Established at the end of the 18th century, Martinsburg's public square served as a social and cultural center as well as a regulated market exchange for the area following the decision to locate the county court in Martinsburg. Martinsburg was established by Virginia lawyer and landowner Adam Stephen. Shortly after the Virginia Assembly created Berkeley County, Stephen vied with Jacob Hite, the founder of Hitetown (modern-day Leetown) for the country seat. Hite petitioned the Virginia Assembly as both vied for their town to have the prestige and economic benefits of being the county seat. After the feud was settled, Stephen mapped out the new town of Martinsburg in 1772 around this public square.
This historical marker shares an overview of the history of Martinsburg during the Civil War. Owing to its strategic location, Union and Confederate forces vied for control of the city. In addition to its location on the Valley Pike, Martinsburg was the second-largest city in the Shenandoah Valley and a critical rail junction and along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Shortly after delegates from Martinsburg voted against secession in the 1861 convention in Richmond, Confederate troops occupied the city. Union and Confederate forces occupied the city one after the other for most of the early years of the war. As a result, the war saw the destruction of railroads and buildings, leaving much of the city in ruins until the Union gained control of the city and region in the late summer of 1864.
Located in a brick house constructed by Philip Showers in 1874 and rented to railroad workers and their families, this museum includes exhibits related to the history of Martinsburg in the 19th century including surveying equipment, flax and wool spinning wheels, quilts, railroad items, pottery and glassware, and numerous other items connected to the industrial, social, and cultural history of the town. The museum also includes fossils, original stone tools and arrowheads, and an assortment of military uniforms from various American wars. The museum also includes pottery shards that were discovered during archaeological excavations on the Adam Stephen House property.
Adam Stephen, a medical doctor, was also a colonial military officer during the French and Indian War. He served with George Washington in General Braddock’s attack on the French at Fort Duquesne. A skilled businessperson, Stephen acquired land, and built a large stone house in what later became the city of Martinsburg. He served in the Continental Army with the rank of Colonel. One of Adam Stephen’s best-known moments was his speech given in stirring support of the newly offered Constitution of The United States at the Virginia Ratification Convention.
Constructed in the early 1840s, the Berkeley Hotel welcomed guests to the city following the arrival of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1842. The building is one of only a few remaining commercial structures that predate the Civil War in Martinsburg. At the time of the war, Martinsburg was a strategic objective of both Union and Confederate forces owing to the importance of this railroad connection. The hotel was spared destruction and the B&O Railroad bought the building in 1866. The railroad expanded the building and used it as their passenger station as well as a restaurant, telegraph office, and hotel. In 1877, the trainmen and enginemen began a major labor strike at this location in protest of wage cuts. This local protest spread and was known as the “Great Strike of 1877” nationwide. Railroad and military officials used the hotel as their headquarters during the strike and used force to end the labor conflict.
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.
The Great Panic of 1873 set in motion unprecedented economic hardships in the United States. Railroads experienced some of the hardest economic hits after tremendous expansion. On July 11th, 1877 the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad company announced a ten cent wage reduction of all officers and employees. Animosity and tension grew quickly among B&O railroad workers in Martinsburg, WV. Three days later, on July 14th, 1877, B&O railroad employees kicked off the first national labor strike in United States history. Railroad workers in Martinsburg created a blockade allowing no train cars to leave the newly rebuilt roundhouses. The mayor of Martinsburg tried to quell the angry mob but had no success. John W. Garret, the CEO of B&O, contacted West Virginia’s governor for support of federal involvement. President Hayes authorized the use of federal troops to end the strike. The presence of federal troops did not dissuade the strikers. Though the strike by Martinsburg railroad workers was short lived their exploits acted as the first domino in a long chain of dissention. The first national labor strike spread from Martinsburg to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and St. Louis.
This house once belonged to the infamous Belle Boyd and now houses the Berkeley County Museum. The museum provides visitors with a place to attend meetings, seminars, and view historical artifacts of Martinsburg and Berkeley County. Belle Boyd was born in West Virginia in May 1844. Boyd became a Confederate spy before her 18th birthday and conveyed information and supplies to Southern military leaders.
In 1913, the Apollo Theatre became the social and cultural center for the Martinsburg area. It was built by owner H.P. Thorn and designed by architect Reginald Geare, notable for designing the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington DC.
John Robert Clifford operated the first Black newspaper in West Virginia and argued two landmark civil rights cases before the state's Supreme Court. He was also a founding member of the Niagara Movement, a national civil rights organization that predated the NAACP.
The Doughboy statue honors the infantry soldiers from Martinsburg and throughout Berkely County who served in the United States Army during the first World War. The statue was dedicated on New Year's Eve on 1925 and built by donations from local citizens. Many of these donations were secured through the efforts of the women of the American Legion Auxiliary, who solicited donations from local residents throughout the county on behalf of the Berkeley County Memorial Association.
Boydville is an historic mansion that belonged to Elisha Boyd an officer in the Fourth Virginian regiment of the War of 1812. His son-in-law, Charles Faulkner, also served in the Civil War. The mansion was almost destroyed by Union soldiers along with others in retaliation for the Confederate's burning of Maryland Governor Bradford's home. However, Abraham Lincoln interceded on behalf of the property, stating that this home was exempt from General David Hunter's order to burn the residences of prominent rebels in the Shenandoah Valley in retaliation for the Confederacy's actions in Maryland. Stonewall Jackson was a friend to Elisha Boyd and it's speculated that he has stayed at Boydville along with a host of other well known people from Washington, including Henry Clay and William Jennings Bryan-two of the most influential men of their times who both secured their party's nomination for President of the United States on multiple occasions. The home now serves as an inn and venue for weddings and community events.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This walking tour of the historic City of Martinsburg, West Virginia includes a variety of landmarks and historic sites related to the colonial period, antebellum America, the Civil War, and the growth and transition of the city from the 19th to 20th centuries. More entries will be added soon.
