Berkeley Springs, formally named Bath, is a town in Morgan County, West Virginia, United States, and its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. The population was 758 at the 2020 census. In 1776, the

Virginia Legislature The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

incorporated a town around the springs and named it Bath. Since 1802, it has been referred to by the name of its original post office, Berkeley Springs. It is located in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia and is part of the Hagerstown–Martinsburg metropolitan area. The area contains mineral water springs frequented by Native Americans indigenous to the area, possibly for thousands of years. After settlement by Europeans, the

mineral springs Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage underg ...

drew many visitors from urban areas. Notable colonial visitors to the area included

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

and

James Rumsey James Rumsey (1743 – December 21, 1792) was an American mechanical engineer chiefly known for exhibiting a boat propelled by machinery in 1787 on the Potomac River at Shepherdstown in present-day West Virginia before a crowd of local notables ...

. Berkeley Springs remained a popular resort area during the United States' early years. It is the home of the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting, the longest-running and largest such event in the world. Another local tradition is the Apple Butter Festival, started by a group of local business owners in 1974. The area continues to be a popular resort area, with tourism the primary industry in the county and there being six full-service spas using mineral water.

History

During colonial times in 1748,

, then just 16 years old, was part of the team that surveyed the Eastern Panhandle region for

Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (22 October 16939 December 1781) was a British-born planter. The only member of the British peerage to permanently reside in British America, Fairfax owned the Northern Neck Proprietary in the Colony ...

. Washington returned several times over the next several years with his half-brother, Lawrence, who was ill, hoping that the warm springs might improve his health. The springs, and their rumored medicinal benefits, attracted numerous Native Americans and Europeans to the area. While vacationing in the area in 1767, Washington noted how busy the colonial town had become. Lord Fairfax had built a summer home there and a "private bath", making the area a popular destination for

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

's social elite. With the advent of independence, ''An act for establishing a town at the Warm Springs in the county of Berkeley'' was adopted by the Virginia General Assembly in December 1776. Officially, the town was named Bath, in honor of England's spa city

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

. George Washington, his family members, and several colonial elites were among the town's first landowners. The town's main north-south street was named Washington, and the main east-west street was named Fairfax. Also, four acres were set aside for "suffering humanity." The area around the springs always was public land known as ''The Grove'' and overseen by a state-appointed group of Bath Trustees. This would become Berkeley Springs State Park with its springs and bathhouses, which was made part of the West Virginia state park system in 1925. Nearby, Cacapon State Park was opened in 1933. The mountain that gives its name to the park has an elevation of above sea level. Bath's population increased during and immediately after the Revolutionary War as wounded soldiers and others came to the area believing that the warm springs had medicinal qualities.

Chronology of names

In 1772, the springs were part of the newly formed Berkeley County, named after its colonial governor, Norborne Berkeley. The waters became known as Berkeley Springs because the existing protocol was to name springs after the colonial Virginia county in which they were located. Previously, the area had been called ''Warm Springs'' and ''Medicinal Springs'' among other names. Bath became known permanently to the world as ''Berkeley Springs'' in 1802 when the Virginia postal system was established in the new nation, and there already was a Bath, Virginia, in Bath County. In 1861, many residents of Virginia were opposed to Virginia's secession from the United States, some calling the act of secession treasonous. Following the Wheeling Conventions of 1861, a referendum was held in 41 mostly northwestern Virginia counties on whether to secede from Virginia and seek admission to the United States as a new state. An overwhelming majority of voters in these counties voted in favor of the proposal. Confederates commanded by

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general and military officer who served during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in nearly all military engagements in the eastern the ...

captured Bath during the

Romney Expedition The Romney Expedition was a military expedition of the Confederate States Army during the early part of the American Civil War. It is named for Romney, West Virginia, which at the time was still in the state of Virginia. The expedition was conduc ...

in January 1862, and ransacked the homes of local unionists. The United States admitted the State of West Virginia on June 20, 1863. Berkeley Springs remained the conventional name used for the town. Its

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

is Bath, England.

