Charles Town is a city in

Jefferson County, West Virginia Jefferson County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located in the Shenandoah Valley in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,701. Its county seat is Charles T ...

, 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 6,534 at the 2020 census. The city is named for its founder

Charles Washington Charles Washington (May 2, 1738 – September 16, 1799) was an American planter and politician who founded a town in the Shenandoah Valley that was named Charles Town in his honor shortly after his death and that of his eldest brother, George ...

, youngest brother of President

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 ...

. It is part of the northwestern fringes of the

Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...

History

18th century

"Charlestown" was established by an act of the Virginia General Assembly in January 1787. However, for about two decades, confusion arose because the same name was also used for a town established in Ohio County at the mouth of Buffalo Creek, and authorized in the 1791 term of that local court. That area in 1797 became known as Brooke County, with that "Charlestown" as its county seat until a December 27, 1816 act of the Virginia General Assembly changed its name to Wellsburg, to honor a trader and his son.

, the founder of Charles Town, was born in Hunting Creek, now

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 census, it is the most populous county in Virginia, the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington ...

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 ...

, on May 2, 1738. He was the youngest full brother of

. He came to what is today Jefferson County between April and October 1780. The estate of Charles Washington, Happy Retreat, was erected in 1780. In 1786, on 80 acres (320,000 m²) of his adjoining land, Charles laid out the streets of Charles Town, naming many of them after his brothers and one after his wife, Mildred. He donated the four corner lots at the intersection of George and Washington Streets for public buildings of the town and county, provided the town become the seat of the county separated from Berkeley County, which it did in 1801. The four corner lots are occupied by the courthouse, city hall, post office (formerly the jail), and Charles Washington Hall, an event space and food hall. In 1794, James Madison married "Dolly" Todd at Harewood, the home of George Steptoe Washington, son of

's brother Colonel Samuel Washington, just outside Charles Town.

19th century

Jefferson County was formed in 1801 as Charles Washington had anticipated. The county court house stands on one of the lots he donated, as did the jail until 1919, when it was demolished and replaced by the Post Office. Charles Washington died sometime between July and September, 1799, only a short while before the death of his brother George. Charles' and his wife Mildred's grave sites near Evitts Run have recently been located and surrounded by a stone wall. In 1844, the first issue of the '' Spirit of Jefferson'' newspaper was published in Charles Town by James W. Beller. It is the oldest newspaper in the state still (2020) being published. On October 16, 1859, abolitionist

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

and his followers raided the Federal arsenal at nearby Harpers Ferry, east of Charles Town. The insurrection was quickly put down and John Brown and his six captured associates were tried in the Jefferson County Courthouse for treason, murder, and fomenting a slave insurrection; all were found guilty and were hanged at the location occupied today by the Gibson-Todd House. Brown's trial and execution brought the national press and many other visitors to Charles Town. During the six weeks between Brown's arrest (October 19) and his execution (December 2) Charles Town was an armed military camp; hundreds of soldiers were stationed there to prevent a rescue of Brown, and a cannon was placed in front of the courthouse. See Virginia v. John Brown. During the first two years of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...

, the front lines of the Union and Confederate armies in the area fluctuated and the town frequently changed hands during the military engagements in the surrounding areas, with the town first occupied by Confederate troops, then Union troops, then back to Confederate until 1863 when Union troops occupied the town for the remainder of the war. In 1883, the Valley Telephone Company was incorporated in West Virginia and began installing telephone lines throughout Jefferson County. The company's main office was in Charles Town. A writer in 1898 commented as follows:

20th century

In 1922, Bill Blizzard, a leader of striking coal miners during the

Battle of Blair Mountain The Battle of Blair Mountain was the largest labor uprising in United States history and is the largest armed uprising since the American Civil War. The conflict occurred in Logan County, West Virginia, as part of the Coal Wars, a series of ea ...

, was charged with

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

and murder for engaging in warfare against state and federal troops in

Mingo The Mingo people are an Iroquoian group of Native Americans, primarily Seneca and Cayuga, who migrated west from New York to the Ohio Country in the mid-18th century, and their descendants. Some Susquehannock survivors also joined them, a ...

and

Logan Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gove ...

