Shepherdstown

Since the 1960s, Shepherdstown has seen a renaissance, keeping an historic look but bustling with activity and visitors. The small downtown commercial district houses trendy shops and galleries, a small independent movie theater, and a wide range of restaurants from casual to ethnic to gourmet. Shepherd University, formerly a state teachers’ college, is home to the Contemporary American Theater Festival held every summer to showcase modern play premieres. Music, arts and crafts, and film festivals, along with other cultural events, are held throughout the year and fill the charming B&Bs, inns and hotels in town. Hiking and biking on the C&O Canal towpath provides an up-close scenic view of cliffs, caves and the Potomac River.

Shepherdstown is the oldest town in West Virginia, chartered in 1762 by the Virginia Assembly as Mecklenburg. Thomas Shepherd was the sole trustee and the town was renamed Shepherd’s Town in his honor in 1798 and became Shepherdstown after the Civil War. The clay soil in the area was conducive to brickmaking, and many of the homes and buildings in Shepherdstown bear the bricks of the 1790s.

During the Revolutionary War the town flourished as a commercial center growing to 1000 residents. The oldest free school house in the state was built here in 1848. Shepherdstown served as an open-air hospital during the Civil War after the Battle of Antietam just across the Potomac River. Elmwood Cemetery, on the southwest side of town, is the burial spot for more than 300 Confederate soldiers. The Battle of Shepherdstown in 1862 was the last battle of the Maryland campaign, the turning point of the Civil War.

For More Information: 304-876-2786 • www.ShepherdstownVisitorsCenter.com