Charles Town, West Virginia
Charles Town, West Virginia | ||
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FIPS code 54-14610[3] | | |
GNIS feature ID | 1554110[4] | |
Website | charlestownwv.us |
Charles Town is a city in and the
History
18th century
"Charlestown" was established by an act of the Virginia General Assembly in January 1787.[6] However, for about two decades, confusion arose because the same name was also used for a town established in Ohio County at the mouth of Buffalo Creek, and authorized in the 1791 term of that local court. That area in 1797 became known as Brooke County, with that "Charlestown" as its county seat until a December 27, 1816 act of the Virginia General Assembly changed its name to Wellsburg, to honor a trader and his son.[7]
Charles Washington, the founder of Charles Town, was born in Hunting Creek, now Fairfax County, Virginia, on May 2, 1738. He was the youngest full brother of George Washington. He came to what is today Jefferson County between April and October 1780. The estate of Charles Washington, Happy Retreat, was erected in 1780. In 1786, on 80 acres (320,000 m2) of his adjoining land, Charles laid out the streets of Charles Town,[8] naming many of them after his brothers and one after his wife, Mildred. He donated the four corner lots at the intersection of George and Washington Streets for public buildings of the town and county, provided the town become the seat of the county separated from Berkeley County.
In 1794, James Madison married "Dolly" Todd at Harewood, the home of George Steptoe Washington, son of George Washington's brother Colonel Samuel Washington, just outside Charles Town.
19th century
Jefferson County was formed in 1801 as Charles Washington had anticipated. The county court house stands on one of the lots he donated, as did the jail until 1919, when it was demolished and replaced by the Post Office.
Charles Washington died sometime between July and September, 1799, only a short while before the death of his brother George. Charles' and his wife Mildred's grave sites near Evitts Run have recently been located and surrounded by a stone wall.
In 1844, the first issue of the Spirit of Jefferson newspaper was published in Charles Town by James W. Beller. It is the oldest newspaper in the state still (2020) being published.
On October 16, 1859, abolitionist
During the first two years of the Civil War, the front lines of the Union and Confederate armies in the area fluctuated and the town frequently changed hands during the military engagements in the surrounding areas, with the town first occupied by Confederate troops, then Union troops, then back to Confederate until 1863 when Union troops occupied the town for the remainder of the war.
In 1883, the Valley Telephone Company was incorporated in West Virginia and began installing telephone lines throughout Jefferson County. The company's main office was in Charles Town.
A writer in 1898 commented as follows:
Charles Town, which thirty-eight years ago had about fifteen hundred inhabitants, is now a thriving town of thirty-five hundred. The Court-House, in which John Brown and his followers (seven in number) were tried, has been remodeled, the jail in which they were incarcerated torn down and rebuilt; and on the site of the "execution" is erected a fine mansion, the residence of Colonel John Thomas Gibson, who was Colonel of the 55th Regiment Virginia Militia at that time (1859), and who was an active participant in the capture of John Brown and his followers.[9]
20th century
In 1922, Bill Blizzard, a leader of striking coal miners during the Battle of Blair Mountain, was charged with treason and murder for engaging in warfare against state and federal troops in Mingo and Logan Counties. He was tried in the Jefferson County courthouse in Charles Town and was found not guilty.
The Charles Town Race Track first opened in 1933. It was built on land purchased from the Charles Town Horse Show Association. In 1999, the Charles Town Race Track underwent major renovation which included a large addition to house video slot machines. It was renamed Charles Town Races & Slots. It became the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races on July 2, 2010.
