Morgan's Grove is a rural historic district near Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The area is noted for its abundant springs. Several historic houses and farms are in the district, including: *Old Stone House and springhouse, c. 1734, belonged to the original settler and family patriarch, Richard Morgan. * Rosebrake, or Poplar Grove, built in 1745, with dependencies including a barn and outbuildings *

Falling Spring Falling Spring is a town in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. It is also known as Renick from the name of its post office ( ZIP Code 24966). The population was 171 at the 2020 census. History In 1769, Major William Renick from A ...

, c. 1831–1837, with dependencies. The nearby woods were a

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

encampment. Belonged to Jacob Morgan and his son William. *Springdale c. 1760, home of Richard Morgan's son William, and dependencies. "Morgan Fort" was located on this property. *Fountain Rock in Morgan's Grove Park with the foundations of the Fountain Rock house, burned in 1864 by Federal troops.

History

18th century

Richard Morgan (''ca.'' 1700–1763) bought lands in 1730 that included much of present-day Shepherdstown. In 1734 he received one of the first grants of from Lord Fairfax, selling some land to Thomas Shepherd, who founded Shepherdstown. During the

French and Indian Wars The French and Indian Wars were a series of conflicts that occurred in North America between 1688 and 1763, some of which indirectly were related to the European dynastic wars. The title ''French and Indian War'' in the singular is used in the U ...

, Morgan was active in raising troops from the area. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, local men began drilling in Shepherdstown, and two companies of riflemen were organized in July 1775 at the request of the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

. By this time, William Morgan was a colonel in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

, and, under Morgan's command, the troops began the Bee-Line March on July 17, 1775, marching from Morgan's Grove to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in 24 days, covering . The troops joined

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's forces on August 11, 1775, and were the first units from the South to join the fight.

19th century

During the Civil War a number of

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

and Federal units camped in the area, including General

John B. Gordon John Brown Gordon () was an attorney, a slaveholding plantation owner, general in the Confederate States Army, and politician in the postwar years. By the end of the Civil War, he had become "one of Robert E. Lee's most trusted generals." Af ...

and General George Armstrong Custer in the Valley Campaigns of 1864. About this time, Fountain Rock, which was then owned by Confederate Colonel

Alexander Boteler Alexander Robinson Boteler (May 16, 1815 – May 8, 1892) was a nineteenth-century planter turned businessman, as well as artist, writer, lawyer, Confederate States of America, Confederate officer, philanthropist and politician from Shepherdstown ...

, was burned by Federal troops under General

David Hunter David Hunter (July 21, 1802 – February 2, 1886) was an American military officer. He served as a Union general during the American Civil War. He achieved notability for his unauthorized 1862 order (immediately rescinded) emancipating slaves ...

. By the late 19th century the area was used as a

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

ground, with its own siding off the Shenandoah Valley Railroad. The Fountain Rock property was purchased by the Morgan's Grove Agricultural Association in 1889. In 1900

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...

, then candidate for

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, gave a speech to a crowd estimated at 15,000. Fairs were held until 1931, when the land was sold and the structures were torn down. A portion of the site is now a county park.

References

External links

* ("Rose Break" or "Dandridge House") * ("Falling Spring" or "Steptoe House") * {{National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia American Civil War sites in West Virginia Georgian architecture in West Virginia Greek Revival houses in West Virginia Historic districts in Jefferson County, West Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Historic American Buildings Survey in West Virginia Jefferson County, West Virginia in the American Civil War National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, West Virginia Vernacular architecture in West Virginia Morgan family of West Virginia Houses in Jefferson County, West Virginia Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Log buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia