UN,TED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NAT(0NAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM

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1 Form (Dec. 1968) UN,TED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE NTEROR NATONAL PARK SERVCE STATE: West Virginia 1. NAME COMMON' NAT(0NAL REGSTER OF HSTORC PLACES NVENTORY - NOMNATON FORM (Type all entries - complete applicable sections) Shepherd's M i l l COUNTY: / Jefferson FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMaER DATE AND/OR HSTORC: Thomas Shepherd's Grist Mill 2. LOCATON S'TREET AND NUM~ER: High Street ClTY OR TOWN: STATE Shepherdstown co0~ COUNTY: West Virginia Jefferson 037 (Check One) District Building 5;l Site Structure Obiect PRESEN T USE (Check One or More as Appropriate) OWNERSHP STATUS CODE 1 T ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Agricultural Government Park Transportation 0 Comments, Commercial ndustrial Private Residence Other (Specify) Educational 11 Military Religious 0 Entertainment 0 Museum Scientific 0 4. OWSER OF PROPERTY OWNERS NAME: Si las -E&ar-cy 1 STREET AND NUMSER High Streek CTY OR TOWN. St.,ephcrdc,town S- LOCATGN 0 Public Private x? Both Ci -- Public Acquisition: n Process Being Considered _ r, i: C Occupied Unoccupied Q Preservation work in progress yes: Restricted Ej Unrestricted 0 N,: 0 Jefferson County Courthouse STREET AND NUMBER: ClTY OR TOuVN Charles Town - p. REPRESENTATON N EXlSTtNG SURVEYS 'APPRoxlMATE ACREAGE OF NoM;dATED PHCPERTy 2 acres STATE West Virginia TTLE OF SURVEY CODE 54 ;' z i : DATE OF SURVEY: Federal n Stote County n Local 3 DEPOSTORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: STREET AND NUhtBER: CTY OR TOWN: STATE: CODE m z i /:Z n ; r-

2 DESCRPTON NTEGRTY n 1759 (date implied by cornerstone), a brick house - still standing - was erected, Mr. of the mill. environment. (Check One) Excellent 0 Good Sj Fair Deteriorated Q Ruins 0 Unexposed 0. (Check One) Altered Unaltered a (Check One) Moved Original Site Q >ESCRSE THE PRESENT AND ORGNAL (if ~~OW~)'PHYSCAL APPEARANCE According to the present owner, Shepherdstown's Mayor Silas Starry, this mill was originally a two-story structure, the third story of frame having been added about Starry states, by Abraham Shepherd a short distance southeast t is included in the nomination as part of the mill The house, which was acquired with the mill by the present owner in 1954, was restored with extensive repairs in Only the kitchen has been added to this house, the original kitchen having been in the basement. The mill was leased by Luther Thompson, Jr. in He restored the wheel at a cost of more than $2,000 and operated the mill until 1939, the last date it was in use. The picturesque stream still spills violently down a rocky incline and disappears in the woods below the mill. As may be noted in accompanying photographs, the mill contains some old equipment, including wheels and the grinding burrs. The mill will figure prominently in plans of a newly formed mayor's cornmitee on historic preservation in Shepherdstown.

