, had his private schoolroom after the Civil War.

Moulder Hall aka Sweet Shop

Outside the building, there are displays on the Beeline March. Two companies were to be raised from Virginia by Daniel Morgan and Hugh Stephenson. Morgan raised his company from the Winchester area and Stephenson raised his from Shepherdstown. To decide who led the way, the first commander to fill his company would get the privilege. After a week, both companies were filled and had six weeks to prepare. Both commanders agreed to meet in Fredrick, MD and go together to Boston. As a company of men readied&nbsp;to aid George Washington in the Revolution, they were delayed. When the company arrived in Fredrick, they found that Morgan had already left without them and had a one day head start. To catch up, the company had to march 600 miles in 24 days, an average of 25 miles per day.&nbsp;

This is a modern brick structure that replaced an older smaller building in 2011.  

Town Hall

119 W German St. The oldest general store location in town, it began as Morris and Brown’s general store in 1804 and continued for the next 158 years. Among the long-time proprietors, the Tabler family occupied this building from 1922 to 1962. It also contained the US Post Office 1823-1853.

Tabler's Store

<p>  A revolutionary war veteran and German immigrant, Michael Yeasley was one of the founding members of Shepherdstown. Yeasley and his wife Mott Llana Yeasley were some of the first German immigrants who settled along the Potomac River. The group laid out plans for a town they called Mechlenburg. This name was in use until 1960 when it was changed to the current name of Shepherdstown after Thomas Shepherd, the owner of a gristmill. </p><p>  Yeasley was an involved community member and businessman. He was a weaver and marketed his products out of his home. Yeasley and his wife would raise their seven daughters in this home. The home, named after their family, was built in 1790. It is constructed from limestone and predates the majority of the town's brick buildings. This was one of many properties owned by Yeasley and part of the home was the location of his mercantile store. </p><p>  The Yeasley family attended Christ Reformed United Church of Christ a popular German Reformed Church. The church building on East German St. is still standing and opened in 1839, but the church itself was formed much earlier. In 1795, Yeasley began a collection to fund the purchase of bells for the church. He believed that the bells would help encourage more regular and faithful church attendance. The collection included money, jewelry, belt buckles, and other treasured items donated by the congregation. The bells were purchased in Germany and shipped to Baltimore. From there, they were brought to Shepherdstown on a wagon pulled by oxen. An inscription on the largest bell reads "Rouen" and "1732." This has led historians to believe the bells were made in France and sold from Germany many years later. These bells were so significant to Yeasley, that he requested to be buried at the foot of the church's bell tower. To this day the bells are in use by the church.</p>

This limestone home built in 1790 was constructed for the Yeasley family. The home is older than the majority of brick structures in the area. Revolutionary War veteran Michael Yeasley and his family were German immigrants and a part of the original group of settlers in Mechlenburg, what is now Shepherdstown. Yeasley was a dedicated member of the German Reformed Church and organized the purchase of church bells for the Christ Reformed United Church of Christ. 

Yeasley House

126 W German St. Abutting Bedinger’s law office, it was Lindsey’s Tavern in 1800. By the mid 1800s it had become the site of the flourishing general store of John McEndree.

Alexander Lindsey's Tavern 

<p>The Opera House was built by former Shepherdstown Mayor, U. S. Martin, in 1909. That year, it was sold to the Musser family who installed a motion picture projector, one of the earliest.[1] “The Opera House ran nightly, often showing as many as three different films each week.”[2] In 1928, the Opera House began to show the newfangled “talkies” because they were the first motion picture theatre in West Virginia with sound.</p><p>Unfortunately, the Mussers closed the Opera House in 1956. “It sat dark and silent until it was purchased by Pam and Rusty Berry. After an Extensive renovation following the Department of the Interior guidelines for the restoration of historic structures, the Berrys reopened the Opera House in February 1992 and began showing American Independent and foreign films. In 2004, they added new lighting and sound systems to accommodate live musical and theatrical performances onstage.”[3]</p><p>In 2010, Lawrence and Julie Cumbo purchased the Opera House, hoping to take the business to the next level. Lawrence is a filmmaker and wanted to preserve the Opera House tradition, while also making music a part of the Opera House culture. “Since then, continual light and sound system upgrades, an expanded back stage, and a revamped green room has allowed this vision to grow into one of the area’s finest music and film venues.[4]</p><p>The Cumbos described their original vision for the theater, “Our original motivation was to turn it into a community-based theater offering live music, performing arts, and fine films—and to create a uniquely historic and intimate place to entertain people in Shepherdstown and beyond.”[5] But “Because of the change in studios making less films, and distributors buying less independent films,” he explained, “we’ve evolved to hosting major film festivals throughout the years, including our new film series, Rusty Mondays, which is devoted to Rusty Berry.”[6]</p>

131 W German St. The Opera House replaced a one hundred year old building in 1909. Here moving pictures were shown continuously until 1956. Thirty-five years later, after extensive renovation, it reopened as a movie theater. It is currently used as a venue for both film and live music.


Opera House

<p>The current house on the property was not the original structure, the current structure was built by Michael Fouke Sr. around 1795. Fouke was a carpenter in Shepherdstown area. Early in the nineteenth century, Fouke sold the property to Conrad Schindler. Schindler purchased the two and a half story Georgian style house in 1815, and held onto the property till 1869. Schindler was a coppersmith, whose work is on display in the Shepherdstown Museum. Some believe that the basement was used for the copper shop, but there is little evidence for the shop being in the house. The shop was probably in the back of the lot. Schindler added the back portion of the house, giving it the L shape that it has today.</p><p>During the Battle of Antietam, the house became a host to wounded soldiers. Schindler owned the property till his death and passed the property to his wife, Elizabeth. When Mrs. Schindler passed away in 1869, the property passed to Schindler’s children. The children sold the property to the “Trustees of the Reformed Church of Shepherdstown.” The Church used the property as a parsonage for their Pastor. Schindler’s daughter Mary E. Bragonier was married to the Pastor of the Reformed Church.</p><p>The property was modified to allow for renters. The back part of the house was the space for one tenant and the front of the house was another. Mary Tyler Moore and her father are decedents of the Schindlers and watched the property to purchase it as a home for her father as a residence. Unfortunately, by the time the property was for sale, George Tyler Moore could not live in the house, sue to his health. Mary Tyler Moore decided to donate the property to Shepherd University to house the Civil War Library. Said Moore,"I am delighted to share a cherished family landmark, which will live on in history."[1] Today the building is named the “George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War.”</p><p><br /></p><p>[1] People. New York Times. September 14, 1995. Accessed May 16, 2017. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/14/style/14iht-jason.t_2.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/14/style/14iht-jason.t_2.html</a>. </p>

SE corner of German and Church Sts. Likely the second house on lot 17, the original front portion was built by Michael Fouke, Sr., about 1795, and sold by the Fouke family in 1815 to Conrad Shindler, who added the rear wing around 1815.  For nearly 55 years, this property served as both family home and the location for Shindler’s  coppersmithing business.  In 1869, 17 years after Shindler’s death, the German Reformed Church bought the home from the Shindler heirs to use as a parsonage.  In 1995, actress Mary Tyler Moore, a Shindler descendent, purchased the property and deeded it to the Shepherd College Foundation in honor of her father.  It now houses Shepherd University’s George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War.

Conrad Schindler House aka Reformed Parsonage

NW corner of German and Church Sts. Grew from a dwelling built in 1795 by John and Mary Line. John Kearsley, a Revolutionary veteran, long time Presbyterian elder, substantial property owner, and president of the town board of trustees for 9 years, added the larger front portion in 1814. The back portion, with an entrance on Church Street, housed a general store and from 1869 to 1873, Shepherdstown’s first bank. Later the residence of Presbyterian pastors for many years, it is now a privately-owned residence.

