Clary's Mountain Historic District
Hammond's Mill Rd., Hedgesville, WVThe Clary's Mountain Historic District meets National Register Criterion C and is significant for architecture. Evaluating the fabric of the district under this Criterion, the district's thirteen buildings-- principally the five major properties in the district--represent formally-designed architecture reflecting styles popular during the period of significance, which begins in 1879, the date of construction of the district's earliest building (the Thomas Payne House; Resource No. 1), and ends c. 1930, corresponding to the approximate date of construction of the latest of the district's historic resources (the garage associated with the Lee Lingamfelter House; Resource No. 8).
The National Register Criterion C significance of the Clary's Mountain Historic District is established by the presence in the district of buildings which reflect vernacular traditions and formal styles of architecture popular during the forty-five-year period of significance. Among these styles are the Italianate, Gothic Revival, Neo-Classical Revival, and American Foursquare, specific examples of which are discussed in Section 7.
The unincorporated settlement known as Clary's Mountain is the result of the subdivision of properties of several families from the Hedgesville area. The earliest of these occurred in 1876 with Jacob Miller's purchase of the 331-acre Myers farm between Hedgesville and North Mountain Depot (on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad less than one mile east of the nominated area; Fig. 1). Thomas Payne purchased property on the south side of the road and in 1879 erected a modest three-bay home (Resource No. 1; Photo 5), the oldest property in the district. In 1893, Frederick County, Maryland native James B. Clary, purchased Jacob Miller's property and soon thereafter erected a two-story Italianate vernacular home (Resource No. 5) which he christened "Needmore." James Buchanan Clary (1856-1932) was born in Woodville, Maryland. After moving to this area he built his home at the foot of North Mountain and operated a lumberyard and general store in the North Mountain area, remain- ing here until moving to Martinsburg to retire in 1919. He died at Martinsburg in 1932 and his obituary noted, "fifty-three years ago [1889] he was married to Miss Bettie E. Thomas of Buckeystown, Maryland and three years later he moved to the Hedgesville section of Berkeley County."
Later subdivisions resulted in smaller residential tracts and a modest settlement was born at the foot of the Potato Hill section of North Mountain. The homes in the district also include Dr. D. R. Ross' c. 1885 late Italianate residence (Resource No. 10) which is perched on a hilltop overlooking the district. At the time of his death, Dr. Daniel Reed Ross (1842-1924) was described as a "venerable physician [and] a native of New York State but had lived in Berkeley County for the past fifty years."5 Early in the twentieth century three other substantial homes were added in the district. These include the residences of Dr. E. A. Ward (612 Hammond's Mill Road; Resource No. 3; c. 1905), Lee Lingamfelter (1862-1916) [611 Hammond's Mill Road; Resource No. 7; 1901], and Harry Moler (601 Hammond's Mill Road; Resource No. 12; 1920, later sold to George W. Kilmer and referred to as the Moler-Kilmer House). These homes were erected both by prosperous Hedgesville-area farmers and by two local physicians.
The character of the Clary's Mountain settlement never developed beyond that of a rural hamlet. The nearest population center, small though it was, existed at the village of Hedgesville, located immediately to the southwest. Hedgesville provided the residents of Clary's Mountain with institutional and commercial services including churches, schools, and retail outlets. Train service was accessible at the aforementioned North Mountain Depot and the county seat at Martinsburg lay five miles to the southeast. This fact notwithstanding, the tiny hamlet of Clary's Mountain is significant for its collection of highly decorated domestic architecture, sited in an otherwise architecturally unsophisticated section of Berkeley County. All properties in the district contribute to its character by dating from within the 1879-1930 period of significance and by retaining the essential form and appearance that they possessed during the period of significance. The district retains indisputable architectural integrity.