3 'EROD (check One or More as Appropriate) Pre-Columbian 0 16th Century 0 18th Century 20th Century a 15th Century 0 17th Century 19th Century 7. -,., -,.- ;PEC~FC DATES) (f Applicable and Known) i5ul1. 'J4 '' REAS OF SGNFCANCE (Check One or :&ore as Appropriate) Abor iginol EdueatFon 0 Political Prehistoric Engineering 0 Religion/Phi- Historic 0 losophy Agriculture 0 nvention 0 Science Art Landscape Sculpture Commerce 0 Architecture Sociol/Hurnan- Communications Literature 0. itarion Conservation Military 0 Theater - - Music 0 Transportation 0 Urban Plonning 0 Other (Specify) TATEMENT O F SGN1 Fl CANC E (nclude Personages, Dates, Events, Etc.) The remains of the Shepherd Grist Mill, first built prior to 1739, and operated for two centuries, mark the industry of the State's earliest incorporated settlement, originally known as Mecklenburg;?, the first settlers arriving probably as early as The mill stands near the Pack Horse Ford crossing of the Potornac. The ndian trail to Pack Horse Ford became the Philadelphia Wagon Road into the Valley of Virginia, and on this. road, named High Street, the grist mill was erected. Thomas Shepherd Sr. not only built a mill; he laid out building lots for, homes on a part of his first grant of land. Many wheat farmers settled in the vicinity. Shepherd bequeathed the mill to his son, Thomas Jr., in After the Revolution the village name was changed to Shepherdstown, honoring the builder of the mill. Shepherd started a trend of mills, which became focal points for roads leading out to seaboard markets for flour. A map published in 1810 lists 31 grist or merchant mills in Jefferson County serving a coastal area.from Alexandria to Philadelphia. Thus it is no exaggeration to say that Thomas Shepherd with his grist mill inaugurated a "bread basket" for the growing nation. There seems to be little doubt of the continuous operation of a mill on this spot. t is presumed that the stone building still standing is more than two centuries old. The large, 40-foot iron wheel was once located 100 yards farther down stream, but the date of its installation is beyond the memory of local inhabitants who can remember the mill as it was at the beginning of the century. David, the eldest son of Thomas Shepherd Sr., migrated to Wheeling, where he erected and commanded Shepherd's Fort and was a commandant at Fort Henry. David's son, Moses, who was born in Shepherdstown, was a leading citizen.of Wheeling and built the National Road bridges from the Pennsylvania line to Wheeling, (continued) " Actually the pre-charter name was New Mecklenburg

4 Form i (July 1969) UNTED STATES DEPP.RTMENT OF THE NTEROR NATONAL PARK SERVCE 'Number all enlrlos) NCtTlONAL REGSTER OF HSTORC PLACES NVENTORY NOMNATON FORM (Continuation Sheet) 8. significance - continued. Jefferson - FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER DATE t is highly probably that Thomas Shepherd was here as early as The nil1 itself must have been built some time prior to April 6, 1739, when the sill is mentioned in The Frederick County Court Journal, and after October 3, 1734, when Shepherd purchased a 222-acre tract from Lieutenant Governor William Gooch and the Virginia Council..

5 MAJOR BfBLOGRAPH CAL REFERENCed - - J Bushong, Millard K. A History of Jefferson County. Charles Town, "The Shepherd Grist ~Tll." ~ anuscri~t submitted by Si.las F. Starry. 7 pp. -- Kemp, Louise Singleton. "Old Mills." Magazine of the Jefferson County -- 1 Historit-a1 Society, vol. 21, 1955, pp GEOGRAPHCAL DATA -- LATTUDE AND LONGTUDE COORDNATES n LATTUDE AND LONGTUDE COORDNATES ZORNER LATTUDE LDNGTUDE LATTUDE LONGTUDE l~egrees Minutes Seconds 1 Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds -!ST ALL STATES AND COUNTES FOR PROPERTES OiERLAPPlNG STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARES TATE: CODE COUNTY CODE TATE: 1 CODE COUNTY: CODE FOQM PREPARED BY JAME AN0 TTLE: Clifford M. Lewis, S. J. >RGANZATON n contract with the W. Va. Antiquities Commission September 21, 1S - TREET ANDNUMBER: Wheeling College - :TY OR TOWN: Wheel in^ - STATE L!ASON OFFCER CERTFCA l ON TATE DATE CODE. T West Virginia U -. NATONAL REGSTER VERlFtCATON As the designated State Liaison Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law ). hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. The recommended level of significance of this nomination is: National Local herebv certify that this property is included in the National Register. Chief, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation Name Dallas B. ~haffdi! Oa te ATTEST: i t State Liaison Officer Keeper of The National Register Date October 9, Date

6 .-," , ~, ~ ~. + t, e t r m ~ r r g m -,.. =. - r C NATURE OF STRUCTURE Shepherds town -Behitid505 High..Street ~ ;\!111; OF FHJP!RTY AD)!lFSS SHEPHERDSTO\'m ~ ~.. 4LTE'EO.. ACCES31BlE TO PUBLC. - - E.CUlr'.!EYT. L!'PCOX hrfa 'JF STE. ALrEir~lll9!iS. PRESENT JS.:.?4G!4:L 5KHlECT )T.SCNCR; flportln LVfJTS b!td!vduals. who can remember the mill as it was at the beginning of the century. The wheel was a speciality of the Fitz Water \lee1 Co., Fitz Steel Overshoot Water Wheels. Hanover, Pa (1928) (Catalogue),?.? AFFLATON C E ; : = ; Z ' :?

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