Follow the path of industry in Berkeley County, West Virginia. 

The first roundhouse in Martinsburg was built in the 1840s as a part of the B&amp;O Railroad Company.1The roundhouse was completed in 1849 and was crucial to the economic development of the town. Yet it was lost during the Civil War. Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was given strict orders to stop all train activity at the Martinsburg Roundhouse as a part of a campaign against the Baltimore and Ohio railroad company and the Union army. Following orders, in 1862 Jackson burned down roundhouse, blew up numerous bridges, and pirated some of the B&amp;O trains. In total, 42 locomotives and 386 cars were stolen and destroyed, along with the destruction of 36 and ½ miles of track, 17 bridges, 102 miles of telegraph wire, and the “Colonnade” Bridge. Following the end of the Civil War, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company rebuilt a roundhouse in Martinsburg. The current roundhouse was constructed in 1866. Its cast-iron frame was cast in Baltimore and then shipped to Martinsburg, where it was erected and bricked. The complex was composed of the roundhouse and two additional shops: the Bridge Shop and the Frog and Switch Shop. Both of these shops were also constructed in 1866. A second roundhouse was built on the property in 1872, expanding the work being done at the roundhouse. From 1866 until 1988, the Martinsburg Roundhouse was an immense economic contributor to the city of Martinsburg, the surrounding counties, and the state of West Virginia. Another key event in the history of the Martinsburg Roundhouse is that it served as the setting for the beginning of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. On July 16, 1877, angry railroad workers went on strike because of wage cuts at the B&amp;O. This work stoppage then spread across the United States with strikes popping up in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Louisville. The strike even spread into different industries as steelworkers in Pittsburgh joined the railroad workers' protests. The striking lasted for a little over two months and was the nation's first nationwide strike. The strike ended when President Hayes sent in federal troops to various cities to suppress the angry workers. Ultimately, the strike resulted in the cancellation of the wage cut and contributed to the rise in unions in the United States. During the twentieth century, the Martinsburg Roundhouse added three more shops to the site: the Blacksmith shop, rehabilitation shop, and the saw house. These shops were an asset to the roundhouse when the site transitioned to being a "maintenance of way" shop. Maintenance of way refers to repairing railroad property such as tracks, bridges, and equipment cars. The Martinsburg Roundhouse shops operated as a maintenance of way shop from the 1930s until the 1980s. CSX closed the Martinsburg shops starting in 1985 and were fully closed in 1988. In the early 1990s, one of the two historic roundhouses (the East Roundhouse constructed in 1872) was destroyed by an arsonist. However, the site still contains numerous antebellum shop buildings and one roundhouse. It is now a National Historic Landmark; the surviving historic roundhouse has stood the test of time with very few architectural changes. It is the only one of its kind left in the United States. The Martinsburg Roundhouse has a deeply rooted history and can be toured today by appointment and walk-ins are welcome.

The Martinsburg Roundhouse complex is a rare example of 19th-century railroading technology in existence today. The roundhouse is located in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and has been a part of two major events in the history of the United States: the Civil War and the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. These two events alongside the architecture of the building make the site a National Historic Landmark. 


Martinsburg Roundhouse

When Interwoven Mills&nbsp;opened, it was the first textile factory powered by
electricity in the United States. The factory building was built along the B&amp;O Railroad line in Martinsburg, and the company also expanded building other several other manufacturing facilities&nbsp;in West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania in the 1920s.The company encountered financial and labor difficulties during the 1930s and early 40s, but they had some financial&nbsp;success producing socks for the United States military during World War II. Interwoven saw a decline in business and workers during the 1950s and 60s, and the company was bought out by Kayser-Roth in 1962.After Interwoven
was acquired by Kayser-Roth, the factory was shut down in the early 1970s, and production was moved
to North Carolina, where Kayser-Roth is based. Kayser-Roth is the producer of
the brand "No nonsense," which is a sock and hosiery brand that is carried by Walmart and other retailers.&nbsp;The former Interwoven Mills buildings are vacant as of 2019 although local officials and developers hope to convert the property into retail space or&nbsp;apartment housing. The property is currently listed for sale.&nbsp;

Interwoven Mills was a textile factory that specialized in the manufacturing of men’s hosiery. The mill opened in 1890 under the name Middlesex Knitting Company. The plant that stood at this location on Porter Avenue was the first textile mill to be powered by electricity in the United States. The company went through several ownership changes and operated under a few different names until 1962 when it was acquired by the Kayser-Roth Corporation. That textile manufacturer is still in business and based in North Carolina, but the Martinsburg plant was closed in 1976.

