Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Shepherdstown, West Virginia is considered to be the oldest town in West Virginia. The first settlement in Shepherdstown was recorded in 1730. The town was named after Thomas Shepherd, who was the first settler and founder of the town. Many of the first settlers were of German descent, and a German school was founded in 1762. To this day, the main street in the town is called German Street.

Historically, Shepherdstown is remembered for James Rumsey, who, on December 3, 1787, conducted a successful trial of his invention, the steamboat. The Rumsey Monument was established to commemorate this event.

Shepherdstown also holds an important place in the Civil War era. Three miles northeast of Shepherdstown is Antietam Battlefield, where the bloodiest single day's battle of the Civil War was fought.

Battle of Antietam

Another battle, the Battle of Shepherdstown (also known as the Battle of Boteler's Ford), took place between September 19–20, 1862.

"Shortly before dusk on September 19, Union General Charles Griffin led a small force of 500 infantry and sharpshooters from Fitz-John Porter’s V Corps across the Potomac River at Boteler’s Ford. They attacked the Confederate rearguard (commanded by Brig. Gen. William N. Pendleton), capturing four artillery pieces before being recalled. Pendleton reported to Robert E. Lee that Federals were now on the Virginia side of the river, and that he had lost part of his artillery.

Early on September 20, Porter pushed elements of two divisions across the Potomac to establish a bridgehead. A. P. Hill’s "Light Division" marched 5 miles back towards Shepherdstown and counterattacked under fire from Union artillery across the river on the Maryland hills. Porter, receiving reports that his infantry on the Virginia side was badly outnumbered, ordered a withdrawal. However, the colonel of the inexperienced 118th Pennsylvania (the “Corn Exchange” Regiment) refused to retire until orders were received through the proper chain of command, and his regiment became isolated. As the Confederates approached, the Union regiment panicked, with men scrambling down the steep cliffs and crossing the ford and a nearby dam. Several men drowned in their attempt to reach safety, and the regiment reported 269 casualties out of 737 men.

This rearguard action at Shepherdstown discouraged any further significant Federal pursuit of Lee's retiring army."

(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Shepherdstown)

The Shepherdstown National Historic District was established and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 with a boundary increase to include the entire town in 1987.

Nowadays, Shepherdstown is a small college town with a modest population of around 1800 people.