Jefferson County Museum

05/09/2023

A big thank you to everyone who came out to our exhibit opening on Saturday!

We couldn't imagine a better way to kick off our Prohibition exhibit than with live music from the amazing Todd Coyle and beer from Jefferson County breweries.

If you missed it, don't worry--the second event of the summer is coming up this Saturday at 10am! Join us at the Museum with local distillers from Devil's Due Distillery for a discussion of historic (and modern) moonshining: https://www.facebook.com/events/186212080862519

05/05/2023

The first of several Prohibition-themed beers at local breweries to pair with our exhibit this summer---and just in time for our exhibit opening tomorrow! Thank you to Abolitionist Ale Works--we can't wait to try it.

If you still need tickets for the exhibit opening, they're available online or at the door: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/exhibit-opening-prohibition-in-jefferson-county-tickets-611286834377?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

05/02/2023

It's official! We've confirmed the beer selection for the Prohibition Exhibit Opening this Saturday at 5pm!

Attendees will get to sample an English Bitter from Rippon Brewing Company, a Pilsner from Bavarian Inn Resort & Brewing Company, and a Saison from Abolitionist Ale Works, with larger pours available for purchase as well.

Tickets are still available online or at the door! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/exhibit-opening-prohibition-in-jefferson-county-tickets-611286834377?

04/27/2023

We're excited to announce that our exhibit opening next Saturday will feature live blues music from local musician Todd Coyle!

Join us May 6 at 5pm to hear Todd play and get a first look at our new exhibit on Prohibition in Jefferson County, all while sampling beers from Jefferson County breweries. Tickets are available in advance or at the door:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/exhibit-opening-prohibition-in-jefferson-county-tickets-611286834377

Bushel & Peck Charles Town Now Ranson CVB Visit Jefferson County WV

04/25/2023

We've recently uncovered a major find in a collection of documents generously donated to the Museum!

Among 19th century receipts and promissory notes was this letter detailing the process of hiring jailers to guard the prisoners involved in John Brown's raid. The extra guards were necessary, according to the letter "not because of the insecurity of said jail, but to prevent a rescue of the said prisoners."

The letter also includes a comprehensive list of the jailers, each of whom received $1/day for their services. On the list of names is John F. Blessing. John Brown is known to have given Blessing his Bible to prior to his ex*****on to reward him for his kindness as a jailer.

We are proud to have what will likely be a useful resource to future historians as part of our permanent collection and we look forward to publishing a full transcription of the letter on our website soon!

04/20/2023

Just over two weeks until our exhibit opening, and we're glad to be bringing in artifacts and props from around the area! Thanks to Devil's Due Distillery and Rippon Brewing Company for the barrels, grains, and other items we'll be installing in the next few weeks!

If you want to learn more about what these guys do, we'll be serving one of Rippon's local beers at our May 6 exhibit opening, and the distillers from Devil's Due will be talking about their craft on May 13 for "Morning Moonshine." You won't want to miss these events! https://www.facebook.com/jeffersoncountymuseum/events

04/18/2023

Researching for our Prohibition exhibit, we came across this lucky local bootlegger:
Lawrence Stevenson likely used his positions as a barber and as a utility man at Shenandoah Junction to sell liquor to his customers and to railway travelers. Not only did he evade prosecution for selling liquor illegally, he was appointed to guard fellow bootleggers who weren't as fortunate--including Thornton Clark, of Bakerton, who appeared frequently in bootlegging cases from this era as "Good Time Charlie."

This story comes from a 1915 issue of the Shepherdstown Register, two years after prohibition passed in West Virginia and one year after its enforcement began.

For more stories like this one, we invite you to the opening of "Prohibition in Jefferson County" on May 6: https://www.facebook.com/events/638492201387858

Newspaper clipping: Shepherdstown Register Jan 21, 1915

Image: train at Shenandoah Junction, c. 1930s

04/14/2023

We have extended hours tomorrow, 4/15, for Charles Town Now's Blooms & Blossoms festival! Look for us on the bingo card and stop by to explore the Museum until 4pm.