A vintage postcard depicting Interwoven Mills

Interwoven Mills, Martinsburg (1890-1976)

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Industrialist Arthur Skadden began his first venture into
automobile manufacturing in 1909. Skadden named his company, the Norwalk Motor
Car Company, after his hometown of Norwalk, OH. Norwalk’s first effort was a
vehicle named the Auto-Bug.1 Skadden’s fledgling company ran into financial
trouble. Norwalk Motor Car was placed into receivership late in 1911.2 New investors
purchased the company and relocated it to the former site of the Brooklyn Brass
Works in Martinsburg, WV.3 Leaving the city of Norwalk proved difficult, a the
company was sued by both the county and a former employee.4 However, production
resumed in 1912.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Norwalk
Motor Car manufactured several models but one of the company’s most innovative
marks was The Underslung 6. “Underslung” refers to the chassis placement below
the axles, which allowed for a lower center of gravity and better handling. &nbsp;Fred I. Tone, an engineer for The American
Motors Company of Indianapolis, developed the “underslung” design in 1906.5 Norwalk
Motor Car employed the design on their "underslung" models. Beginning in 1913, Norwalk
Motor Cars also featured the Vulcan Electric Transmission and electric lock
brake. These advances greatly simplified the driving experience by replacing
cumbersome levers with push-buttons.6

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Company
officials marketed their models aggressively. In 1913, The Norwalk Motor Car
Company participated in the Chicago Auto Show7 and the New York Auto Show.8 In
an era when the U.S. road network was under-developed, a Norwalk official drove
from one show to the next. The car completed a 23,000-mile route beginning in
Martinsburg and ending in Reading, PA.9 Norwalk Motor Car was one of 107
automobile manufacturers to specify Goodyear Tires on their production
models.10 Norwalk marketed themselves in magazines and newspapers as being “The
Car of Absolute Exclusiveness.” Despite its innovative models and its
aggressive marketing, the company continued to experience problems. From its
peak in 1909, the number of American automobile manufacturers continued to
shrink.11 Failing to grow in an extremely competitive environment, the company
would again find itself in receivership in 1915. From 1918 to 1922, a company
named Norwalk assembled cars and trucks, including fire trucks. In 1922 the
plant closed for good.12&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In
September of 2008 The Friends of Norwalk Foundation, a non-profit corporation
was formed. The Foundation located and restored the only known existing Underslung
6 produced by The Norwalk Motor Car Company. Formed with two goals, The Friends
of Norwalk fundraising efforts are ear-marked to paying off the cost of
purchase and restoration of the Underslung 6 and to establish a permanent
location in which the car can be displayed.13 The restored Norwalk Motor Car is
temporarily on display in the Rural Transportation Museum at the Agricultural
Education Center in Boonsboro, MD.14

     The era of independent automobile manufacturing in the U.S. peaked in 1909. In that year, 272 different manufacturers produced automobiles. From 1909 until 1922, The Norwalk Motor Car Company was one of many automobile manufacturers that sought a piece of the U.S. market. Originally produced in Norwalk, OH the company relocated to Martinsburg, WV in 1910. Over the next twelve years Norwalk Motor Car produced cars and trucks in Martinsburg. One of Norwalk’s models, the 1913 Underslung 6, was marketed as “The Car of Absolute Exclusiveness.” Operations at the plant ceased in 1922 and the Norwalk Motor Car Company passed into history.

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The Industrial Heritage of Berkeley County

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