A Day in Historic Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Just over the Potomac River on the West Virginia side sits a small, historic goldmine. That mine is Shepherdstown and the gold is all of the history such a small area provides. Spending a day in Shepherdstown, WV would be quite a rewarding venture for those interested in history, fine dining, shopping, or just a really good cup of coffee.

The Lost Dog is a small, alternative coffee house located on German Street in downtown Shepherdstown and it is the place to go for those who have a "jones" for caffeine. They serve five house blends of regular coffee and also make other specialty drinks like herbal teas, expressos, cappucinos, and whatever else you can think of.

Around the same location sit four local restaurants, all busy everyday with their regular customers and the usual flow of tourists. The Yellow Brick Bank serves a variety of rare, yet exquisite entrees and has a full bar with highly-skilled bartenders ready to serve. Three Onion's is another restaurant similar to the former, but is less pricey, both at the table and the bar.
The final pair of restaurants are two Shepherdstown establishments that are great places to hang out without spending a lot of money. Betty's is a small diner that serves a good selection of classic American food, while Tony's is a pizza parlor where many go to split a pie and a pitcher for a reasonable price. After dining at one of these fine eateries there are many Shepherdstown shops that may be of interest to the average tourist. These small corner stores have something to fit every taste. There are alternative jewelry stores, art galleries, thrift shops, upscale clothing stores, a candlery, quite a few salons/barber shops, and for those you expecting a child, there is an upscale infant-maternity store as well.

Shepherdstown is full of options when it comes to dining and shopping, but nothing compares to the wide variety of historic landmarks both in and around Shepherdstown. While Shepherdstown is widely known for it's role as a town-wide hospital in the Civil War, it's history goes much, much deeper. There are two cemetaries in town that hold the remains of Revolutionary War Soldiers, each marked accordingly by the Pack Horse Ford chapter. Just outside of town is another cemetary that has graves just as old, along with many civil war soldiers buried there as well. About a mile down river road, outside of Shepherdstown sits a small clearing across from Maryland where there was a ferry used by Confederates to cross
the Potomac River. Shepherdstown was a very active Civil War town and most of that is due to it's location being in between Harper's Ferry and Antietam ten miles either way. Other historic sites are the Rumsey monument, Shepherdstown Battlefield, and Shepherd University's Civil War center, which has many Civil War artifacts, as well as displays containing artifacts from other conflicts from time to time.

Shepherdstown is a very interesting and entertaining town to visit, and that may be one of the reasons that George Washington considered it as a viable option for capitol of the United States. Whether you're interested in shopping and dining, or history Shepherdstown certainly has enough to do and enjoy for everyone and anyone.