04/07/2023

We wish a Happy Easter to those who will be celebrating this weekend! 🐣Though the Museum is closed Sunday, we are open Friday 10-4 and Saturday 9-1 as usual this weekend.

04/04/2023

What's the opposite of a booze cruise?

Well, take a look at this article we came across while researching for our Prohibition Exhibit:

Dated August 7, 1858 in the Shepherdstown Register, it describes a boat full of people making their way to the Sons of Temperance barbecue in Harpers Ferry.

The Sons of Temperance were one of several temperance organizations active in Jefferson County in the decades leading up to Prohibition. Their social events and regalia made them similar to other fraternal organizations that were popular in the 19th and early 20th century, but the theme of their advocacy set them apart.

It took decades, but in 1913 Prohibition finally passed in the state of West Virginia, to the delight of the Sons of Temperance and organizations like it. Stay tuned for more clippings on temperance, bootlegging and more as we get ready to open our exhibit on May 6!

03/29/2023

We have quite a few orchard crates in our collection! Jefferson County has historically had a very "fruitful" agricultural industry, but why exactly have there been so many orchards here?

It can be attributed in part to the Civil War. Elsewhere, the war devastated orchards. But locally, it impacted William S. Miller, who started his own nursery and an orchard in Berkeley County in 1851. During the Civil War, demand for fruit trees was so low that by the war's end he had thousands of extra full-grown trees and more fruit than he knew what to do with. He adjusted and expanded the orchard business, selling peaches and eventually focusing on apples.

Many orchards on the Eastern Panhandle followed this example, and as a result most of the state's commercial orchards today are concentrated in this region. Though statewide production has dwindled from the all-time high of 12 million bushels of apples in 1931, past and current orchards in Jefferson County have had an important impact on the region's history, economy, and tastebuds.

03/23/2023

Happy Women's History Month! If you're looking for a way to celebrate, the Jefferson County Museum features the stories of a number of remarkable women in local history. Stop by and learn about people like Drusilla Dunjee Houston, a prolific writer and civil rights activist, or Carrie Lee Strider, the first female sheriff in Jefferson County. We're open Tuesday-Saturday!

03/17/2023

Thanks to the Virginia Forum and Bavarian Inn Resort & Brewing Company for hosting us last night! We really enjoyed telling local history stories featuring Jefferson County and the many places it borders!

Joe, Lori and Travis are our guests tonight with Historians on Tap! 📚 + 🍺 = Forum.

Joe Rizzo is the Director of Historic Wilton House Museum. Lori Wysong is the Director of the Jefferson County Museum. Travis Shaw is the Director of Education of the The Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association.

03/14/2023

We're reopening tomorrow, 3/15! Our hours will be slightly different than previous years--we'll be open longer on weekdays and earlier on Saturdays!

03/07/2023

We're *still* here!

While we've been closed for the winter, staff have been working hard behind the scenes. Not only are we getting ready to reopen March 15th, but we're preparing to open a new exhibit later in the spring as well.

Any guesses as to what the exhibit will be about? (Hint: the object in this photo is a giant clue!)

02/27/2023

Jane Rissler Obituary (1946 - 2023) - Legacy Remembers

We mourn the passing of Jane Rissler, a longtime employee and friend of the Jefferson County Museum. Jane directed the Museum for over ten years, organizing and diversifying our collection and changing the institution for the better. Her dedicated service leaves a lasting legacy and will be remembered at the Museum for years to come.

View Jane Francina Rissler's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

02/15/2023

We've got an important new acquisition in the Collection:

This letter, written by George Washington's great-grandnephew Lewis William Washington, references his recent involvement as a hostage in John Brown's Raid.

Lewis was lying low at the home of his friends the Turners, in fear that Brown's supporters would target him as a key witness for the prosecution in the ongoing trial in Charles Town. The letter is written from "Rippon Lodge" on October 30, 1859, to Lewis's cousin Ella.

He tells his cousin that because of his experiences as a hostage he is still suffering from "indisposition" which he describes as "incident to my exposure during my confinement for thirty-three hours." Brown's raiders invaded Washington's Beall-Air estate in Halltown, pilfered his heirlooms, took him to Harpers Ferry and emancipated several men he enslaved (all were taken back into bo***ge following the Raid).

