Downtown Morgantown Historic District
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Downtown Morgantown Historic District
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Downtown Morgantown, September 2012
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Chestnut and Spruce Sts. between Foundry and Willey Sts., Morgantown, West Virginia |
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| Coordinates | 39°37′47″N 79°57′26″W / 39.62972°N 79.95722°WCoordinates: 39°37′47″N 79°57′26″W / 39.62972°N 79.95722°W |
| Area | 75 acres (30 ha) |
| Architect | Jacobs, Elmer; et al. |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Greek Revival, Federal |
| NRHP Reference # | 96000441 |
| Added to NRHP | May 2, 1996 |
The Downtown Morgantown Historic District is a federally designated historic district in Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia. The district, encompassing approximately 75 acres, has 122 contributing buildings and 2 contributing sites including commercial and public buildings, residences, and churches. The district has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since May 2, 1996. Ten of the contributing buildings are listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places. Significant structures located within the historic district are the Monongalia County Courthouse, the Metropolitan Theater, and the Old Morgantown Post Office (currently the Monongalia Arts Center).
The historic district is representative of significant developments in architecture, social history, and industry that occurred in Morgantown and the surrounding region between 1795 and 1945. Morgantown is located along the Monongahela River which flows north to Pittsburgh and on to the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The town’s proximity to the river made it an important location in westward expansion. In the late 1750s, settlers began building small farms in the area. Zackquill Morgan, the town’s founder, received a grant in 1784 for 50 acres on land at the junction of Deckers Creek and the river. Morgan had built a settlement on the land in 1772 and returned to the area after serving as a colonel in the Revolutionary War. He laid out a grid for the town on this property and received a charter for “Morgan’s Town” in 1785.
The town grew slowly throughout the early nineteenth century, with development based largely on the exportation of agricultural and industrial products north along the river. During the Civil War, the town was a strong supporter of the Union. Waitman T. Willey, a local lawyer, lived in the town and was a leader in the movement to create the state of West Virginia. The Confederate Jones- Imboden raiders occupied the town briefly during the war in an attempt to capture Willey, but he had fled before their arrival. After the war, the town grew quickly as transportation improved and the oil, petroleum, coal, and timber industries expanded. Many new immigrants came to the town to work in these growing businesses. During this time, the town also became a center of education with the creation of West Virginia University based on earlier academies and seminary schools. With the expansion of these educational and industrial activities came the building of new offices, homes, churches, and many other buildings to support the growing town. The development that occurred in the town over the past two and a half centuries can be seen throughout the historic district.
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