Comparing the Clary's Mountain Historic District to others in the area, the various districts in Martinsburg, the county seat, are of a considerably grander scale than is that at Clary's Mountain. In addition, the Martinsburg districts include commercial as well as residential and mixed-use districts and properties executed both in brick and wood; the Clary's Mountain district is purely residential and, except for one dependency, is built purely of wood. Two additional National Register district nominations were prepared concomitantly with that of Clary's Mountain and bear comparison with the Clary's Mountain Historic District. The Spring Mills Historic District contains four buildings and two sites and is located a few miles east of Clary's Mountain Historic District. At Spring Mills are an 1830s church and cemetery, a 1920s religious residence, and a late-eighteenth-century historic grist mill and associated miller's house. The Tabler's Station Historic District is south of Martinsburg and along the former Cumberland Valley Railroad. It lies on a flat tract and is clustered primarily along Tabler's Station Road, including homes, a twentieth-century manufacturing facility, and one historic church. All of the districts retain a significant level of architectural integrity, although Clary's Mountain and Spring Mills are the most architecturally cohesive of the three.
Viewing Clary's Mountain Historic District in the context of other similar resources in Berke- ley County, the several Martinsburg districts are considerably larger than Clary's Mountain district-including the Downtown Martinsburg Historic District. The Martinsburg districts exhibit a broader and more diverse concentration of formally-designed architecture, commercial, industrial, and domestic alike. The Harlan Spring Historic District, southeast of Clary's Mountain but also in northern Berkeley County, is a rural district focused upon a family farmstead. The Hedgesville Historic District, immediately adjacent to the Clary's Mountain Historic District to the east, dates from the 1830s and is a compact village containing a number of log homes, a lodge hall, some commercial architecture, and two churches. The Clary's Mountain district, conversely, is a rural settlement characterized by a more formally-derived architecture whose character approaches that of a late nineteenth-century upper-class residential enclave populated by physicians and business leaders.
Summarizing, Clary's Mountain Historic District is a small, rural Berkeley County historic district, exclusively residential in character, and containing five substantial houses and their associated dependencies. The district retains architectural integrity, including examples of styles of design that were popular during its c.1879-1930 period of significance.
The National Register Criterion C significance of the Clary's Mountain Historic District is established by the presence in the district of buildings which reflect vernacular traditions and formal styles of architecture popular during the forty-five-year period of significance. Among these styles are the Italianate, Gothic Revival, Neo-Classical Revival, and American Foursquare, specific examples of which are discussed in Section 7.
The unincorporated settlement known as Clary's Mountain is the result of the subdivision of properties of several families from the Hedgesville area. The earliest of these occurred in 1876 with Jacob Miller's purchase of the 331-acre Myers farm between Hedgesville and North Mountain Depot (on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad less than one mile east of the nominated area; Fig. 1). Thomas Payne purchased property on the south side of the road and in 1879 erected a modest three-bay home (Resource No. 1; Photo 5), the oldest property in the district. In 1893, Frederick County, Maryland native James B. Clary, purchased Jacob Miller's property and soon thereafter erected a two-story Italianate vernacular home (Resource No. 5) which he christened "Needmore." James Buchanan Clary (1856-1932) was born in Woodville, Maryland. After moving to this area he built his home at the foot of North Mountain and operated a lumberyard and general store in the North Mountain area, remain- ing here until moving to Martinsburg to retire in 1919. He died at Martinsburg in 1932 and his obituary noted, "fifty-three years ago [1889] he was married to Miss Bettie E. Thomas of Buckeystown, Maryland and three years later he moved to the Hedgesville section of Berkeley County."
Later subdivisions resulted in smaller residential tracts and a modest settlement was born at the foot of the Potato Hill section of North Mountain. The homes in the district also include Dr. D. R. Ross' c. 1885 late Italianate residence (Resource No. 10) which is perched on a hilltop overlooking the district. At the time of his death, Dr. Daniel Reed Ross (1842-1924) was described as a "venerable physician [and] a native of New York State but had lived in Berkeley County for the past fifty years."5 Early in the twentieth century three other substantial homes were added in the district. These include the residences of Dr. E. A. Ward (612 Hammond's Mill Road; Resource No. 3; c. 1905), Lee Lingamfelter (1862-1916) [611 Hammond's Mill Road; Resource No. 7; 1901], and Harry Moler (601 Hammond's Mill Road; Resource No. 12; 1920, later sold to George W. Kilmer and referred to as the Moler-Kilmer House). These homes were erected both by prosperous Hedgesville-area farmers and by two local physicians.