For context on this fascinating letter, the hostage situation, and Lewis's role as a witness, see Lewis Washington's testimony in the John Brown trial:
https://archive.wvculture.org/history/jbexhibit/washingtonmasontestimony.html

02/10/2023

💕Happy Valentine's Day weekend! 💕

Here's a Jefferson County love story to celebrate: Philip Lucas and Alice Louisa Hart.

Philip was born in Frederick County, VA in 1855. We don't know exactly when or how he came to Jefferson County, but as an adult he became a farmer in the Kearneysville area. He met, fell in love with, and eventually married Jefferson County native Alice Louisa Hart on December 3, 1882. We are fortunate enough to have their beautiful marriage certificate in our collection, as well as a photo of the couple together. Alice is likely pregnant with one of their nine children in this photo.

Aside from their marriage, we know that Philip and Alice were benevolent people. Their neighbor, a white landowner named John C. Walper, left them an 8 acre plot of land in his 1893 will. The reason was "for his kindness, and the kindness of his wife, for their services in caring for nursing and attention paid to myself and my deceased wife."

Alice predeceased her husband, dying at the young age of 41 in 1903. Her tombstone in the family cemetery reads "A place is vacant in our hearts that never can be filled." Philip died in 1935 and is buried alongside his wife in the family cemetery.

02/06/2023

What's in a name?

This monument at Elmwood Cemetery commemorates the men who formed the Berkeley Rifle Company in 1775 in response to calls for militiamen after the establishment of the Continental Army. These men participated in the Beeline March from Morgan's Grove in present-day Jefferson County to Cambridge, MA, 600 miles within the space of 25 days.

Though officers like Captain Hugh Stephenson have their names emblazoned on the plaque, there are many other members of the Rifle Company not listed--like James Kerney. Kerney enlisted in 1775 and again in 1776 to fight in the Revolution. If his name sounds familiar, it's because Kearneysville, WV, was named for his family.

Kerney is buried at the Old Episcopal Graveyard in Shepherdstown. Dedicated in 1932 at the origin of the Beeline March along route 480, the DAR monument was relocated to Elmwood Cemetery as a safer location in 2012.

02/02/2023

A longtime resident shares his stories - CHARLES TOWN LIBRARY

Longtime Jefferson County resident George Rutherford recently shared some more of his memories with the Charles Town Library just in time for Black History Month! Check out what he had to say about Black History and education:

Born in the 1930s, George Rutherford has lived in two towns, Charles Town and Dog Town, but both occupy the same geographical location. A number of neighborhoods which were populated primarily by […]

01/30/2023

Get involved - Jefferson County Museum

📢We are hiring!📢

Jefferson County Museum is looking for a part-time Museum assistant to help with exhibits, programs, collections care, and more! If you or someone you know is passionate about Jefferson County history, please consider sharing or applying yourself:

We have plenty of opportunities for volunteering, including working with the public and with our historic collections, researching, and contributing to digital exhibits.

01/27/2023

Meet our newest addition to the collection, the sign from Alfred Burton's watch repair shop!

Exposed for years to weather and the elements, the paint has certainly aged. But if you look closely you can still see a detailed scroll design in places surrounding the watch and lettering.

Burton's shop most likely opened in the lower town of Harpers Ferry shortly after the Civil War. In addition to repairing clocks, its proprietor was known as an active beekeeper, a Mason and a member of the International Order of Oddfellows---he was very active in the communities of Harpers Ferry and Bolivar.

In 1911, at age 85, he died after an appendectomy surgery, which, due to his age and heart condition, was unfortunately performed without the use of an anesthetic. His family maintained the business in that location until 1929, and Burton himself was well-remembered locally for years after.

This c. 1890 photo from the NPS historic photo collection shows the store in its location in the lower town. Can you spot the sign?

01/23/2023

If you lived in any rural area before 1896, you'd have to walk or drive your wagon over to the post office for mail of any kind. Fortunately, when the Post Office tested out Rural Free Delivery (RFD) in 1896, they chose Postmaster General William Lyne Wilson's native county as a guinea pig.

