Berkeley County Historical Society

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Berkeley County Historical Society

Preserving the history of Berkeley County, WV. MUSEUM HOURS: Berkeley County Museum in the Belle Boyd House is open daily 9 to 4 except major holidays.

Located at 126 East Race Street, Martinsburg. ARCHIVES: BCHS Archives is currently closed to visitors. Research requests can be made at [email protected] and at 304-267-4713. The Berkeley County Historical Society began in the late 1920’s. Citizens, interested in preserving the diverse history of the county joined to do their best to keep their families, friends and neighbors mindful of

where they all came from and how the area came to have such a rich and diverse background. When the Great Depression struck, through the hardships of World War II, the society fell inactive. The cause was taken up again in the 1950’s being organized into a formal Society in 1963. The Society has met regularly since that time.

06/20/2026

On June 20, 1863, when West Virginia officially became a state, Berkeley County was not included within its boundaries. Both Berkeley and Jefferson Counties had voted to join the new state, and it had been approved by Congress to happen by November, 1863.
However, whether Berkeley County's was included within the boundaries of West Virginia would not be resolved until 1871. It would take the Supreme Court to settle the issue in the case of Virginia v. West Virginia.
Once Virginia was readmitted to the Union, it did it's best to repeal every act passed by Francis Pierpont's Unionist Virginia government. This included the passage of Berkeley and Jefferson Counties to West Virginia. Congress had approved the transfer in 1866.
The case reached the Supreme Court in 1867, but was not tried in front of justices until 1871. Charles James Faulkner, Berkeley Countys own, was part of West Virginia's counsel.
The main issue in the case was whether or not Virginia had given consent to transfer the two counties. Based on previous case law, Congress had the right to determine what constituted the legally recognized government of a state in cases where more than one existed.
By a six to three majority, the Supreme Court upheld the transfer of the two counties to West Virginia. This implicitly validated the boundaries of West Virginia as we know them today.

Photo, map of West Virginia without Berkeley and Jefferson Counties (inset: the Eastern Panhandle).

06/13/2026

Martinsburg High School first opened in September 1874 in a frame dwelling at the southwest corner of Queen and Stephen Streets. There were five classrooms, two on the first and three on the second floor. Professor A. Tegethoff was first principal and David Speer was superintendent. Teachers were Miss Lizzie Winn, D.S. Noble and Miss Annie Maderia.
A total of 39 students were graduated from the original high school in the ten years before the present building was erected. There were fourteen graduates in 1878; five in 1879; no class graduated in 1880; five in 1881; seven in 1882 and eight in 1883.
Work was begun on the present building in 1883. There were four rooms facing Queen Street. Boys and girls were segregated except for recitation. The rooms were heated by large “egg” stoves. Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, English Grammar, English and United States History, Physical Geography, Astronomy, Philosophy, Reading, Spelling and Writing were the subjects taught.
A. Tegethoff served five years as principal. On August 18, 1877, he was made Superintendent of Public Schools of Martinsburg as well as principal of the high school, thus becoming the first Superintendent of the City Schools of Martinsburg.
In 1908, a bond issue was passed for enlargement of the school with the addition of an assembly hall, several more classrooms, laboratories and other facilities. The work was begun in 1909 and completed in 1910.
Enrollment increased rapidly – almost 200% more than that of ten years before. It became obvious during the early 1920’s that the high school could not take care of the number enrolled there and a bond issue was presented for construction of a new school building. This was passed and school officials began looking around for a suitable site. A location was purchased from the Faulkner estate. Construction was completed and the new school opened at the beginning of the school year 1929.
Classes were held in the new building after 1928. The “old” high school was still used in time of emergency even though academically it was deceased as of 1928. With the Berkeley County Board of Education administrative offices located there now, the walls still hum with the sound of activity as the work of the county's schools moves forward.

06/10/2026

Check out what the Martinsburg, West Virginia - City Hall is posting.

