After
dropping my daughter off for her early Saturday morning lifeguard shift, I
stopped at the same four-way intersection of route 480 and German Street I stop
at every day, but this time I took pause to notice my surroundings. It’s a crisp October morning, and other than
two moving cars, the town is quiet and still, and the sun is just finding its
way over the mountains to the east. The
street curb is lined with brightly colored autumn leaves, and the steeple of the
Episcopal church seems to be watching over the town as it slowly comes to life
from its fall slumber. Soon the brick sidewalks will be filled with adults and
children alike, all celebrating Halloween through a variety of BooFest
activities, while on Shepherd’s campus, the American Conservation Film Festival
will draw a crowd of conservation enthusiasts to watch a diverse showing of
award winning films. As someone who has
traveled the world, I have found Shepherdstown to be the most endearing and
unique small town I have ever visited.
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| Early Morning Shepherdstown |
It
seems almost impossible that this street, this quiet, peaceful street, is the
same road that thousands of wounded Confederate soldiers traveled, most in dire
need of medical attention after the bloodiest battle in American history,
turning this entire sleepy town into a make-shift hospital. In A Woman’s
Recollections of Antietam[1], Mary
Bedinger Mitchell wrote of the experience “Our women set bravely
to work and washed away the blood or stanched it as well as they could, where
the jolting of the long rough ride had disarranged the hasty binding done upon
the battle-field. But what did they know of wounds beyond a cut finger, or a
boil ? Yet they bandaged and bathed, with a devotion that went far to make up
for their inexperience.” Many towns may
have become unwelcoming to outsiders after the trauma of seeing so many wounded
soldiers languish and die on their streets and in their homes, but the people
of Shepherdstown did not close their doors after their experience with the war. Instead, the town continued to move forward, supporting inventors, the arts, and education, and becoming a weekend destination for travelers from the Washington, D. C. area.
When
West Virginia became our 35th state in 1863, Shepherdstown found itself home to
the first two free schools in the state.
Eight years later, when the town lost its status as the county seat,
Shepherd College was created and housed in the former courthouse. Just one year later, in 1872, West Virginia
designated Shepherd College as a State Normal School[2], which was
the beginning of its long history as a teaching college. Shepherd College was
renamed Shepherd University in 2004, and has grown from its one founding
building, to over 25 buildings and several athletic fields. The original building, called McMurran Hall, continues to be used for
classes, and one of the two free schools is now home to Shepherd University’s
Veteran’s Center.
Shepherdstown
is known to many as a hub for local musicians, and on almost any given night
you can stroll through town and find musical entertainment. The Opera House, which showed films when it
first opened in 1909, now regularly hosts a variety of concerts and other
events, including a Young Artist Series, which features the musical talents of
local students. On Wednesday nights, you
can find live music in the form of open mic night at the Blue Moon Cafe on
Princess Street, ranging from blue grass to jazz to ska. If you are in the mood for a nostalgic walk
down memory lane, head over to O’Hurley’s General Store on a Thursday
evening. You can wander through the
store, taking delight in the many old-fashioned toys, as you follow the sound
of music and singing to the large room in the back of the store. If you are
visiting in the cooler months, you may find an iron kettle of hot cider hanging
over fire in the large fireplace. Pour a
ladle full of hot cider into a cup to warm your bones, then find a seat and
enjoy the live music, which usually features dulcimers, harps, or other Celtic
instruments. It would be wrong to not mention the historic Mecklenburg Inn when
talking about music in Shepherdstown.
Another local favorite, often referred to as “The Meck”, offers live
entertainment in both the garden area behind the building, as well as inside
the tavern. There are several other
establishments in town that provide live music, including Town Run Brewery,
Domestic, and Devonshire Arms Pub to name a few.
The
dining experience in Shepherdstown has something to offer even the pickiest of
eaters. In less than a one mile radius,
you can find Thai, Mexican, Chinese, Pizza, American, British fare, German,
French, vegetarian, vegan, and bakeries, each different and delicious. Of course, my family has its favorite
restaurants, which I’ll focus on.
Maria’s Taqueria was started by a Shepherd University graduate, and
offers fresh Latin cuisine. I know
there are many people who enjoy Mexican food covered in cheesy sauces, but as
someone who has traveled to Mexico and several countries in Central America, I
can tell you cheesy is not authentic. My
favorite menu item is the fish taco, topped with cabbage, cilantro, and
jalapeño aioli sauce, and I always order pico de gallo and chips. My husband almost always orders the pork
chimichanga, and our daughter loves the beef burrito. We have never had a bad experience at Maria’s,
with either the food or the service.
