Charles Washington's Town

Charles Washington's Town (HM852)

Location: Charles Town, WV 25414 Jefferson County
Buy West Virginia State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 39° 17.362', W 77° 51.603'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 760 views
Inscription
You now stand in the center of a town that is almost as old as the United States, laid out on 80 acres of Washington lands in 1786 - four years before the First President took office.
Charles Washington, youngest of the five brothers of the General, spent most of his life as a successful businessman in Fredericksburg, Virginia. In the fall of 1780, 42-year-old Charles moved here, bringing his family west of the Blue Ridge, and building a new log home he called Happy Retreat on lands he had inherited at the death of his half-brother Lawrence. Brother George was a frequent guest.
When Charles petitioned the General Assembly of Virginia to incorporate his new town in 1786, he donated four lots here, at the center, to be available for town and county buildings. Although Charles Washington died shortly before today's Jefferson County was established, his "public lots" grew to be the hub for business and government for a country he accurately forecast would grow and prosper.
Eighteen-year-old surveyor George Washington bought his first 453 acres of real estate just a few miles southwest of where you now stand in 1750.
George quickly convinced other members of his family to buy lands he had seen in the Shenandoah Valley while surveying for Lord Fairfax. Before long, the Washingtons held title to over 6000 acres of today's Jefferson County, all close to Charles Town.
Details
HM NumberHM852
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, September 5th, 2014 at 6:59am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 253334 N 4352788
Decimal Degrees39.28936667, -77.86005000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 17.362', W 77° 51.603'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 17' 21.72" N, 77° 51' 36.18" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)304
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 135-183 N George St, Charles Town WV 25414, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  10. This marker needs at least one picture.
  11. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  12. Is the marker in the median?