Charlestown, 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 Jefferson County, 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 | Scott Rogers |
| • City manager | Daryl Hennessy |
| 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 (2016) | 5,945 |
| • 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.
"Charlestown" was established by an act of the Virginia General Assembly in January 1787. However, for about two decades, confusion arose because the same name was also used for a town established in Ohio County at the mouth of Buffalo Creek, and authorized in the 1791 term of that local court. That area in 1797 became known as Brooke County, with that "Charlestown" as its county seat until a December 27, 1816 act of the Virginia General Assembly changed its name to Wellsburg, to honor a trader and his son.
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,
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.
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