Counties. He was tried in the Jefferson County courthouse in Charles Town and was found not guilty. The Charles Town Race Track first opened in 1933. It was built on land purchased from the Charles Town Horse Show Association. In 1999, the Charles Town Race Track underwent major renovation which included a large addition to house video slot machines. It was renamed Charles Town Races & Slots. It became the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races on July 2, 2010. In 1975, the Jefferson Memorial Hospital in neighboring Ranson opened, replacing Charles Town General Hospital. It became part of the West Virginia University Health System and was renamed Jefferson Medical Center in 2013.

21st century

Charles Town's population has more than doubled since 2000, due in part to annexation of housing subdivisions that have been developed on land around the original city.

Geography and climate

Charles Town is located in the lower

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 ...

. 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 city has a total area of , all land. Charles Town is located northwest of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

and west of

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. Due to its low elevation for West Virginia, Charles Town is on the northern extent of the

Humid Subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between la ...

climate zone, having cool to mildly cold winters and hot and humid summers. Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, providing lush, abundant plant growth.

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 5,259 people, 2,011 households, and 1,289 families living in the city. 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 2,270 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 76.9%

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 ...

, 13.3%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 3.7% from other races, and 3.6% 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 9.0% of the population. There were 2,011 households, of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% 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, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.9% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.19. The median age in the city was 35.5 years. 26.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.4% were from 25 to 44; 22.5% were from 45 to 64; and 12.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,907 people, 1,285 households, and 732 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,396 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.91%

, 17.54%

, 0.10% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.03%

, 0.62% from other races, and 1.75% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.55% of the population. There were 1,285 households, out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were

living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.0% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,538, and the median income for a family was $43,547. Males had a median income of $30,917 versus $22,241 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 city was $18,104. About 13.2% of families and 15.8% 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 20.3% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Jefferson High School This is a list of memorials to Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father and third president of the United States and the author of the United States Declaration of Independence. Buildings Elementary schools *Jefferson Elementary School, in Cammack Villa ...

* Washington High School * Charles Town Middle School * Harpers Ferry Middle School * Shepherdstown Middle School * Wildwood Middle School * Blue Ridge Elementary School * Blue Ridge Primary School * C.W. Shipley Elementary School * Driswood Elementary School * North Jefferson Elementary School * Page-Jackson Elementary School * Ranson Elementary School * Shepherdstown Elementary School * T.A. Lowery Elementary School * Wright Denny Elementary School * American Public University/American Military University * Catholic International University

Transportation

Charles Town is served primarily by two main highways, U.S. Route 340 and

West Virginia Route 9 West Virginia Route 9 (WV 9) is a major east–west state highway located in the eastern extents of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. The western terminus of the route is at the Maryland state line on the north edge of Paw Paw, where WV ...

, which run concurrently for a short stretch in the vicinity of Charles Town. US 340 travels in a general southwest to northeast direction, connecting Charles Town to locations in the eastern

to the southwest. To the northeast, US 340 provides direct access to

Harpers Ferry Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 269 at the 2020 United States census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac River, Potomac and Shenandoah River, Shenandoah Rivers in the ...

and

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

. WV 9 traverses the region with a northwest-to-southeast orientation, connecting Charles Town to Martinsburg and Leesburg. Additional highways serving Charles Town include

West Virginia Route 51 West Virginia Route 51 (WV 51) is a state highway that runs west to east from Berkeley County to Jefferson County in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. The western terminus is at WV 45 northwest of Gerrardstown. The eastern terminus is at a ...

and

West Virginia Route 115 West Virginia Route 115 (WV 115) is a state highway running north to south in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. The southern terminus of the route is at West Virginia Route 9, WV 9 near Mannings, West Virginia, Mannings. The northern term ...

Notable people

John Peale Bishop John Peale Bishop (May 21, 1892 – April 4, 1944) was an American poet and man of letters. Biography Bishop was born in Charles Town, West Virginia, to a family from New England, and attended school in Hagerstown, Maryland and Mercersburg Acade ...

