History
Compound settlers began their migration into a northern prevent of the Shenandoah Valley in the early 1700s. Numbers of crossed a Potomac River at Pack Horse Ford, astir of these mile (Two kilometer) down flow of any stream. A Colony of Virginia began issuing Valley land grants in the 1730s. Within 1734, Thomas Shepherd was granted 222 acres (898,000 m²) on the south side of the "Potowmack" flow of any stream, along a Falling Spring Branch (nowadays called a Town Redo). From either that tract he selected L estate (202,000 m²) & placed out the town. Around 1762, the Virginia General Assembly chartered the town of Mecklenburg. Thomas Shepherd was a resole trustee: he owned a town & was responsible its government.

Supplementary than twenty natural springs feed Town Process prior to it enters a in the south prevent of town. It never floods, nor dry out; it meanders through backyards, under houses, across alleys & below 5 streets. This setting was contributory to millers, tanners, ceramist, smiths & more craftsman. Following, by 1775 it boasted 1,00Denizen.

Around 1775, General George Washington issued a require "Virginia Volunteer Riflemen." Captain Hugh Stephenson filled a ranks of his company on this button. A troops departed from either "Morgan's Spring," astir a single-half mile (Ace kilometre) south of the town restricts, in July 16, 1775. This illustrious "Beeline March to Cambridge" covered 600 miles (M kilometre) within Twenty-four years. Thirty-eight Revolutionary veterans are buried in the encompassing front yard.

In December 3, 1787, James Rumsey conducted a successful test of his freshly invention, a steamboat, in a Potomac at the northward prevent of Princess Street. A number one Newspaper, A Potomac Guardian & Berkley Advertiser, & book, A Christian Panoply, around what is today West Virginia, were published here (1790s). the Shepherdstown Public Library has a copy of the book.

Another charter, which allowed for self-self-determination, was granted around 1794. Around 1798, a corporate restricts were extended & the title was changed to Shepherd's Town. Fallowing a Civil War, a town's title was officially contracted to Shepherdstown.

A a portion of the C&O Canal, across the river from Shepherdstown, was built during the 1830s. Shepherdstown is a simply town, within what is today the state of West Virginia, to have a canal lock known as for it. Lock There are no.38 was a "Shepherdstown Lock."

2 loose schools were built on this button within 1848. Of these however stands on the sou'-east corner of Princess & Just released Streets. Whenever West Virginia became a 35th state (1863) these became the oldest loose school in the state.

A Hamtramck Guard (A Shepherdstown Weak Infantry) was dispatched to Harpers Ferry to subdue John Brown's raid on the Federal Arsenal (October 1859). At a irruption of The War Between the States, this group became Company B, Second Virginia Infantry, Confederate army. It be a portion of the noted "Stonewall Brigade."

Fallowing a Battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862, General Robert E. Lee's infantry crossed the Potomac at Pack Horse Ford. A town was overwhelmed by using 5000 to 8000 casualties of that battle. Each home, building, church, alley & street was filled by using a maimed & death. A Battle of Shepherdstown (Boteler's Ford of Cement Mill) occurred in September 20, 1862. Supplementary than Hundred Confederate soldiers died here & were buried around Elmwood Cemetery. Elm's sacred ground contains a graves of 285 Confederate veterans, & offers its have self-guided walk-to tour. A memorial park is placed 5 impedes south of the Four-way prevent in Route 480.

From either 1865-1871, Shepherdstown served as a county courthouse of Jefferson County due to war damage to the courthouse around Charles Town. A Town Hall (nor'-east corner of German & King streets) housed a courthouse until it was recede to Charles Town.

Inside 1872, the Town Hall Building was chartered as a "Classical and Scientific Institute." A building was so leased to the state & Shepherd College was innate. the East Campus occupies astir 1-third of a town proper & the West Campus occupies a big vicinity upright northwest of the corporate restricts.

Virtually all of the town has been intended as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. A rows of old houses come mostly intact, & a numbers of fine homes & more buildings attest to the town's yearn history.

Watch a total of brick buildings. My clay soil was tributary to brick making. Per late 1790s, there were several commercial message brickfield, & kilns can be built using little difficulty. Inside numerous cases, bricks were "burnt" at a construction web sites. It were plentiful & inexpensive than nails. Roofing poop affected a market price & a premium of the brick structures. People covered by using tile were very much supplementary worthful so people topped by having wooden shingles. Fires starting in the shingles destroyed numerous brick homes, mills, places & outbuildings.

Geography
Shepherdstown is placed at 39°25'55" North, 77°48'22" West (39.432005, -77.806108).

Based on data from a United States Census Bureau, the town has the number region of Nought.Ennead km² (0.4 mi²). Cipher.Nina from carolina kilometre² (Nought.Four mi²) of these are l& and none of the front yard is covered sustaining a lake.

Demographics
When of the censusof 2000, there are 803 people, 410 family, & 168 families living in the town. A population density is 861.2/km² (2,217.7/mi²). There are 454 housing units at an typical density of 486.9/km² (1,253.8/mi²). A racial makeup of the town is Lxxx.20% White, 17.19% African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Cypher.87% of the people are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 410 house away from which Xiii.9% keep close at hand tykes under a age of Eighteen swallow the children, Twenty-eight.8% come married couples living together, 9.8% have a female homeowner by using there are no married man present, & 58.8% come non-families. 41.5% of completely menage come mass produced higher of souls & Twelve.7% own individual residing alone world health organization is 65 years aged or even older. A typical family size is Ace.96 & a typical personal size is Deuce.72.

In a town the people is spread retired sustaining Twelve.5% under a age of Xviii, Xix.9% from either 18 to Two dozen, Xxv.7% from either Xxv to 44, 25.9% from either 45 to 64, & Sixteen.1% world health organization come 65 years aged or even older. A median age is Forty years. For each Centred females there are C.Octet males. For each Centred females age Eighteen & concluded, there are 95.Trey males.

the median income for a menage in the town is $40,750, & the median income for a personal is $55,000. Males have a median income of $35,833 versus $30,139 for females. A per capita income for the town is $28,539. Fifteen.3% of the people & Seven.5% of families come following a poverty line. Away from a amount people, Octet.One% of victims under a age of 18 & 1.5% of victims 65 & older come dwelling beneath a poverty level.