Shepherdstown, West Virginia – Off the Beaten Path
This is one dog-friendly, dog-gone-happy, quietly hip, historic little town – just over the border but miles away from the madness of two metro areas. Unique shops and restaurants line German Street, and folks stroll along without a care.
The architecture and casual air of Shepherdstown are best appreciated while strolling down German Street. All photos by Paul Jean.
After a day of exploring this delightful downtown in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, I had to wonder why I hadn’t visited before. Maybe it’s all in the marketing, and could be remedied with a new slogan: “Shepherdstown – Alexandria Light!” or “Why Not West Virginia?”
Or maybe those of us who have been fortunate enough to have stumbled upon Shepherdstown should follow the prime directive and leave her be, because stardom would surely change her. But there’s no harm in a little blogging…
Shops offer a wide array of merchandise, so you can bring that Shepherdstown feeling home with you.
Shepherdstown is reminiscent of certain Colorado mountain towns – free-spirited, pleasantly worn, edgy without trying to be – with a touch of granola crunch. And even if you’re not particularly into history or out looking for it, it will find you. The past bubbles up to the surface like the Town Run itself.
Yes, Town Run. That’s the waterway that’s fed by over 20 natural springs before it enters the south side of town around Morgan’s Grove Park. It never floods, nor does it run dry. The Run meanders through backyards, over alleys, under streets and houses – you can even dine by it. Locals speak of it as if it’s a living, thing, and perhaps it is.
Town Run rushes through the sunken stone porch at the Blue Moon Café, but the water appears to be the only thing that’s in a hurry in Shepherdstown.
The springs have fed the economy of the town since it was settled by Thomas Shepherd in 1734. Because readily accessible water was conducive to the work of tanners, millers, potters and other artisans, the population grew to 1,000 by the year 1775. The town was chartered by the Virginia Assembly in 1762 – remember, back then we were one, big, happy state – making Shepherdstown West Virginia’s oldest town.
James Rumsey invented the steamboat here, and he tested it in the waters of the Potomac at the north end of Princess Street in 1787 – 20 years before Robert Fulton launched the Clermont. A monument to Rumsey is found on the river at the end of Mill Street, and the surrounding park offers an expansive view of the Potomac, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the C&O towpath.
Elmwood Cemetery is the final resting place of soldiers from the Civil War and other American conflicts.
Civil War history runs deep here, since its bloodiest battle – the Battle of Antietam – was fought nearby and more than 5,000 Confederate soldiers retreated to Shepherdstown. It’s reported that every home, shop, pub, church, alley and street – virtually every nook and cranny of the small town – was filled with the dead and dying.
Elmwood Cemetery, west of town on Route 480, is the final resting place of 252 Confederate veterans, many of whom died during Lee’s Maryland Campaign. Veterans who served in America’s other major conflicts, including the Revolutionary War, are also buried here.
Shepherd University lends that unmistakable college town feel, and on the edge of the campus you can see the town’s smallest house, built by the school in 1929. The little dwelling on Princess Street measures just 10 feet high by 9 ½ feet wide and was used as a laboratory in which students could observe children at play.
The Visitors Center, found in the Entler Hotel about mid-way down German Street, houses a half-scale replica of Rumsey’s Steamboat and provides dozens of brochures on the area. Perhaps the most helpful is “Historic Shepherdstown: A Walking Tour,” and it might be a good idea to stop here first and grab this essential guide if you are interested in exploring the Shepherdstown of old.
Visit the German Street Coffee and Candlery for every color candle – and so much more.
But while Shepherdstown is steeped in history, it is by no means stuck in the past. Shops offering everything from toys and clothing to arts and crafts line German Street. Here you can buy fine wine, rent a bike or kayak and shop for unusual gifts. Nothing seems to break the bank, and it feels good to support a small town’s economy.
One standout is the German Street Coffee and Candlery, specializing in bath and kitchen items but veering off to provide a variety of chocolate-covered treats – pretzels, espresso beans and the usual suspects, as well as Twinkies on a stick. Gourmet coffee beans and loose teas are also featured, along with wines and even a few cheeses for a picnic.
There are numerous places to eat in town, most notably the Press Room and the Yellow Brick Bank, but we tucked in on the sunken stone patio of the Blue Moon Cafe on Princess Street because it’s so … Shepherdstown. And because they welcomed Norton, our four-month-old Goldendoodle puppy.
The Lost Dog offers coffee, tea and conversation, revealing the pulse of this eclectic town.
There is something endearing about a restaurant that allows four-legged friends and has a river running through it. The quaint setting of the Blue Moon and its homemade vegetarian offerings give the place a peace-love-happiness feel, and stairs sculpted from trees remind us that this is the home of the mountain arts.
The Lost Dog Café, up on East German Street, is a trip in every sense of the word. Garth is usually there, self-described as the owner — but not in the strictest sense of the word. While he poured coffee and served biscotti, Garth mused about whether one can actually own a place or if it owns you – but he seems incredibly happy so whatever is going on here, it surely works.
Garth strives to maintain a psychotic kind of feng shui, and his efforts show. Visit the pin wall – his version of Post Secret – and read the bathroom for a glimpse inside the psyche of Shepherdstown. Feel free to bring your leashed dogs into this coffee shop– so long as “they are well-behaved and don’t pee or bite anyone.”
Just outside the door of the Lost Dog, Go Joe creates huge, colorful canvases almost everyday, possibly making him part paint artist and part performance artist. As he offers a smile and a kind word, you remember why you traipse around small towns to begin with.
Go Joe’s art is a riot of color, and he can be found creating it in front of the Lost Dog Café most days.
After learning a little about the history of Shepherdstown, exploring the numerous shops that line its streets and having a meal or two, you may think you’ve seen all there is to see. But wait, there’s more …
O’Hurley’s General Store, at Toll House Turn on East Washington Street, is almost worth the drive in itself. O’Hurley’s feels like a living history museum — both a tribute to provisioners of West Virginia past and a functioning emporium where you could probably do most of your holiday shopping for next year. Purchases are written up on old-timey slips and rung into an antique cash register by a most hospitable gentleman.
O’Hurley’s General Store has an ageless tradition of selling a little bit of everything, with integrity and a smile.
On Thursday evenings after closing time, the store has hosted a jam session of local musicians every week for the past 30 years. Chairs are set up in front of a blazing fire, and the music begins at 7:30 p.m. What better way to end a memorable visit to Shepherdstown?
Norton and Nikki agree that the Lost Dog Café is a real trip, in every sense of the word.
Story copyright 2011, Elaine C. Jean. All rights reserved.
Photos copyright 2011, Paul N. Jean. All rights reserved.
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