The character of the Clary's Mountain settlement never developed beyond that of a rural hamlet. The nearest population center, small though it was, existed at the village of Hedgesville, located immediately to the southwest. Hedgesville provided the residents of Clary's Mountain with institutional and commercial services including churches, schools, and retail outlets. Train service was accessible at the aforementioned North Mountain Depot and the county seat at Martinsburg lay five miles to the southeast. This fact notwithstanding, the tiny hamlet of Clary's Mountain is significant for its collection of highly decorated domestic architecture, sited in an otherwise architecturally unsophisticated section of Berkeley County. All properties in the district contribute to its character by dating from within the 1879-1930 period of significance and by retaining the essential form and appearance that they possessed during the period of significance. The district retains indisputable architectural integrity.
Comparing the Clary's Mountain Historic District to others in the area, the various districts in Martinsburg, the county seat, are of a considerably grander scale than is that at Clary's Mountain. In addition, the Martinsburg districts include commercial as well as residential and mixed-use districts and properties executed both in brick and wood; the Clary's Mountain district is purely residential and, except for one dependency, is built purely of wood. Two additional National Register district nominations were prepared concomitantly with that of Clary's Mountain and bear comparison with the Clary's Mountain Historic District. The Spring Mills Historic District contains four buildings and two sites and is located a few miles east of Clary's Mountain Historic District. At Spring Mills are an 1830s church and cemetery, a 1920s religious residence, and a late-eighteenth-century historic grist mill and associated miller's house. The Tabler's Station Historic District is south of Martinsburg and along the former Cumberland Valley Railroad. It lies on a flat tract and is clustered primarily along Tabler's Station Road, including homes, a twentieth-century manufacturing facility, and one historic church. All of the districts retain a significant level of architectural integrity, although Clary's Mountain and Spring Mills are the most architecturally cohesive of the three.
Viewing Clary's Mountain Historic District in the context of other similar resources in Berke- ley County, the several Martinsburg districts are considerably larger than Clary's Mountain district-including the Downtown Martinsburg Historic District. The Martinsburg districts exhibit a broader and more diverse concentration of formally-designed architecture, commercial, industrial, and domestic alike. The Harlan Spring Historic District, southeast of Clary's Mountain but also in northern Berkeley County, is a rural district focused upon a family farmstead. The Hedgesville Historic District, immediately adjacent to the Clary's Mountain Historic District to the east, dates from the 1830s and is a compact village containing a number of log homes, a lodge hall, some commercial architecture, and two churches. The Clary's Mountain district, conversely, is a rural settlement characterized by a more formally-derived architecture whose character approaches that of a late nineteenth-century upper-class residential enclave populated by physicians and business leaders.
Summarizing, Clary's Mountain Historic District is a small, rural Berkeley County historic district, exclusively residential in character, and containing five substantial houses and their associated dependencies. The district retains architectural integrity, including examples of styles of design that were popular during its c.1879-1930 period of significance.
Bibliography
GAI Consultants. Spring Mills/North Mountain Survey: Final Report. Berkeley County Historical Society, Martinsburg, W.Va., 2001.
Kearfott, J. Baker. "Berkeley County, West Virginia." [map] Martinsburg, W.Va.: J. Baker Kearfott, 1894.
Wood, Don C. An Architectural and Pictorial History of Berkeley County, Vol V. Martinsburg, W. Va.: Berkeley County Historical Society,
Kearfott, J. Baker. "Berkeley County, West Virginia." [map] Martinsburg, W.Va.: J. Baker Kearfott, 1894.
Wood, Don C. An Architectural and Pictorial History of Berkeley County, Vol V. Martinsburg, W. Va.: Berkeley County Historical Society,
Architecture
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
About National Register Listings
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.