Kearsley House aka Presbyterian Manse

<p><span>Trinity
Episcopal Church was the first English Church (Anglican) in Shepherdstown,
predating the incorporation of the town. The first church building was built in
1745 as a part of the Fredrick Parish in Winchester, Virginia. The building was
a wooden structure, known as the “Old English Church.”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a>
Another more permanent structure was built out of stone on the corner of High
Street and Church Street in 1769. The building was known as “Mecklenburg Chapel,”
“the building fell into disrepair because of neglect due to the
disestablishment of the Anglican Church in Virginia. In 1815, the church
building was renovated by the first vestry of the newly Saint Andrews Parish.
In 1840 – 1842, the building was expanded, By the early 1800s it was known as
Trinity Church.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a> In 1854, the church
decided to build a new building on German Street because the 1842 renovations
were now too small.</span></p>

<p><span>Reverend
Dr. C. W. Andrews wanted to build a new church and led the movement to raise
$10.000 for its construction. The current Trinity Episcopal Church was
constructed from 1854-1859, and the building was consecrated by Bishop Johns on
April 5th, 1859.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[3]</a>
The Church almost housed the clock in McMurran Tower, but Rezin D. Shepherd
recanted his gift, after he felt the Church failed to care for the clock. He
decided to give the clock to the town instead. After the Battle of Antietam, Shepherdstown
became one large hospital, but Trinity Church was designated the “community
place of worship” and was not used as a hospital.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[4]</a>
</span></p>

<p><span>The
Chapel was built ten years after the church, and the Parish House Church School
was built in 1906. The Stevens Organ is almost as old as Trinity Church,
brought from a Rhode Island Church in 1972. It was renovated in 1990s,
including the stenciled drawings on the pipes. In 2006, Trinity House was
bought and renovated for offices and the Fellowship Hall was built to add more
space for Sunday School, offices, and fellowship space.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[5]</a>
</span></p>

<div><br>





<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a> Harrah, Dianne. Houses of Worship. Wolf Run Studios. Accessed
July 08, 2017.&nbsp;<span>http://www.wolfrunstudio.com/PAGES/pg_hwp20.html.&nbsp;</span></p>

</div>

<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a> Our History. Trinity Episcopal Church. Accessed July 08,
2017.&nbsp;<span>http://www.trinityshepherdstown.org/our-history/.&nbsp;</span></p>

</div>

<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[3]</a> Harrah, Dianne. Houses of Worship. Wolf Run Studios. Accessed
July 08, 2017.&nbsp;<span>http://www.wolfrunstudio.com/PAGES/pg_hwp20.html.&nbsp;</span></p>

</div>

<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[4]</a> Our History. Trinity Episcopal Church. Accessed July 08,
2017.&nbsp;<span>http://www.trinityshepherdstown.org/our-history/.&nbsp;</span></p>

</div>

<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[5]</a> Our History. Trinity Episcopal Church. Accessed July 08,
2017.&nbsp;<span><a href="http://www.trinityshepherdstown.org/our-history/">http://www.trinityshepherdstown.org/our-history/</a><span>.&nbsp;</span></span></p>

</div>

</div>

SW corner of German and Church Sts. It features a grey stone spire that rises high above the town. A Gothic Revival structure of native stone, it was completed in 1859 on the eastern end of the old Parade Grounds, where local militia drilled from the French and Indian War until the Civil War. After the Battle of Antietam, town clergymen, realizing their churches would be swamped with the wounded, agreed that one should remain open as “a house of prayer.” Because Trinity had just been consecrated in 1859, it was chosen. The church remained a dedicated place of worship, always open and providing services acceptable to both Union and Confederate troops and their sympathizers throughout the war. The Episcopal Chapel, on the back part of the lot, dates from 1870.


Trinity Episcopal Church

<p>Michael Rickard was a whitesmith, someone who manufactured locks, hardware, guns, and small implements of unforged metal. Michael Rickard and his sons manufactured locks in Shepherdstown. Michael Rickard invented the screw lock, “a peculiar caliper shaped lock which can only be opened by screwing a key in place.”[1] The screw lock was used by the B&amp;O Railroad for their switch locks. The B&amp;O Railroad “was the first railroad in the United States to have locks made with railroad identification stamped into the metal.”[2] Most of these locks were made by Elijah Rickard. Michael Rickard also manufactured the handcuffs used by John Brown and the escutcheon of the great door at St. Peter’s Church in 1795.</p><p><br /></p><p>[1] Lauher, Joseph. Elias Richards or Elijah Rickards. Forum on Handcuffs. September 15, 2007. Accessed July 08, 2017. <a href="http://www.network54.com/Forum/261154/thread/1189867151/Elias+Richards+or+Elijah+Rickard" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.network54.com/Forum/261154/thread/1189867151/Elias+Richards+or+Elijah+Rickard</a>. </p><p>[2] Civil War Era Baltimore and Ohio Iron Screw Key Lock by Rickard. rubylane.com. Accessed July 08, 2017. <a href="https://www.rubylane.com/item/27950-5628/Civil-War-Era-Baltimore-Ohio-Railroad" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.rubylane.com/item/27950-5628/Civil-War-Era-Baltimore-Ohio-Railroad</a>. </p>

