Berkeley County Historical Society

08/29/2026

Berkeley Female Seminary
The Berkeley Female Seminary had its beginnings at Norbourne Hall, on West Race Street, not long before the Civil War. It was started by the Hunter sisters, Mary Lou, Betty and Sarah. For better than fifty years it was the highest institution of learning for girls in Martinsburg, Berkeley County, and the surrounding area.
Norbourne Hall was the home of the Hunter family during the Civil War. Officers and men of the Confederate Army were frequent visitors. Some of the events at Norbourne Hall during this time are detailed in the Civil War diary of Betty Hunter.
After the war, the Hunters moved from Norbourne Hall, and by the 1870’s were living at what is now the Brown Funeral Home on West King Street. The three sisters, with Betty and Sarah holding the title of “principal”, reigned as educators and were the center of attention for a wide circle of friends and relatives.
The Berkeley Female Seminary taught Latin, dance, drill, music and other subjects. Mary Lou Hunter’s skill and reputation as a music teacher was well established in the area. In 1888, the newspaper announced that Bessie Burkhart would be teaching a class in calisthenics.
Later that year, the Martinsburg Statesman announced that Bessie Burkhart’s class was “a thing of beauty and a joy forever” at a drill they performed at the Central Opera House. They went on to say that this was in keeping with the Seminary’s well-earned reputation for thoroughness and a great credit to the instructors.
Schools of this type are uncommon in this day and age. However, for a time, from the late 19th Century into the early 20th Century, Martinsburg’s Berkeley Female Seminary was one of the best anywhere.

08/22/2026

Martinsburg’s “Honeymoon Hotel” was located at 1005 Wi******er Avenue. It wasn’t actually a hotel but earned the name because many young couples made the three-story structure their first address. The 12-unit building was sold after the owners defaulted on the deed to the property in March 1988.
In December of 1987, the Martinsburg Board of Adjustments and Appeals ruled the building was a life-threatening hazard to those living there because of numerous housing code violations cited by the inspectors. As a result, they ordered an eviction. The owners argued that bringing the building in line with city housing and fire codes would be a financial hardship for them. In fact, renovation could have cost the owners as much as $100,000.
In late March of 1988, the Honeymoon Hotel was put up for auction on the steps of the Berkeley County Courthouse. There was little interest, as only about fifteen people were in attendance. The Old National Bank purchased the building for $35,000. The previous owners had, as mentioned earlier, defaulted on the deed to the property. The Honeymoon Hotel, located at the intersection of Wi******er Avenue and Wilson Street, was razed in the 1990s.

08/15/2026

Farmer's Hotel.
Approaching the train station on East Martin Street, on the south side of the street is an attractive building that was once known as the Farmer’s Hotel. On the façade is a plaque that identifies the building as having been constructed in late 1867 and early 1868. By this time, the railroad was up and running again, having mostly recovered from the damage inflicted upon it during the Civil War.
In 1801, Robert Stephen, a representative of Adam Stephen, sold the land to James McDonald with the stipulation that a structure with a brick or stone chimney be erected within two years of the date of sale. This condition was met according to tax records.
The Farmer’s Hotel was built by A.P. Shutt, and Gardiner’s “Chronicles of Old Berkeley” states that the hotel keeper was John Fellers. Fellers applied for a liquor license in June of 1867, and in July of 1868, A.P. Shutt applied for the same type of license. This indicates that the hotel had a bar or a restaurant, or both. In April, 1868, Shutt unsuccessfully applied to the City for the right to open an alley from Spring Street eastward to the hotel.
The 1885 Sanborn (Insurance) Map lists it as “boarding” and having a saloon at 226 East Martin Street. These were lots 61 and 73 on the original Martinsburg plat. The Martinsburg Independent of April 5, 1890, reported that the Farmer’s Hotel, one of the oldest taverns in the city, would be converted into a business block by its owner, Mr. A. Gardner, who expected to tear out the front and fit up two storerooms ninety by thirty feet.
The building, PRIVATE PROPERTY, is now apartments and is very well maintained and is still a very handsome structure.