The first electric railroad in the world was built in West Virginia in 1888. The line ran between Huntington and Guyandotte and was powered by electricity generated from a hydroelectric plant on the Ohio River.
About Berkeley County
Berkeley County Timeline
Berkeley County, West Virginia, has a rich and diverse history dating back to the early 18th century. The area was originally inhabited by Native American tribes such as the Tuscarora and the Seneca, who used the land for hunting and fishing. In the late 17th century, European settlers started arriving in the region, primarily from Scotland, Ireland, and Germany.
In 1772, Berkeley County was officially established by the Virginia General Assembly and named after Irish philosopher and bishop George Berkeley. The county's location along the Potomac River made it an important transportation route, leading to increased trade and economic growth in the area. During the American Revolutionary War, Berkeley County played a significant role as it provided troops and supplies for the Continental Army.
The early 19th century brought about the expansion of industry and infrastructure in Berkeley County. The arrival of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in the mid-1800s further facilitated trade and development, connecting the county to major markets. The county's economy thrived with the establishment of iron foundries, mills, orchards, and tobacco farming.
Berkeley County experienced various significant events during the Civil War. While the county itself remained under Union control, it saw several small-scale battles and skirmishes. Despite the devastation caused by the war, the county bounced back and witnessed growth in agriculture, manufacturing, and education during the latter part of the 19th century.
Today, Berkeley County continues to be a growing and thriving community. Its proximity to major cities like Washington D.C. and Baltimore, as well as its picturesque rural landscapes, make it an attractive destination for residents and visitors alike. The county is home to historical landmarks, such as the Berkeley County Courthouse, which was built in 1854 and still stands as a symbol of the area's past. With a blend of history, natural beauty, and economic opportunities, Berkeley County remains an important and vibrant part of West Virginia's heritage.
In 1772, Berkeley County was officially established by the Virginia General Assembly and named after Irish philosopher and bishop George Berkeley. The county's location along the Potomac River made it an important transportation route, leading to increased trade and economic growth in the area. During the American Revolutionary War, Berkeley County played a significant role as it provided troops and supplies for the Continental Army.
The early 19th century brought about the expansion of industry and infrastructure in Berkeley County. The arrival of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in the mid-1800s further facilitated trade and development, connecting the county to major markets. The county's economy thrived with the establishment of iron foundries, mills, orchards, and tobacco farming.
Berkeley County experienced various significant events during the Civil War. While the county itself remained under Union control, it saw several small-scale battles and skirmishes. Despite the devastation caused by the war, the county bounced back and witnessed growth in agriculture, manufacturing, and education during the latter part of the 19th century.
Today, Berkeley County continues to be a growing and thriving community. Its proximity to major cities like Washington D.C. and Baltimore, as well as its picturesque rural landscapes, make it an attractive destination for residents and visitors alike. The county is home to historical landmarks, such as the Berkeley County Courthouse, which was built in 1854 and still stands as a symbol of the area's past. With a blend of history, natural beauty, and economic opportunities, Berkeley County remains an important and vibrant part of West Virginia's heritage.
Berkeley County Timeline
This timeline provides a glimpse into the major events and milestones that have shaped the history of Berkeley County, West Virginia.
- 1745 - Berkeley County, WV was established as the second county in the state of West Virginia.
- Late 1700s - Berkeley County became an important center for commerce and trade due to its location along major transportation routes.
- 1863 - During the American Civil War, Berkeley County was occupied by Union forces.
- 1878 - The Martinsburg Roundhouse, a significant railroad facility, was completed in Berkeley County.
- Late 19th century - Berkeley County experienced industrial and economic growth, with the establishment of glass manufacturing, textile mills, and other industries.
- 20th century - Berkeley County saw continued development and population growth, becoming an important suburban area and commuter hub for nearby metropolitan areas.
- Present - Berkeley County is home to a diverse population and continues to experience growth in various sectors, including education, healthcare, and tourism.