, author * Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop, first female African American horse trainer *

, tried and hanged in Charles Town, 1859 *

Sammi Brown Sammi Brown (born December 21, 1984) is an American politician and labor organizer who served as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates for the 65th district from December 1, 2018, to November 30, 2020. Early life and education Brown ...

, former member of the

West Virginia House of Delegates The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature in West Virginia. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates. Organization Regular se ...

* Frank Buckles, longest-surviving American veteran of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Martin Delany Martin Robison Delany (May 6, 1812January 24, 1885) was an American abolitionist, journalist, physician, military officer and writer who was arguably the first proponent of black nationalism. Delany is credited with the Pan-African slogan of "Af ...

, abolitionist, physician, leader in the

Black Nationalism Black nationalism is a nationalist movement which seeks representation for Black people as a distinct national identity, especially in racialized, colonial and postcolonial societies. Its earliest proponents saw it as a way to advocate for ...

movement * Warren B. English, politician *

Darryl Fitzwater Darryl Lynn Fitzwater Jr. is an American Anglican bishop. Consecrated in 2024, he is the third bishop ordinary of the Missionary Diocese of All Saints, an Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the ...

, Anglican bishop * Jack W. Germond, political reporter and commentator * Gary Gregor,

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player *

Hamilton Hatter Hamilton Hatter (1856–1942) was an African-American professor at Storer College and the first president of Bluefield State College (originally Bluefield Colored Institute) in Bluefield, West Virginia from 1895 to 1906. Life and career Hatter ...

, founder of Bluefield Colored Institute * John H. Hill, former slave, president of

West Virginia State University West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia, United States. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Color ...

* James Jett,

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player *

Samuel Mason Samuel Ross Mason (November 8, 1739 – 1803), was an American Revolutionary War veteran, Virginia militia captain, justice of the peace, frontier leader, and later, a figure associated with river piracy and highway robbery. He is best known a ...

, Revolutionary War soldier and early American

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

* Frederick Mayer, German-born Jewish agent of the

OSS OSS or Oss may refer to: Places * Oss, a city and municipality in the Netherlands * Osh Airport, IATA code OSS People with the name * Oss (surname), a surname Arts and entertainment * ''O.S.S.'' (film), a 1946 World War II spy film about ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

* William McSherry, Jesuit and president of

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

Alex Mooney Alexander Xavier Mooney (born June 7, 1971) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2015 to 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he represented the 3rd district in the Maryland State Senate from 1999 to 20 ...

, U.S. Congressman for

West Virginia's 2nd congressional district West Virginia's 2nd congressional district consists of the northern half of the state. It contains Barbour, Berkeley, Brooke, Doddridge, Grant, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Jefferson, Lewis, Marion, Marshall, Mineral, Monongalia, Morgan ...

* Frank R. Stockton, author, most famous for the short story "The Lady, or the Tiger?" *

David Hunter Strother David Hunter Strother (September 26, 1816 – March 8, 1888) was an American journalist, artist, brevet Brigadier General, innkeeper, politician and diplomat from West Virginia. Both before and after the American Civil War (in which he was ini ...

, artist, author, soldier, statesman (Consul General to Mexico City) *

Edward Tiffin Edward Tiffin (June 19, 1766 – August 9, 1829) was an American politician who served as the first governor of Ohio and later as a United States Senate, United States Senator from Ohio as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Democratic-R ...

, first governor of Ohio * Samuel Washington,

's brother, lived in Charles Town at Harewood *

William Lyne Wilson William Lyne Wilson (May 3, 1843 – October 17, 1900) was an American politician and lawyer from West Virginia. A Bourbon Democrat, he was elected to the United States Congress in 1882 and served six terms of office, ending in 1895. Following ...

, Postmaster General of the United States *

Thomas Worthington Thomas or Tom Worthington may refer to: *Thomas Worthington (Douai) (1549–1627), English Catholic priest and third President of Douai College *Thomas Worthington (Dominican) (1671–1754), English Dominican friar and writer *Thomas Worthington (g ...

, sixth governor of Ohio and one of the first senators from Ohio

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Cities in West Virginia Cities in Jefferson County, West Virginia Washington metropolitan area 1787 establishments in Virginia Populated places established in 1787