Hampshire County
Lying just to the west of the great Valley of Virginia, Hampshire County, West Virginia has a rich and varied history. Once home to numerous tribes of prehistoric native Americans, the area was nearly empty and used only for a seasonal hunting ground when the white man first arrived. The fertile valleys of Hampshire's Potomac River tributaries were a welcome sight to the early settlers who longed for verdant, open spaces to satisfy their independent spirit.
Colonial EraSometime in the 1730s and 1740s the trickle of explorers and settlers began. The migration was primarily from Pennsylvania rather than from the piedmont of Virginia.
County Established
In 1754, the opening year of the French and Indian War, Hampshire County was established with over twenty-six hundred square miles. It was the western frontier of the Colony of Virginia. Because Virginia's route to the upper Ohio River valley came through Hampshire County, the area became an important gateway to the developing west.
French and Indian WarDuring the trying years of the French and Indian War, Hampshire bore the brunt
of enemy attacks. Although Virginia was a long way from Canada, the
French know that Virginia was one of the wealthiest and most populous Colonies
and a leader in the push for British expansion to the west. It was
because of this that Col. George Washington, Commander of the Virginia
Regiment, built
a chain of forts in Hampshire County as the northern bulwarks of his western line of
defense. Col. Washington was familiar with the area, having traversed it
for five seasons as a surveyor for
Lord Fairfax, the proprietor of the Northern Neck Proprietary.During the terrible days of the first half of the French and Indian War, many
settlers fled to more peaceful areas; many who stayed died on their farms at
the hands of ravaging warriors. Before the fall of Fort Duquesne to Gen. Forbes
in 1758, much of Hampshire County was devoid of people. After the war,
the pace of settlement increased. In 1762
Romney was incorporated as the county seat. In 1787 Watson (later named Capon Springs)
was incorporated at the medicinal springs in the south-east part of the county.
Transportation Routes EstablishedIn 1786 a state road had been completed from Winchester to Romney. As the frontier of the new nation moved westward, more roads were required to serve the expanding nation. In the 1830s the Northwestern Turnpike was built, eventually running from Winchester through Romney to Clarksburg and on to Parkersburg on the Ohio River. By 1845 a stage line ran from Romney to Morgantown and Parkersburg.
Civil War
The far western counties of Virginia were developing as industrial centers along the Ohio Rivers, but Hampshire and its neighboring counties remained rural, agricultural areas. It was during the war that Virginia was split, and Hampshire County became part of the new state of West Virginia. Hampshire's placement in the new state was a matter of Federal politics and did not reflect the sentiments of the people of the county.
Confederate Sympathies
Counties to the west had ties to the North by way of
the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the C&O canal; they had little in common with the commerce and government of Virginia.
Hampshire County, on the other hand, was linked more to the Shenandoah Valley,
and Hampshire's colonial heritage gave it stronger ties with the
Commonwealth. Therefore, its sympathies were Southern.
"Stonewall" Jackson had an early compaign in the County that attempted to cut the Federal government's transportation link to the western states that ran
along the Potomac River, Hampshire's northern boundary. Because of this
strategic location there were many troop movements through the county
and
Romney is said to have changed hands 56 times during the war.
Hampshire County raised thirteen Confederate companies for the war but only one
Union company. After the Civil War on Sept. 26, 1867, Hampshire's
citizens dedicated what was perhaps the
first
Confederate Memorial in the United States. It still stands today in Indian Mound Cemetery in Romney.
Modern Era
The fact that
Indian Mound Cemetery is the burial site of two West Virginia governors (John J. Jacob - 4th
Governor; John J. Cornwell - 15th Governor) evidences the county's involvement
in the new State's political life.
Natural Beauty
Hampshire County has great natural beauty. Although the area is not now as bountiful for the hunter as was true in George Washington's day, Hampshire has always been an abundant land. The rivers are wonderful for swimming, and they abound with fish. The skies above are filled with wildfowl. The Trough, a cut that the South Branch River makes through the mountains, is one of the best locations for spotting the majestic bald eagle. The Potomac Eagle, a sightseeing passenger train, runs from spring through fall so tourists may view the breath-taking scenery and the eagles.