06/06/2026

Having recently experienced a fifty-year high school reunion, and I will say that it was an amazingly enjoyable experience that inspired MUCH nostalgia and to my classmates who read this, we are now officially a part of Berkeley County’s history.
I grew up in the area near Darkesville and Vanville, between Middle Creek and the Opequon on the map. I was recently sitting on what we call our sun deck with a cup of coffee and a pair of binoculars for bird watching. I heard a mockingbird nearby, over and over, and the soulful mourning dove’s cry. Wow! This is exactly what I was awakened by every summer morning when I was growing up.
As many of you, during the summer months, probably slept with windows open and metal screens to keep out unwanted “things.” I did as well. In the early morning hours, I would awaken to the very same sounds. Something that I had forgotten about entirely. The reason I remembered it was pure déjà vu.
It was a memory inspired by a sensory event which awakened a personal historical event. I think that makes sense. There are other sensory memories of Berkeley County, such as the smell of bread on Wi******er Avenue in Martinsburg. The smell of apples at Inwood, or practically anywhere in that general area. The sound of the trains throughout Berkeley County, and even in my area, we could hear them coming to Martinsburg from Harpers Ferry, particularly at night, the distant sound along with the occasional lonely whistle.
When I think of Hedgesville, I think of the town spring, something unique to Hedgesville in Berkeley County. When I think of the Falling Waters area, I think of the beautiful falls. Back Creek Valley holds a VERY personal memory because I went there many times. On Buck Hill Road, there used to be a place where water came down the mountain from a spring in a pipe, and you could drink, fill your vessels, whatever. My grandparents went there for years to get their drinking water, many memories.
Where we live reflects largely on who we are, particularly when you’re fifty years past high school graduation and never strayed far from home. Berkeley County holds many hidden treasures, all of them worth exploring.

05/30/2026

Approximately one hundred years ago, Kilmer’s Grove, just off Dry Run Road near Martinsburg, was the community’s informal recreational park. The grove provided a popular setting for leisure and social gatherings, where visitors could relax beneath the shade of the trees while enjoying a picnic and watermelon chilled in the waters of Tuscarora Creek. Some women, embracing the recreational opportunities afforded by the setting, would remove their high-laced shoes and wade in the creek, lifting their skirts to knee height.
Rosemont Park, a privately operated commercial recreation enterprise, opened in 1921 and served as a local entertainment venue until financial difficulties led to its bankruptcy in 1935. The park featured a variety of amenities, including a pavilion, a swimming pool, and several athletic fields. Among these facilities was a baseball field that hosted games involving the Martinsburg Blue Sox. Despite its initial popularity and community significance, the park experienced a gradual decline following its closure. By the conclusion of World War II, it had fallen into considerable disrepair.
In 1946, a coalition of Berkeley County citizens, led by Martinsburg Mayor Paul Buxton Martin, established the Berkeley County War Memorial Park Association with the objective of creating a lasting memorial to honor local servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives during World War II. Through a broad community fundraising effort, the association secured financial contributions from both private individuals and civic organizations, including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Moose International, Lions Clubs International, Kiwanis International, and local women’s civic groups. These collective efforts enabled the association to acquire the former Rosemont Park property for $15,000, thereby establishing the foundation for what would become Berkeley County’s principal war memorial and public recreational facility.
Following the acquisition of the property, extensive repairs and improvements were undertaken. Maple trees were planted throughout the site, with each tree dedicated to a Berkeley County resident who had died in military service during World War II. An individually engraved bronze plaque placed at the base of each tree identified and commemorated the fallen service member. The scope of the memorial was expanded to include those who had lost their lives during World War I and, in later years, those who died in the Korean Conflict.
War Memorial Park operated as a nonprofit organization from its establishment until 1987, when responsibility for its day-to-day management was transferred to the Berkeley County Parks and Recreation Board. Although the park has evolved into a major recreational facility serving the community, its original purpose remains rooted in remembrance and commemoration. The park stands as a living memorial to the men and women of Berkeley County who sacrificed their lives in military service, and its landscape continues to reflect the community’s enduring commitment to honoring their legacy and preserving the memory of their contributions for future generations.

