Washington Heritage Trail
Shepherdstown, WV

Shepherdstown is the oldest incorporated town in West Virginia. Thomas Shepherd incorporated the town, originally named Mecklenburg, in 1762 but had already operated a grist mill here prior to 1739. Numerous 18th and 19th century buildings line the downtown streets and make up the Shepherdstown National Register Historic District. The Entler Hotel, originally built in 1790 and added to in 1809 and again before 1815, now houses the Historic Shepherdstown Museum. Shepherd College, located in downtown Shepherdstown, was established in 1872 in a building constructed in 1859 as the Town Hall and library. The James Rumsey Monument memorializes his successful trial of a steamboat on the Potomac River near Shepherdstown in 1787. Civil War history abounds in this area, and information on it can be found at the George Tyler Moore Civil War Center - part of Shepherd College and open to researchers.