The several communities with "Spring" in their name give a hint to another
natural treasure of the area known to early settlers. Even today, Capon
Springs resort is renowned for its lovely wooded setting and its wonderful
hospitality.
Ice Mountain on the North River is a geologic anomaly with rare flora near its ice
caves. Today it is maintained by the Nature Conservancy. Throughout
the county there are fields, streams and mountains that offer a feast for the
eyes and for the spirit.
Romney, where
the first
Literary Society in the state was founded in 1819, is home to the West Virginia Schools for the
Deaf and Blind. Hampshire County is a land mindful of its colonial
heritage and the precious traits of character that made it strong. It is a
place where the visitor will be made to feel welcome.
Save our Dark Night Sky - a Citizen's initiative to preserve our night environment
Save our Confederate Monument! - Fight modern encroachments!
For further information go to: [Note: some pages are graphics intensive]
Search Page Updated 2/14/13 - now searchs most of the site! There's always something that gets lost in the shuffle.....@#*&!!
History:
Old Published Histories:
West Virginia Geological Survey
Northwestern Turnpike
Eighteenth Century:
Our English Roots
Romney article available now!
Settlement and French and Indian War:
Fort Edwards Web Site
Foreman's Defeat, 1777
Revolutionary War Soldiers
Gazetteer of 1797
Surveys of George Washington
The Founding of Romney
First Deeds for Romney Lots
Gunmakers of Hampshire County extends into 19th century - New
Nineteenth Century:
Romney in the Civil War
Confederate Memorial in Romney
First hand description of Romney at the end of the War
&
McNeil's Rangers' Surrender - Samuel Clarke Farrar Diary
B&O Railroad in the Civil War
Civil War Engravings
Civil War Sesquicentennial Project NEW - Needs your input!
Black History - NEW - a work in progress!
Twentieth Century:
Citizens who died in World War I
Citizens who served and those who died in WWII
Veterans of Korea -Coming
Veterans of Vietnam -New
Schools for the Deaf and Blind
Tidbits of History- Some interesting facts -New
Hampshire's 250th Anniversary (site archive)
Anniversary Events
Web Archive
Important (Lost) Artifacts
Petition to Change the Form of Hampshire County Government
The long struggle of the citizens of Hampshire County to have a petition placed
on the ballot to allow a change from a 3 person Commission to a "Tribunal"
composed of one representitive from each district has ended unsuccessfully. To
learn about the process, click here for the
Petition Documents Archive.
Places, Buildings, Views:
Scenic Tour:
Buildings
Countryside
North River Mills (This page has the link to North River Mills Day.)
Romney, the county seat (see also History above)
Fall scenes
Ice Mountain
Caudy's Castle Rock
Capon Bridge Museum
National Register of Historic Places
Whipple Truss Bridge at Capon Springs Nominated for the N.R.H.P.
Sites on the
National Register of Historic Places
County buildings on the WV
Historic Property Inventory Form
Post Offices of Hampshire County- a history by Len McMaster- New
North River Mills.org- a quaint and historic village
Roadside Historic Markers
Restoration Projects
Restoration Projects
Ridgedale Restoration - George W. Washington house
the old log house at Ridgedale - the first home of the Washington family
Hefflebower mansion
Neglected or Destroyed Places - Landmarks that have passed or desperately need preservation.
New Buildings, New Structures
Rt. 50 turning lane between Augusta and Shanks
Nature's Wonders
List of Aerial Photographs
For Place Names see Gazetteer below
Maps:
Modern Maps:
Road map of Hampshire County (without road names) to print on 8.5x11 inch paper. This is a pdf file that
prints in landscape mode. File size is approx. 312 Kbytes.
