Berkeley Springs

Berkeley Springs (HM27IJ)

Location: Berkeley Springs, WV 25411 Morgan 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° 37.663', W 78° 13.613'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 432 views
Inscription

Washington Heritage Trail

The historic spa town of Bath is known to the world by its post office name of Berkeley Springs.

From the time he was 16 through the reading of his will in 1799, George Washington ate, slept, owned land and bathed in and around Berkeley Springs.

Described as a "little bush village" where hundreds of visitors came for the healing waters, stayed in rough cabins and lived off the land as early as 1750, the area around the springs was known at various times as Medicinal Springs, Healing Springs, Warm Springs and Frederick Springs.

The Virginia legislature established the town of Bath at the springs in 1776. Building plaques note the founders and buyers of the first lots sold in 1777, including George and Samuel Washington as well as others of the colonial elite who selected Bath as the country's first spa. Washington visited nearly a dozen times with various members of his family, often staying for several weeks. He came for the waters as well as to socialize. Historic reports included racetracks, gambling and houses of ill repute.

Hospitality and health have always been the central purpose of Berkeley Springs, spa town, surviving threats from war, downtown fires and incompatible industries. The famous and the obscure have been welcomed for more than two centuries at summer cottages, huge hotels



and covered bathhouses. 21st century Berkeley Springs is a nationally recognized art town filled with spas, shops, restaurants, galleries and inns.

I am very glad Cole Lewis purchased a lott or two for me at Warm Springd, as it was always my intention to become a proprietor there if a town should be laid off at that place.
George Washington to Samuel Washington - October 27, 1777

[Aside:]
"to build convenient houses for accommodating numbers of infirm persons, who frequent those springs yearly, for the recovery of their health.......fifty acres of land adjoining the said springs is hereby established a town, by the name of Bath."
An Act Establishing a Town at Warm Springs—
December 6, 1776
Details
HM NumberHM27IJ
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, May 14th, 2018 at 1:01pm 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)17S E 738010 N 4390113
Decimal Degrees39.62771667, -78.22688333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 37.663', W 78° 13.613'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 37' 39.78" N, 78° 13' 36.78" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)304
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 300-398 Congress St, Berkeley Springs WV 25411, 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.

Nearby Markersshow on map
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?