The Hampshire County Courthouse is a
Neoclassical edifice in the center of downtown
Romney, county seat of
Hampshire County, West Virginia. The present building was constructed in 1922 to replace the previous 1833 Neoclassical courthouse that had been destroyed by fire in 1921. The original bell from the 1833 courthouse hangs in the domed bell tower.
Civil War history
During the Civil War,
John Baker White was the Clerk of Court for the courthouse.
No court proceedings convened in Hampshire County between 1861 and 1864
and the county's courthouse was used as a
stable by Union soldiers stationed in Romney during the war.
Upon learning of this, White was again concerned for the safety of the county's records and proceeded to load
land registration records ledger
A ledger is a book or collection of accounts in which account transactions are recorded. Each account has an opening or carry-forward balance, and would record each transaction as either a debit or credit in separate columns, and the ending or ...
books onto wagons
and had them transported to Winchester for safekeeping.
White selected for transport only the
bound
Bound or bounds may refer to:
Mathematics
* Bound variable
* Upper and lower bounds, observed limits of mathematical functions
Physics
* Bound state, a particle that has a tendency to remain localized in one or more regions of space
Geography
*B ...
volumes of records which included "deed books,
wills Wills may refer to:
* Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property ( estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the pr ...
, and
settlements of estates" and kept the unbound paper records in the courthouse, thus separating them so that the entirety of the county's records could not be destroyed by Union forces.
White likely chose to transport the bound volumes of records, as the loose paper records would have been more cumbersome to keep together.
In 1863, when Winchester was no longer a safe location for the storage of Hampshire County's records and they again risked destruction by Union Army forces,
White's son Captain
Christian Streit White
Christian Streit White (March 10, 1839 – January 28, 1917) was an American military officer, lawyer, court clerk, pisciculturist, and politician in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia.
During the American Civil War, White served ...
took responsibility for the records and transferred them to
Front Royal
Front Royal is the only incorporated town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was 15,011 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Warren County.
History
The entire Shenandoah Valley including the area to become ...
.
When Front Royal became endangered by advancing Union Army forces, Captain White had the records moved to
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns, originally called Luray Cave, is a cave just west of Luray, Virginia, United States, which has drawn many visitors since its discovery in 1878. The cavern system is generously adorned with speleothems such as columns, mud flows, s ...
where they remained for several months.
In the Fall of 1864, the county's record books were rescued by Captain White and his company as Union Army troops were in the process of destroying them.
Captain White's company loaded about 150 record books into a wagon and they were taken to
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
where they remained safely for the duration of the war.
Hampshire County's land records survived and were returned to the courthouse following the conclusion of the American Civil War,
likely by a soldier returning to the area from North Carolina.
Had White not separated the records and sent the bound volumes away for safekeeping, Hampshire County would have lost all its records during the course of the war, as those that remained in the courthouse were destroyed.
Miscellany
The original cast-iron fence that surrounded the 1833 courthouse was removed during reconstruction of the present courthouse and relocated to the Hiett Graveyard on
North River between the communities of
North River Mills and
Pleasant Dale.
Gallery
Image:Old Hampshire County Courthouse Romney WV.jpg, 1833 Courthouse
Image:RomneyWVPostCard.JPG, View of Romney with the 1922 Courthouse visible on the right
References
Bibliography
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See also
*
List of historic sites in Hampshire County, West Virginia This is a list of historic sites in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of Ame ...
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hampshire County Courthouse (West Virginia
American Civil War sites in West Virginia
Buildings and structures in Romney, West Virginia
Neoclassical architecture in West Virginia
County courthouses in West Virginia
Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
Government buildings completed in 1833
Government buildings completed in 1922
Hampshire County, West Virginia, in the American Civil War
National Register of Historic Places in Hampshire County, West Virginia
Northwestern Turnpike
Tourist attractions in Hampshire County, West Virginia
1833 establishments in Virginia
1922 establishments in West Virginia
Clock towers in West Virginia