211/213 W German St. Rickard was among the German artisans who settled here in the l8th century. The west side of this two-story brick house provided residential quarters for the family, and the east side housed Rickard’s locksmith shop. In 1795, Rickard crafted the escutcheon that has graced doors of two successive Lutheran churches. Three generations made locks at this location. The screw lock, used as switch locks by railroads, was invented here, and the handcuffs worn by John Brown at his trial in Charles Town (1859) were crafted here.

Michael Rickard House

John Baker was a Shepherdstown lawyer.
He moved to the area in 1784, buying a tract of land closer to Charles Town
than to Shepherdstown. He had an illustrious career, <br><blockquote>When Aaron Burr was
brought to trial in 1807, the dazzling battery of defense lawyers, sox in all
and headed by Edmund Randolph, attorney general under Washington, included 'Jack
Baker, a young but experienced defense lawyer.'<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" title="Link: null">[1]&nbsp;<br></a></blockquote>He was made Jefferson County’s assistant commonwealth’s attorney and
served four times as the president of the Court of Trustees. He was nominated
to Congress, where he fought for pensioning soldiers from the Revolution and
tried to provide options for Jefferson County farmers at market by making
improvements near Georgetown. Baker bought a few houses in Shepherdstown. First
inheriting the property on the northwest corner of Princess and New Streets,
then purchasing this German Street location from John Mark and later purchasing
the Episcopal Rectory on New Street.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a><div>





<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a>&nbsp;Kenamond, A. D..&nbsp;<i>Prominent Men of Shepherdstown During Its First 200 Years</i>. A Jefferson County Historical Society Publication, 1963.&nbsp;</p>

</div>

<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a>&nbsp;Kenamond, A. D..&nbsp;<i>Prominent Men of Shepherdstown During Its First 200 Years</i>. A Jefferson County Historical Society Publication, 1963.&nbsp;</p>

</div>

</div>

215 W German St. In 1800 John Baker, a local attorney, purchased this house, adjacent to the Rickard House. He served in Congress and the Virginia legislature as a Federalist. In 1817 he bought the New Street property that would later become the Episcopal Rectory. Elias Baker (no relation) bought the German Street house just before the Civil War and served as federal postmaster 1862- 1867. When his son Newton joined the Confederate Army, the elder Baker refused to speak to him. Newton became a physician after the war and practiced in Martinsburg. There, Newton’s son, Newton Diehl Baker, Jr., was born. He became the Secretary of War in Woodrow Wilson’s cabinet. The Martinsburg Newton D. Baker Veterans Hospital is named for him.

Baker House 

214 W German. This rambling two-story stucco house has a colorful history. During the Revolutionary War a log tavern on the site became a rendezvous for American forces. A large yard behind provided a drill ground for troops. Joseph Entler bought the property in 1808 and established Entler’s Tavern (not to be confused with the Entler Hotel). At some point in the early 19th century the establishment became known as the Great Western Hotel. During the War of 1812, it served as a barracks for troops. After the war, Entler catered to the wagon trade. Many drivers and workers with wagon trains, Conestogas, ox carts and the like stayed here before and after crossing the Potomac at Pack Horse Ford. A 25 horse limestone stable behind the hotel enhanced its appeal. The hotel sustained much interior damage by soldiers during the Civil War and never reopened as a hotel. After extensive repairs it became a private residence.

Shepherdstown Walking Tour- German Street

Billmyer Building

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information