Geography

Berkeley Springs is located in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

. The town lies in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia northwest of

Martinsburg, West Virginia Martinsburg is a city in Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 18,773 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making Martinsburg the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia a ...

and west of

Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States, and its county seat. The population was 43,527 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Hagerstown ranks as Maryland's List of municipalities in Maryland, sixth-most popu ...

. Berkeley Springs is the county seat of Morgan County. Morgan County makes up one of the central counties in the eastern panhandle. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the incorporated town of Bath has a total area of , all land. There are two rivers in Morgan County. The Potomac makes up the northern border, and the

Cacapon River The Cacapon River ( ; meaning Medicine Waters), located in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia's eastern panhandle region, is an shallow river known for its fishing, boating, wildlife, hunting, and wilderness scenery. As part of the Potoma ...

cuts through the center of the county connecting with the Potomac at Great Cacapon. Cacapon and Sleepy Creek Mountain are the two most notable mountains in the county. Berkeley Springs is nestled northwest of the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...

at an elevation of approximately . Warm Spring Run cuts through the center of the town and eventually connects with the Potomac River near Hancock Station.

Sleepy Creek Sleepy Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the Potomac River in the United States, belonging to the Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin, ...

connects with the Potomac along River Road north and east of the town.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 624 people, 314 households, and 158 families residing in the incorporated town of Bath. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 416 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.7% of the population. There were 314 households, of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 49.7% were non-families. 43.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.99, and the average family size was 2.74. The median age in the town was 42.9 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.1% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 663 people, 331 households, and 160 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 379 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.1%

, 1.7%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population. There were 331 households, out of which 20.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% were

living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.4% were non-families. 46.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 25.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.98, and the average family size was 2.85. In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.5% under 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $24,934, and the median income for a family was $33,333. Males had a median income of $25,156 versus $23,611 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $14,917. About 13.4% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Two main highways serve Berkeley Springs. The most prominent of these is U.S. Route 522. US 522 traverses the region in a general north-northeast to south-southwest direction. To the north, US 522 connects Berkeley Springs to

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, Baltimo ...

and

Interstate 68 Interstate 68 (I-68) is a Interstate Highway in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland, connecting Interstate 79, I-79 in Morgantown, West Virginia, east to Interstate 70, I-70 in Hancock, Maryland. I-68 is also Corridor E of ...

near

Hancock, Maryland Hancock is a town in Washington County, Maryland, Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,557 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Western Maryland community is notable for being located at the narrowest part ...

, while heading south provides a connection to

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40, I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge, Tennessee; its nort ...

near

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the northwesternmost Administrative divisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia, Frederi ...

. The other primary highway serving Berkeley Springs is West Virginia Route 9, oriented in a general northwest-to-southeast alignment. WV 9 heads westward to Paw Paw and continues east to Martinsburg. The two highways run concurrently for a short stretch along Main Street in Berkeley Springs.

Notable people

* Beirne Lay, Jr., U.S. Army aviator * Tom Netherton, singer, Lawrence Welk Show * Charles Triplett O'Ferrall, politician * John Herbert Quick, author *

, early steamboat inventor * David Hunter Strother, journalist, artist, politician and diplomat * Lajos Veress, Hungarian military officer, buried in Berkeley Springs

In popular culture

A location in the

online multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

game '' Fallout 76'' was named and inspired by Berkeley Springs.

Gallery

File:North Berkeley - aqueduct.jpg, Storage bins no longer in use. At one time, they were used by the local sand mine for loading train cars for distribution. File:1586-1587 - Berkeley Springs State Park.jpg, View of part of Berkeley Springs State Park File:BerkeleySpringsSP WestVirginia.jpg, Another view of part of Berkeley Springs State Park, with fall colors File:Sleepy Creek Mountain devils nose.JPG, View of Sleepy Creek Mountain from Devil's Nose File:1615 - Berkeley Springs - Train Station.JPG, The former train station

References

External links

*
Official Website of Town of Bath Government Berkeley Springs

Official Website of Berkeley Springs

Berkeley Springs Tourist and Local Information

{{Authority control County seats in West Virginia Hagerstown metropolitan area Towns in Morgan County, West Virginia Spa towns in West Virginia Towns in West Virginia 1776 establishments in Virginia Populated places established in 1776