05/23/2026

After the conclusion of the American Civil War in 1865, communities across the United States sought to commemorate and honor soldiers who had died in the conflict through local ceremonies conducted at burial sites. On May 30, 1868, the first national observance of this kind was held and became known as “Decoration Day.”
Southern women had begun decorating the graves of soldiers before the conclusion of the Civil War. Records maintained by the Library of Congress indicate that by 1865, communities in Virginia, Mississippi, and South Carolina had already established precedents for what would later become Memorial Day observances. Early Southern commemorations were characterized by their simplicity and solemnity, with cemetery maintenance and the decoration of soldiers’ graves serving as central elements of the occasion.
John Logan, commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union Veterans Organization, called upon Americans to honor fallen Civil War soldiers by adorning their graves with “springtime’s choicest blooms.” He proclaimed that May 30 should be “designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country.”
Approximately 5,000 individuals assembled at Arlington National Cemetery to participate in the commemoration. Each grave was decorated with a small American flag and floral tributes to honor the fallen. By the 1890s, Decoration Day ceremonies were widely observed throughout the United States, and the holiday increasingly came to be known as “Memorial Day.”
Official recognition of the holiday began when New York formally adopted it in 1873. By 1890, every Union state had established the observance. Although the term “Memorial Day” emerged after World War I, the designation did not receive official congressional recognition until 1967. The following year, Congress enacted the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which mandated that several federal holidays be observed on Mondays, including Memorial Day, now commemorated annually on the last Monday in May.
Today, Memorial Day serves as a national occasion for visiting cemeteries and memorials to honor and mourn Americans who have died in military service. As part of these commemorative practices, volunteers place American flags on the graves of military personnel in both national and local cemeteries throughout the United States.
Photo is not Berkeley County.

05/20/2026

Members of the Berkeley County Historical Society honored longtime historian and preservationist Don Wood this week, remembering the man many called “Mr. Berkeley County” for his decades of work preserving local landmarks, archives and family histories. Read more online ⬇

05/16/2026

Berkeley County History Heroes
“Mr. Berkeley County”
Don C. Wood was born May 13, 1933 in Berkeley County, son of Noble and Nannie May Miller Wood. He attended schools in Berkeley County and often mentioned attending Hooge Street School. He had a passion for gardening, having planted a rose garden at the Belle Boyd House and also laid out an herb garden.
Mr. Wood studied flower arrangements and worked at a florist in Washington, DC, then returned to the family dairy farm in Swan Pond. He remained in this capacity until his parents' passing. During this time, he took photography and genealogy classes and began studying and researching historic properties in the county and thus his research career began.
He was instrumental in the formation of the Adam Stephen Museum, the restoration of the Morgan Cabin, Belle Boyd House and Archives building. Mr. Wood, in fact, lived in the Belle Boyd House for a time.
Getting Berkeley County Historical properties listed in the National Register was a priority, to help preserve them for future generations. He was with the Berkeley County Landmarks Commission for fifteen years, many of them as chairman. He was active with Main Street Martinsburg as well.
Mr. Wood was a member of the Berkeley County Historical Society for more than forty years, more than twenty of those years as president. During this time, he wrote a number of books and provided research for many of the society's other books. All his genealogy records were donated to the society at his death.
He wrote articles about many aspects of Berkeley County's history for the Martinsburg Journal for forty years. Don C. Wood passed away in September, 2012. He was an ardent source of Berkeley County's historical knowledge and his work remains a pillar of county history.

Address

126 E Race Street
Martinsburg, WV
25401

Telephone

+13042674713

Website

http://www.historicberkeley.org/

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