The following two maps are basic maps that can be printed on 8.5x11 inch paper:
Modern County Map (small 100dpi)
Modern County Map (large 300dpi)
The next map is quite detailed and quite large. It is 2388 pixels wide by 2316
wide; it is hardly viewable if printed on 8.5x11 inch paper, but can be
enlarged to approximately 24 inches square.
Hampshire County map with most roads
John R. Ice County Map 1933 - top
John R. Ice County Map 1933 - bottom
This is the last road map of the county published before the 1939 Highway map when the State took over the road system. These are .jpg files you can either download by right-clicking on them and saving to your hard drive or you may view them in your browser. They are large files of approximately 450 megs.
Hampshire County Road Map is available from the State in .pdf format divided as north and south sheets: (Note: Hampshire County is going through road name changes in connection with a 911 Addressing System so this map may not be current.)
Highway Map - North
Highway Map - South
Wayne McGahuey's Cemetery Maps of Hampshire County - New
Potomac Heritage Trail Map (draft for study purposes - 2.6 megs)
Historic Maps & Interpretive Maps:
Hampshire's Boundary over time
Two Important Colonial Roads - The Great Wagon Road and Braddock's Road
Maps of Gen. Braddock's campaign through Hampshire Co. to Ft. Duquesne - on our associated site: www.BraddocksMarch.org
1926 Hampshire Co. Topo Map
Hampshire County in 1888 (medium file)
Hampshire County in 1880 (medium file)
Romney:
Sanborn Fire Map of Romney 1894
Romney Water System 1928
Romney B&O RR Depot 1928
Civil War Maps
Upper Potomac area based on Lt. Meigs
Civil War Era Map of County (large file)
B&O Railroad in the Civil War (large file)
Gazetteer:
Place names in Hampshire County
Places whose location is now "unknown"- from USGS Gazetteer
GIS Test page - Geographic Information System includes Land Grant Maps and Google Maps historic sites locator - Draft - New
Old Photographs
Romney scenes
Parades & buildings
Capon Bridge scenes
Hampshire County scenes
School scenes
Springfield scenes - New!
Railroad scenes
Animals- transportation, livestock, etc.
Who, What, Where???? - please help us! - New!
1991 Photographic Survey
Civil War Engravings
Hampshire County Scenes
Cemeteries:
Wayne McGahuey's
Cemetery Inventory completed but to be updated occassionally
Wayne McGahuey's Cemetery Maps of Hampshire County - New
Depression era project by the W.P.A. listing - - New
location of all veteran's cemeteries - (uses 1930s road names)
old Presbyterian Cemetery
Indian Mound Cemetery - Newly Expanded - with photos!
Mt. Pisgah Benevolent Cemetery
Citizens who died in WWII
Cemetery Survey Template and Explanation
Research & Resources:
Bibliography for Hampshire County
References in Official Records of the Civil War -
work in progress
Important & Interesting Hampshire County Deeds
Resources at the WV State Archives in Charleston, WV (.pdf format)
Manuscripts & microfilm at West Virginia University
Manuscripts, etc. at Various Repositories
County Events:
Romney's upcoming 250th Anniversary - New
Our Major Celebrations
Other Subjects:
Timeline for Hampshire County
HistoricHampshire.org is supporting the effort to establish the George Washington Frontier National Heritage Area to commemorate the stories and preserve the places of our settlers and soldiers and to remember George Washington's role in the westward movement of the frontier.
Application information for the
National Register of Historic Places
Agriculture Statistics
Great News from Mineral County
Web links, Places to Go, Things to Do
About this page's sponsor:
N.R.M.S.A.A.D.K.
Contact Us(if you can)!
This is a never-ending, always-updating project. If you or your organization would like to contribute a page to this site, we would be happy to correspond with you. We are looking for all the help we can get. It tooks thousands of people to originally write the history of Hampshire County; it is going to take more than a few to publish it. Please email corrections and/or suggestions and/or additions to:
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