08/08/2026

On Tuesday, January 31, 1871, the Berkeley County Agricultural Society purchased twenty acres on the south side of the Tuscarora Grade, about a half mile from town, part of which belonged to Charles and George Roush, and the balance to Isaac Kilmer. The property was purchased for $200 per acre to be used as a fairground.
Ten days earlier, the Berkeley County Agricultural and Mechanical Association, Martinsburg, W.Va. was issued a certificate of incorporation. Directors were Chas. J. Faulkner, H.H. Blackburn, J.Q.A. Nadenbousch, and thirty others.
At a full meeting of the Board of Directors in April, officers were elected as follows: president, C.J. Faulkner; Vice-President, Barnet Cushwa; Recording Secretary, J.N. Wisner; Corresponding Secretary, J.B.A. Nadenbousch; Treasurer, Jacob Ropp.
In May of 1872, Colonel J.Q.A. Nadenbousch was elected Chief Marshal for the fair, and a committee of invitation was also formed. That committee was comprised of Chas. J. Faulkner, W.H. Lamon, W.T. Stewart, and S.W.M. Peters. All persons interested in the fairground were invited to come to the fairground site with carts, plows, scoops, picks, shovels, etc., on Monday the 22nd of May, and to be prepared to do a good day's work.
On Tuesday, September 10, 1872, the first annual exhibition of the Berkeley County Agricultural and Mechanical Association opened and continued for four days. Visitors were impressed by the convenient and comfortable arrangements made for the exhibition of stock, agricultural products and household goods, etc.
The annual fair included riding tournaments, trotting races, and running races. In its second year of 1873, the fair was declared an immense financial success, and it was! The only criticisms in those first years were the result of lack of experience. However, the “temper and disposition” of the people ensured the following year’s success.
As the 2026 Berkeley County Youth Fair comes to an end, it’s important to recognize these early county fairs as a measure of how far the fair has come since those early years.
Photo: Map showing location of original fairground off East Burke Street near Green Hill Cemetery.

08/04/2026

Stay tuned to see what is currently happening at the historical society.

08/01/2026

The Auburn Wagon Company was located off West Race Street on the site now occupied by Martin Distributing Co. The company operated from the late nineteenth century until the early 1920s, serving as one of Martinsburg's manufacturing enterprises during a period of industrial growth.
In 1913, the City of Martinsburg annexed the area known as Auburndale. The annexed district encompassed the land west of Maple Avenue and north of West Race Street, expanding the city's municipal boundaries during a period of residential growth.
Although the Norwalk Company is more widely recognized for manufacturing automobiles in Martinsburg during the same time period, the Auburn Wagon Company is comparatively less well known despite having operated for a longer period.
In January 1902, the Martinsburg Statesman reported that the Auburn Wagon Company had shipped a carload of wagons to California, demonstrating the company's ability to market its products nationally. Notably, later that year, in December 1902, the newspaper announced that the Auburn factory (see photo) had been fully equipped with electric lighting, reflecting the company's continued modernization and industrial development. It was one of the first industrial facilities in Martinsburg to do so.
Following the installation of electric lighting, the Auburn Wagon Company extended its operating hours until 9:00 p.m., maintaining a twelve-and-one-half-hour workday to meet increasing demand. Shortly thereafter, the company recalled its traveling salesmen to assist in filling customer orders. Auburn is believed to have ceased production around 1923, as the widespread adoption of automobiles rendered horse-drawn wagons increasingly obsolete.