In 1975, the Jefferson Memorial Hospital in neighboring Ranson opened, replacing Charles Town General Hospital. It became part of the West Virginia University Health System and was renamed Jefferson Medical Center in 2013.[10]
21st century
Charles Town's population has more than doubled since 2000, due in part to annexation of housing subdivisions that have been developed on land around the original city.[11]
Geography and climate
Charles Town is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley at 39°17′3″N 77°51′22″W / 39.28417°N 77.85611°W (39.284237, -77.856211).[12]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.81 square miles (15.05 km2), all land.[13]
Charles Town is located 73 miles northwest of
Due to its low elevation for West Virginia, Charles Town is on the northern extent of the
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 1,507 | — | |
1860 | 1,376 | −8.7% | |
1870 | 1,593 | 15.8% | |
1880 | 2,016 | 26.6% | |
1890 | 2,287 | 13.4% | |
1900 | 2,392 | 4.6% | |
1910 | 2,662 | 11.3% | |
1920 | 2,527 | −5.1% | |
1930 | 2,434 | −3.7% | |
1940 | 2,926 | 20.2% | |
1950 | 3,035 | 3.7% | |
1960 | 3,329 | 9.7% | |
1970 | 3,023 | −9.2% | |
1980 | 2,857 | −5.5% | |
1990 | 3,122 | 9.3% | |
2000 | 2,907 | −6.9% | |
2010 | 5,259 | 80.9% | |
2020 | 6,534 | 24.2% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[14] |
2010 census
As of the
There were 2,011 households, of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.9% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.19.
The median age in the city was 35.5 years. 26.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.4% were from 25 to 44; 22.5% were from 45 to 64; and 12.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.
2000 census
As of the
There were 1,285 households, out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.0% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,538, and the median income for a family was $43,547. Males had a median income of $30,917 versus $22,241 for females. The
Education
- Jefferson High School
- Washington High School
- Charles Town Middle School
- Harpers Ferry Middle School
- Shepherdstown Middle School
- Wildwood Middle School
- Blue Ridge Elementary School
- Blue Ridge Primary School
- C.W. Shipley Elementary School
- Driswood Elementary School
- North Jefferson Elementary School
- Page-Jackson Elementary School
- Ranson Elementary School
- Shepherdstown Elementary School
- T.A. Lowery Elementary School
- Wright Denny Elementary School
- American Public University/American Military University
- Catholic Distance University
Transportation
Charles Town is served primarily by two main highways,
Notable people
- John Peale Bishop, author
- John Brown, tried and hanged in Charles Town, 1859
- Sammi Brown, former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
- Frank Buckles, longest-surviving American veteran of World War I
- Black Nationalismmovement
- Warren B. English, politician
- Jack W. Germond, political reporter and commentator
- NBAplayer
- NFLplayer
- Bluefield Colored Institute, later Bluefield State College
- John H. Hill, former slave, first African-American lawyer admitted to the Jefferson County bar; second president of West Virginia State University
- Samuel Mason, Revolutionary War soldier and early American outlaw
- Frederick Mayer, German-born Jewish agent of the OSS during World War II
- William McSherry, Jesuit and president of Georgetown University
- Alex Mooney, U.S. Congressman for West Virginia's 2nd congressional district
- Frank R. Stockton, author, most famous for the short story "The Lady, or the Tiger?"
- David Hunter Strother, also known as Porte Crayon, artist, author, soldier, statesman (Consul General to Mexico City)
- Edward Tiffin, first governor of Ohio
- Samuel Washington, George Washington's brother, lived in Charles Town at Harewood
- William Lyne Wilson, Postmaster General of the United States
- Thomas Worthington, sixth governor of Ohio and one of the first senators from Ohio
- Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop, first female African American horse trainer
See also
- Charles Town Cave
- Charles Town Cannons
- Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area
- Virginia v. John Brown
References
- ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "An act to establish a town on the lands of Charles Washington, in the county of Berkeley, Hening's Statutes at Large, Vol. XII, Chapter LXXX". vagenweb.org. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
- ^ Nancy L. Caldwell, A History of Brooke County, (Brooke County Historical Society 1975), p. 4
- ^ Ambler, Charles Henry. "George Washington and the West". Historic Pittsburgh Text Collection. University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
- newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jefferson Medical Center". West Virginia University Health System. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- ^ Meyer, Eugene (June 25, 2005). "Town Rich in History Grapples with Future". Washington Post. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
External links
- Official website
- New International Encyclopedia. 1905. .