Charles Town, West Virginia
| Charles Town, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| City of Charles Town | |
Jefferson County Courthouse in Charles Town
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 Location of Charles Town in West Virginia |
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| Coordinates: 39°17′3″N 77°51′22″W / 39.28417°N 77.85611°WCoordinates: 39°17′3″N 77°51′22″W / 39.28417°N 77.85611°W | |
| Country | United States of America |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Jefferson |
| Named for | Charles Washington |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Peggy Smith |
| Area | |
| • City | 5.81 sq mi (15.05 km2) |
| • Land | 5.81 sq mi (15.05 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 512 ft (164 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • City | 5,259 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 5,385 |
| • Density | 905.2/sq mi (349.5/km2) |
| • Metro | 5,582,170 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 25414 |
| Area code(s) | 304 |
| FIPS code | 54-14610 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1554110 |
| Website | http://www.charlestownwv.us/ |
Charles Town, officially the City of Charles Town, is a city in Jefferson County, West Virginia, and is also the county seat. The population was 5,259 at the 2010 United States Census.
Charles Washington, the founder of Charles Town, was born in Hunting Creek, now Fairfax County, Virginia on May 2, 1738. He was the youngest full brother of George Washington. He came to present Jefferson County between April and October 1780. The estate of Charles Washington, Happy Retreat, was erected in 1780. In 1786, on 80 acres (320,000 m²) of his adjoining land, Charles laid out the streets of Charles Town, naming many of them after his brothers and one after his wife, Mildred. He donated the four corner lots at the intersection of George and Washington Streets for public buildings of the town and county, provided the town become the seat of the county separated from Berkeley County. Charles Town was officially chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in January 1787.
In 1794, James Madison married "Dolly" Todd at Harewood, the home of George Steptoe Washington, son of Colonel Samuel Washington, just outside Charles Town.
Jefferson County was formed in 1801 as Charles Washington had anticipated. The county court house stands on one of the lots he donated, as did the jail until 1919 when it was demolished to be replaced by the post office.
Charles Washington died sometime between July and September, 1799, only a short while before the death of his brother George. Charles' and his wife Mildred's grave sites near Evitts Run have recently been located and surrounded by a stone wall.
In 1844, the first issue of the Spirit of Jefferson newspaper was published in Charles Town by James W. Beller. It is still published as the Spirit of Jefferson-Advocate, making it one of the oldest newspapers in the state.
On October 16, 1859, abolitionist John Brown and his followers raided the Federal arsenal at nearby Harpers Ferry, seven miles east of Charles Town. The insurrection was ultimately put down and John Brown was tried for treason in the town's Jefferson County court house. On December 2, 1859, he was hanged in Charles Town at the Gibson-Todd House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Wikipedia