Washington Heritage Trail
Washington Heritage Trail Must See Tour
| Departure: | Charles Town, West Virginia |
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| Destination: | Claymont Court, West Virginia |
| Time to allow: | 1 day |
This 'must-see' tour for the George Washington Heritage Trail explores some of the prominent sites in West Virginia's panhandle region that visitors will not want to miss when driving the trail or simply visiting the area. The tour begins in Charles Town, located near Harper's Ferry National Historical Park in the southeastern part of the panhandle and travels in a loop covering the entire panhandle region.
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Start: Charles Town
Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Walk the streets of Charles Town, which were laid out by Charles Washington, George Washington's brother, in 1786. If you look at the names of the streets, you'll see that they're named after members of the Washington family.
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Stop 2: Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
Directions from previous place: Start out going northwest on S. George St toward W. Washington St. After .1 miles, turn right onto E. Washington St. Continue to follow the road for 1 mile. The road then turns into US-340 N, drive for 5.5 miles, then make a left onto Union St.
After .3 miles, turn right onto Washington St, and then right onto Gilmore St. After .1 miles, turn left onto Fillmore St to end at Harpers Ferry National Park.
Distance from Previous Site: 7.44 miles / 11.9 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 12 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 2 hours Explore many of the interpretive themes that can be found in Harpers Ferry. In addition to Civil War, African-American, Industrial, Transportation, and National Heritage themed area, you can also see items relevant to George Washington history.
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Stop 3: Shepherdstown
Directions from previous place: Start out going west on Fillmore St toward Columbia St. After .1 miles, turn right onto Gilmore St. and drive for .1 miles.
Take a left turn onto Washington St, and after .3 miles, turn left onto Union St, then right onto Venezuela Ave. Continue to follow the road for 2.4 miles before turning right onto Shepherdstown Pike.
After .1 miles, turn left onto Shepherdstown Pike and follow the road for 8.7 miles. Turn right onto Princess St and after .1 miles, end in Shepherdstown.
Distance from Previous Site: 12.18 miles / 19.5 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 22 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Visit the oldest incorporated town West Virginia, and learn about the history of Thomas Shepherd and some old West Virginian history.
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Stop 4: Martinsburg
Directions from previous place: Start out going northeast on Princess St. toward German St. for .1 miles, then turn left onto E. German St. Continue to follow the road for .5 miles before E. German St becomes WV-45.
After driving for 8.1 miles, turn left onto N Queen St and follow the road for .9 miles before ending in Martinsburg.
Distance from Previous Site: 9.53 miles / 15.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 21 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour 30 minutes In the town of Martinsburg, you can explore seven separate National Register Historic Districts. Visit the General Adams Stephen House, home of the city's founder, or stop by the Belle Boyd House, home of Confederate spy Bell Boyd.
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Stop 5: Hedgesville
Directions from previous place: Start out going north on S. Queen St toward E. King St. Drive for .1 miles before making a left turn onto W. King St. Continue to follow the road for 1.4 miles before merging onto I-81 N toward Hagerstown.
After 2.8 miles, merge onto WV-9 via exit 16W toward Berkeley Springs; after 4.9 miles, turn left onto S. Mart St, then turn right onto E. Pine St. to end at Hedgesville.
Distance from Previous Site: 9.4 miles / 15.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 17 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Walk around historic buildings that date back to 1832, or take a look at the Mt. Zion Episcopal Church, that predates the town, having been built in 1818.
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Stop 6: Snodgrass Tavern
Directions from previous place: Take SR 9 just because the start of Hedgesville and will come across the Snodgrass Tavern.
Distance from Previous Site: 1.4 miles / 2.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 5 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes Visit one of the oldest known houses in Berkley County; the Snodgrass Tavern provided food and lodging for travelers until 1847, with its most famous guest being George Washington.
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Stop 7: Berkeley Springs
Directions from previous place: Start out going southeast on E Pine St toward S. Mary St, then turn left on S. Mary St. After .1 miles, make a left turn onto WV-9; continue to follow the road for 17.5 miles.