In Jefferson County, Charles Town postmaster George H. Flagg (pictured) was asked to choose the first RFD carriers. Pictured is a map of route one, assigned to Harry C. Gibson. If your house wasn't on this route, there were four others included locally as part of the test.

The experiment was a success, and from then on, Jefferson County residents had mail reliably delivered straight to their mailboxes. In 1913, parcel post delivery was added as a service--so you can thank RFD for paving the way for the packages that end up on your doorstep.

01/19/2023

Today the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced that the Halltown Memorial Chapel Association has been awarded a grant to fund the restoration of the chapel through the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund’s Preserving Black Churches program.

According to the press release from the National Trust for Historic Preservation:

Halltown Memorial Chapel is a unique example of stone religious architecture in West Virginia, Halltown Memorial Chapel was constructed in 1901 by African American volunteer carpenters and stone masons living in Jefferson County. The community will use the grant to restore the chapel to its original condition, open it for community events, and help spur Halltown's revitalization. (https://savingplaces.org/stories/preserving-black-churches-grant-recipients-2023)

The chapel, also historically known as Halltown Union Colored Sunday School, is on the National Register of Historic Places—the nomination can be viewed here:https://wvculture.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Halltown-union-colored-sunday-school.pdf

In addition to the church restoration project, the Association is working to restore the Halltown African-American Free School (1870). Donations can be sent to:

Halltown Memorial Chapel Association
73 Smith Manor Drive
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425

The Halltown Memorial Chapel Association extends sincere thanks to everyone who is supporting efforts to restore the chapel and schoolhouse. Questions about the restoration efforts can be emailed to: [email protected].

Photo taken by Commissioner Addison Reese, September 10, 2021.

01/17/2023

🚨New artifact alert🚨

We were recently gifted two textbooks from the library of Storer College in Harpers Ferry!

Storer was open to people of all races and genders throughout its nearly 90 year history. These books, published on Roman history and English grammar in the 1880s, were in circulation up until the College closed in 1955. The "Roger Williams Library" stamp suggests they may have survived from the campus's original library building, which was destroyed in a fire in 1927. The grammar book was well used by students in the last years of the College's existence, although the history of Rome doesn't seem to have been checked out as recently...

01/13/2023

Who was James M. Ranson, and why does his tombstone look like a tree?

As you might've guessed, he owned much of the land that makes up present day Ranson. Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company bought a significant tract of land from the Ransons in 1890 adjoining Charles Town. This area supported an increasing number of manufacturing businesses, and in 1910, the town was incorporated and named for Ranson's son, James M. Ranson, Jr--a local dentist.

"Treestones" like Ranson Sr's were popular in the late Victorian era, when the funerary style shifted from monumental and serious to more romantic and naturalized. Stones like this one were often purchased through fraternal clubs and organizations, and the stump-like design with chopped branches was meant to symbolize mortality.

This grave is located in the churchyard of Zion Episcopal Church - Charles Town WV
Around Ranson WV Charles Town Now

01/10/2023

This patch, signifying an honorable discharge from WWI, was worn by Frank Buckles who settled in Jefferson County at Gap View Farm after the war. Buckles survived several wars and lived to be 110--the last surviving American WWI Veteran. In March, the Jefferson County Museum will reopen, bringing life to the stories of Mr. Buckles and generations of others.

12/07/2022

The Jefferson County Museum, like the Charles Town Library, is a place that presents a wide variety of windows. In the case of the museum, these windows are the artifacts and stories from years past, through which an observer can experience those yesterdays that laid the groundwork for today.

Today is December 7, the 81st anniversary of the attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor, in Honolulu, Hawaii, by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. This event triggered an inumerable number of military, social, familial, political, and many more types of changes around the world.

The effects of that day and from what was happening in Europe at the time, changed lives in the biggest of cities and the smallest communities.

On the wall of the museum is a framed banner. A number of stars are displayed, each representing a local resident who went to war from the Kabletown area. Three of the stars are gold. They represent the trio who did not return alive.

Peter, a county resident, who visited the museum today with his family, walked past the exhibits of artifacts from the Civil War, World War I and World War II. Seeing the different exhibits makes you face how the world perceives its own history, he said, how it shows that the perception of events can change through time. Seeing these things makes you think.

And that's why we are here.

Remember, our 2022 season ends this Saturday and we will reopen in the Spring.
Charles Town Now Jackson-Perks American Legion Post 71 Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Homeschoolers of Jefferson County, WV

12/06/2022

This Saturday, Dec. 10, is the last day for the 2022 Jefferson County Museum season. We will reopen in March after a few months of cleaning and creating a new set of exhibits for our faithful visitors and those who will discover us in 2023.

Our diverse collection, which continues to grow with much appreciated donations and finds at auctions around the country, includes items like a set of Charles Town High School yearbooks that arrived just today.

A glimpse at just one of the pages sheds light on a group of Jefferson County residents just starting on their own adventures; well-groomed and bright-eyed, wondering what the rest of 1954 will bring.

Remember us when you have pieces of Jefferson County history that need a new home and a sincere "thank you" to the generations of families who have entrusted us to be the caretakers of their memories.

Charles Town Now Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

12/02/2022

A dark day for John Brown
Today, December 2, is the 163rd anniversary of the hanging of John Brown in Charles Town following his conviction related to the attack on the armory in Harpers Ferry. The Jefferson County Museum has a number of artifacts connected with the attack, the trial and the aftermath of Mr. Brown's actions. The museum will be closing for the season on Saturday, Dec. 10, and will reopen in the Spring.
Charles Town Now Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Around Ranson WV Shannondale and Neighbors Homeschoolers of Jefferson County, WV Antietam National Battlefield

11/28/2022

Of course we remember the nerdy couple, Hannah and Jack! How many German/English couples do we have visiting every week? Two? Three? Now, their amazing trip across the U.S. is part of our history as well. We have become a stop in their journey; a quest that has been for centuries, an East to West explore of a continent.

As a museum, yes, we have priceless historic artifacts, the little bits of things that were held, fought with and treasured by the folks that have walked around Jefferson County for hundreds and hundreds of years.

But, just as importantly, and maybe more so, we are the keepers of the stories, the records of those lives, who have shaped what we are today. And, of course, that record now includes Hannah and Jack, those intrepid travelers from Britain, who were in search of new sights and in Jack's case, the perfectly brewed glass of beer.

We hope to see you both again, with tales of your adventures, and of course, the location of those special breweries.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Charles Town Now Happy Retreat Jefferson County Historical Society WV

11/28/2022

Of course we remember the nerdy couple, Hannah and Jack! How many German/English couples do we have visiting every week? Two? Three? Now, their amazing trip across the U.S. is part of our history as well. We have become a stop in their journey; a quest that has been for centuries, an East to West explore of a continent.

As a museum, yes, we have priceless historic artifacts, the little bits of things that were held, fought with and treasured by the folks that have walked around Jefferson County for hundreds and hundreds of years.

But, just as importantly, and maybe more so, we are the keepers of the stories, the records of those lives, who have shaped what we are today. And, of course, that record now includes Hannah and Jack, those intrepid travelers from Britain, who were in search of new sights and in Jack's case, the perfectly brewed glass of beer.

We hope to see you both again, with tales of your adventures, and of course, the location of those special breweries.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Charles Town Now Happy Retreat Jefferson County Historical Society WV

11/22/2022

It is an oddity in the commemoration of historic or tragic events that they are usually only mentioned on even-numbered anniversaries, like the 50th anniversary of D-Day or George Washington's 250th birthday.

However, as today is November 22, which is the 59th anniversary of the assassination of Pres. John. F. Kennedy, we will mark it as one of the nation's dark days. We also mark it because, as this photograph in our collection attests, JFK visited Jefferson County during his 1960 campaign that would eventually lead him to the White House and unfortunately, to Dallas, Texas.

Jefferson County has been visited and been home to the famous and the infamous for hundreds of years and it is the duty of our museum to maintain those memories and artifacts to keep them alive to explore and to educate. Whether its anniversary is even or odd.

Be sure to visit the museum soon, as our last day of the season is Friday, Dec. 10.
Charles Town Now Around Ranson WV Shannondale and Neighbors