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.
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.
Hilltop House Hotel was built in 1888 by Thomas S. Lovett, an African American entrepreneur who lived in Harpers Ferry. As well as operating Hill Top House until his death in 1926, Lovett also managed a boarding business in Lockwood House on the Storer College campus.
Established in Ranson in 1892, Powhatan Brass & Iron Works was named for Chief Powhatan, the leader of an early 17th century confederation of mid-Atlantic Algonquin tribes. At the plant, workers forged, machined, and plated brass and iron, creating fire-fighting equipment for fire companies.
Sylvia Rideout Bishop operated a tavern in the basement of Payne’s Hotel called the Tap Room. Well-known Black entertainers like Fats Domino and Ike and Tina Turner stayed at the hotel when they were traveling and entertaining through the South on the Chitlin’ Circuit.
The Bank of Charles Town is the oldest business in continuous operation in Charles Town. Since incorporation in 1871, it has operated under the same name.
New Central Restaurant, originally Central Restaurant, was located on the first floor of Charles Washington Hall in Charles Town. Nicholas Carson, mayor of Charles Town from 1948 to 1968, bought the restaurant in 1933 and operated it for 52 years. This white-owned restaurant was segregated for many years. African Americans were not allowed to eat in the restaurant and Black cooks had to enter the building through a back door.
In 1902, Arthur Davenport bought the Carter House, removed it, and built the Jefferson Hotel. A group of Charles Town businessmen formed the Jefferson Hotel Corporation in 1945 and purchased the Jefferson Hotel property with the intention to provide Charles Town residents with restaurants, lunch rooms, barber shops, beauty parlors, and refreshment facilities in connection with the hotel. Only white men were welcomed fully to the hotel and its amenities. Women had to use a separate entrance (note the sign “Women’s entrance” on the far left in the image behind) and African Americans were barred from staying at the hotel.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This tour explores white- and black-owned businesses in Jefferson County from 1900 to 1950. The curated tour is in conjunction with the current exhibit "Businesses in Jefferson County, 1900-1950" that can be viewed at the Jefferson County Museum, Tuesday-Saturday, 11 to 4.