Turn right onto Ewing St and then left onto Martinsburg Rd. After .2 miles, make a right turn onto US-522 and then another right onto Fairfax St to end at Berkeley Springs.
Distance from Previous Site: 18.11 miles / 29.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 36 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 2 hours The Town of Bath was established in 1776 but had been a favorite of Native Americans and colonialists well before then. Learn about the history of the town and enjoy a few hours of walking around the town, horseback riding or exploring the old buildings that still remain.
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Stop 8: Berekely Springs State Park
Directions from previous place: Start out going northwest on Fairfax St toward Washington St., after .1 miles, turn left onto US-522. End at Berkeley Springs State Park
Distance from Previous Site: 0.5 miles / 0.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 1 minute Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Visit Berkeley Springs, famous for its hot springs and even visited by George Washington more than a dozen times. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the springs are now a state park.
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Stop 9: Capacon State Park
Directions from previous place: Start out going south on US-522 toward Bath St., continue to follow the road for 9.4 miles, then turn right onto Cacapon Lodge Drive. After .3 miles, end at Cacapon State Park.
Distance from Previous Site: 9.8 miles / 15.7 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 13 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 2 hours Enjoy a day of hiking, fishing, boating or golfing at Cacapon State Park. Located on the eastern slope of Capacon Mountain, George Washington liked to ride horses in this centuries before it became a state park in 1933.
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Stop 10: Gerrardstown Historic District
Directions from previous place: Start out going southeast on Cacapon State Park Entrance toward Valley Rd, after .3 miles, turn right onto Valley Road. After 2.8 miles, turn left onto CR-38, drive for 2 miles and then make a right onto CR-28. Turn left after .4 miles onto Blue Rock Rd.
Turn right after 1.3 miles to stay on Blue Rock Rd, then after .7 miles, the road turns into CR-13. Take this road for 1.3 miles before making a right turn onto Romney-Martinsburg. Drive for 2.6 miles and then the road becomes CR-13, drive on this road for 5.1 miles before road turns into CR-18.
After .9 miles, stay straight to go onto CR-20, then make a left after 1.9 miles to stay on the road. After another 1.9 miles, the road becomes WV-51. Drive 1.7 miles, then turn right onto CR-51 to end at Gerrardstown.
Distance from Previous Site: 23.42 miles / 37.5 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 43 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 45 minutes Visit the Hay-Gerrard House, built in 1743 and still remains standing today. One interesting feature is something called an "Indian Closet", where occupants were able to hide from attacks.
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Stop 11: Harewood
Directions from previous place: Start out by going northeast on CR-51and drive for .1 miles before making a right onto WV-51. Drive for 3.3 miles and then make another right onto US-11. Turn left onto WV-51 after .2 miles and then continue along that road for 8.2 miles to end at Harewood.
Distance from Previous Site: 11.96 miles / 19.1 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 24 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 5 minutes Take a look at the only Washington home still owned and occupied by a Washington descendent.
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Stop 12: Middleway Historic District
Directions from previous place: Start out by going west on WV-51 toward CR-51, drive for 2.9 miles before making a left turn onto CR-1. After .5 miles, turn left onto CR-1 and end at Middleway after .1 miles.
Distance from Previous Site: 3.71 miles / 5.9 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 8 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 45 minutes Visit the historic town east of Gerrardstown, with over 50 historical buildings to explore. One of the more famous ones is the farm of Adam Livingston, who was reportedly haunted by a ghost in the 1790's. The "Legend of Wizard Clip" is a very well known one in the area.
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End: Claymont Court
Directions from previous place: Start out by going south on CR-1; drive for 4.6 miles before making a sharp left onto Summit Point Pike. After 2.4 miles, turn right onto CR-13, then make a left onto Claymont St, ending at Claymont Court.
Distance from Previous Site: 7.89 miles / 12.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 16 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Visit the only Washington house still open to the public. Claymont Court was built by Corbin Washington, the grandson of George Washington's brother. Walk around the area's gardens or spend the night at their bed and breakfast.