07/28/2026

07/25/2026

Sometimes, a town or village might have a name that makes you wonder why it was named so. This is as true in Berkeley County as anywhere else. Here are a few Berkeley villages and the origin of their names.
Arden was named in 1775 by Quaker Jacob Moon after the Arden district of Warwickshire, England. The name means “quiet pastoral scene” or “high wooded valley.” About 1796, the Middle Creek Friends Meeting established a church and cemetery. Services continued until after the Civil War, when the Methodists received the church. The original stone church was razed in 1910.
Douglass Grove, established shortly after the Civil War, probably by former slaves, is located about three miles south-southeast of Martinsburg. Douglass Grove School began during the latter 1800s in a wood frame building. After this structure burned down, it was replaced by a brick structure. The church and cemetery was at the community's center, with many local residents buried in the cemetery.
Bedington, formerly known as “Sulphur Springs”, is located about four miles north of Martinsburg on Route 11 along the old Cumberland Valley Railroad. In days gone by, it was a resort during the summer months. There was a large grove where the Sulphur Srings are located. Bedington was named for Revolutionary Major Henry Bedinger.
Falling Waters is about three miles north of Bedington and near the Potomac River. The Presbyterians erected one of the oldest churches in the county here. Several large flour mills were located here at one time. A number of important incidents occurred here during the Civil War. It is, of course, named for the falls.
Hedgesville is situated northwest of Martinsburg in what is known as “Skinner's Gap” in the North Mountain. Hezekiah Hedges laid out the town in 1830, and named it after his family, who had lived there for a number of years. One of the first Episcopal Churches in the Shenandoah Valley, Hedges Chapel, was located here. It is also said that, before the opening of the Revolution, George Washington worshipped here.
Shanghai, one mile west of Back Creek and in the valley, was the home of the Shanghai Manufacturing Association, for which the village is named. The company's specialty was manufacturing lumber and grinding sumac, tan bark, etc., and it is stated that they had a “large factory.”
These are a few of the villages of Berkeley County and where their names come from. At some future date, more villages and towns will have the origin of their names revealed here.

07/18/2026

Berkeley County Historical Society presents:
Martinsburg Historic Walk
Saturday, August 22, 2026
5 pm starting at 136 E Race St.

Join BCHS and Dan Faircloth for a guided Early Martinsburg Historic walking tour.
Sign up at www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0444AFA923A7F4C43-64719262-early

Cost is $5 per person for a two-hour walking tour.
Pay in person or at www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/PSZH4RUKMDBD2

07/18/2026

There have been many mills located in Berkeley County during its history. Here are a few of them.
Bedington Mill was built in 1817 and is shown on the 1847 Kearfott Map of Berkeley County. As of 2020, it was one of the few mills on that 1847 map that are still standing.
Bunker Hill Mill was built on one of the earliest mill sites in Berkeley County. In 1738 Thomas Anderson deeded 271 acres with a grist mill to his son Colbert Anderson. The mill has had many owners and the 32 acres that was sold with the mill in 1805 has remained with the mill to the present day.
Billmyer Mill was one of eight water-powered grist mills in Northern Berkeley County. It was built on Rocky Marsh Run near the Berkeley/Jefferson County line. Josiah Thornborough built the mill before 1805. Martin Billmyer operated a successful grist mill business here until his death in 1839.
The Bryarly Mill in Darkesville was built in 1840 by Robert Bryarly on Middle Creek. The first mill on this site was built in 1791 by James Buckles, Edward Beeson and Benjamin Shipman. Robert Bryarly bought the property in 1831 and built the large brick mill that still stands.
Adam Stephen, Martinsburg's founder, had a mill near Water Street very early in the city's history (see photo). In September of 1814, Thomas Wright informed the public in a Martinsburg Gazette ad to inform the “former customers of Stephen's Old Mill in Martinsburgh” that he had rented and repaired the mill and was ready to receive and manufacture again.
There were also other types of mills, the most common being saw mills, which seem to be more prevalent in Back Creek Valley, where the timber was. Mills were on every stream where enough water flowed to power them, and their existence was very much necessary during their day.