Another family favorite is the Blue Moon Cafe, whose original building
housed a gas station back in the 1930’s.
In the warmer months, you can sit in the patio area, which is covered by
a canopy of trees, and listen to the gentle bubbling of the town run as it
flows by on its way to the Potomac. The
menu offers options for vegans and carnivores alike, and the food is all
locally sourced. Just like our
experience at Maria’s, we know we can get dependable service and great food
here. For those rare date nights, my
husband and I love The Press Room. We’ve
learned to call ahead and make reservations, but it has always been worth the
wait. Usually starting off with oysters
on the half shell or a delicious burrata cheese appetizer, then finishing our
evening by sharing a lavender creme brûlée, we
always leave happy. Lastly, I cannot
talk about the cuisine in Shepherdstown without mentioning The Sweet Shop
bakery, whose famous (and delectable) Christmas
stollen
has been featured on the FoodTV network.
Ask my daughter what her favorite item to buy in this store is, and
she’s sure to tell you it's a tie between their cupcakes and homemade whoopee pies.
Without
a doubt, one of the most special features about Shepherdstown is the sense of
community and volunteerism. From locals coming together to raise money and much
needed items for flood victims, to raising money for breast cancer research,
there always seems to be good happening in this town. In June, 2016, parts of southern West
Virginia were completely devastated and destroyed by raging flood waters. Many local organizations and churches held
fund raisers and accepted donations of money, clothes, furniture, and food,
which was sent down to distributions centers. I know of an individual who took
it upon herself to solicit donations, volunteers, and even found a large box
truck, and drove the donations down herself (she also happens to be a fantastic
real estate agent).
Another
example of volunteerism is the annual potato drop. I had no idea what a potato drop was, or why
people were bagging tons of potatoes in the middle of the street, until I met one of my friends who helps out with the project.
The annual potato drop event is usually sponsored by the Shepherdstown
Rotary Club in support of the Society of Saint Andrew Potato and Produce
Project. Through this one event, several
goals are reached. Tons of potatoes that
would have otherwise been thrown away due to blemishes or imperfections, are
salvaged by the Society of Saint Andrew and delivered to various organizations
throughout the United States. Volunteers
will then bag the potatoes and deliver them to local food banks. This project not only helps supply local food
banks, but helps to show Americans just how much food is wasted each year
because it isn’t “pretty”.
Over
the past few years, one of my favorite events in Shepherdstown has been the
DogFest. This free, weekend-long event,
offers fun and games for families and pets, movies, demonstrations, and even
has a Blessing of the Dogs by a local Reverend. The best part of this event is
the attendance of multiple animal rescues, who bring awareness to the homeless
animal population in our area and provide information about adopting the
animals. Shepherdstown embraces the
philosophy of it takes a village.
Not
only was Shepherdstown home to the first free schools in West Virginia, it was
also home to the first and second newspapers to be published in the state, and
it was where James Rumsey gave the first live demonstration of a steamboat. This
historic town, long-settled along the bank of the Potomac river, also offers an
abundance of outdoor activities, has hosted presidents, first ladies, and
international peace talks, sees thousands of visitors each year, yet still
manages to remain a humble, small town community. Its history, sense of
community, and lively, eccentric culture have all endeared it to my heart. Sure, you may find a few of
the same qualities in other small towns, but Shepherdstown is different. Shepherdstown has all those qualities.
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| Sunset in the sideview |
Works
Cited
Forbes, Harold Malcolm Newspapers
e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. 29 May 2013. Web.
Redding, Nicholas A. A History and Guide to Civil War
Shepherdstown: Victory and Defeat in West
Virginia's Oldest Town: Lynchburg: Schroeder Publications, 2012. Print
Hoffman, Ellen. “Tide Runs
Against Steamboat 'Inventor' : History: A group called the Rumseian Society is trying to replace
Robert Fulton's name with that of their namesake's as thecreator of the steamboat.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. 24 January 1993. Web. 19 January 2017
“Shepherd Free School.” History Tour of Shepherd University’s East
Campus. Web. 19 January 2017.
Johnson, Robert Underwood and
Clarence Clough Buel. Battles And Leaders Of The Civil War. 1st ed. New York: T. Yoseloff, 1887. Print.
“Potato & Produce Project”. Society of St. Andrew Gleaning America’s
Fields ~ Feeding America’s Hungry.
Web. 20
January 2017
[1]
Battles and Leaders of the Civil War Volume II by Johnson, Robert Underwood, 1853-1937; Buel, Clarence Clough,
1850-1933
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