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Sunday, June 27, 2010

Mosaic Monday: Shepherdstown, West Virginia

On our recent trip to the east coast, Mr. AVO and I went to various places for ancentry/genealogy searches.  
This little town in the north eastern panhandle of West Virginia, was founded by Mr. AVO;s maternal 7th great grandfather in 1762...his name was Thomas Shepherd Sr.  
He originally named the town Mecklenburg, but it was renamed after he died to Shepardstown in his honor.
Thomas Shepherd and his 5 sons all fought in the Revolutionary War and there are records that he voted for George Washington as the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army and was actually an acquaintance of George Washington.

(Please click on any of the photos to enlarge)


Shepherdstown is the oldest  incorporated town in West Virginia....incorporated in 1762.
Local citizens proposed this town for a possible site for our new nation's capitol, offering land on both sides of the Potomac for consideration.
In 1862, when the Civil War came to W. Virginia, virtually every building standing in town at the time was used as a makeshift hospital or morgue for the wounded and dead of the battle of Antietam.

 Some shots of the old Shepherd Burying Ground


Shepherdstown bridge over the Potomac

 Shepherd University founded in 1872....total enrollment about 4,200.

A look down German Street...population of this town is around 861.



A home just off German Street and across from the ancient cemetery.

This mill is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
This is a photocopy taken in 1972 from an original  photo from the early 1900's.
The mill was built prior to 1735 by Thomas Shepherd, Sr.


How the original grist mill looks today....it is under private ownership and it was all locked up.
They do take reservations for private tours several times a year.

The old cemetery where Thomas Shepherd and his wife and sons are buried.

Plaque on the outside of the cemetery wall honoring Thomas Shepherd.

Memorial headstone for Elizabeth VanMeter Shepherd, wife of Thomas....7th great grandmother to Mr. AVO.

Memorial headstone for Thomas Shepherd,Sr.

Thanks for spending a few moments with me today....I appreciate your interest and your comments are always welcome and appreciated.

Please join  Mary over at Little Red House for much more Mosaic Monday.


26 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Sounds like you had agreat trip. Love the photos. The mill is neat and I loved the photo of the church. Have a great week!

black eyed susans kitchen said...

Don't you just love historic old towns. They are so interesting and you have shown some wonderful pictures here!

PAT said...

Thanks so much for sharing this. Historic old towns and villages are our favorite places to visit.

ellen b. said...

Oh this looks like a wonderful town to visit. Love the signs. I really enjoy old cemeteries! Lovely!!

EG CameraGirl said...

That looks like a fun town to learn more about...as in visit. :)

Carol said...

I love old town pictures! Happy Monday!

Snap said...

What a great little town and how special for your Mr. Sounds and looks like a great trip. I love to take photos of signs. Fun! Lovely mosaics. Thanks for taking us along!

Mary said...

Omigosh, what a wonderful history lesson! I love old historic towns, and this looks beautiful!

Ebie said...

Nice photos you have shown as you travel through memory lane!

What a pride and joy to read about Mr. AVO's ancestry!

The buildings are so historic.

Mosaic Monday

BailiwickStudio said...

How exciting to see all of that in person. Shepherdstown looks lovely and very photogenic! ::Jill

Meri said...

A lovely walk around a lovely historic town. I really enjoyed this post.

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Thanks for sharing your trip and the history of where you went.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Great historical information, thanks for sharing your trip.

Suzy said...

What a neat old town. Thanks for taking us on a tour.

fitty's pinky rose cottage said...

very interesting town and full of history. what a great tour too!

My Dream Canvas said...

Thanks for a great tour..hope you can visit me at My Dream Canvas for a Seattle tour :-)

Carol at Serendipity said...

What a wonderful post. I wish I had taken more pictures of some of the family hometowns.

Your photographs are beautiful.
Thanks for sharing your trip.

Carol

Miss Val's Creations said...

Beautiful post. American history is so fun to learn about!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Your husband's family pedigree is so interesting! I am fascinated by history and genealogy. Thomas Shepard sounds like he was a valuable resident of WVA. Beautiful town and I enjoyed learning more about it from your informative post.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

Wonderful photos! Places I would love to visit! And the banner at the top of the blog...beautiful! ♥

Unknown said...

A gorgeous place and wonderful pictures. What a great trip for you.
We are sorority sisters!

Southern Lady's Vintage said...

I know that you thoroughly loved this trip! Your photos are beautiful! I am so glad that you were able to see first hand the family history!

myeuropeantouch said...

Oh my...loaded with History and I sure do love it. How wonderful to go down memory lane with your ancestors...
Monika

Regina said...

Beautiful place. Thank you for sharing.
Happy MM.

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

What an awesome heritage with such a connection to history. Such an exciting trip. You captured great photos!

Veronica said...

looks like a great place to visit.