Roughly, Washington, Liberty and Congress Sts. from eastern town limits to Water St., Charles Town, West Virginia. County/parish: Jefferson.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places March 21, 1997. NRIS 97000263.
204 contributing buildings.
The Downtown Charles Town Historic District comprises the commercial center of Charles Town, West Virginia. The district centers on Washington Street and includes the Jefferson County Courthouse and the New Opera House, themselves on the National Register of Historic Places. Other structures include the Market House, the Independent Fire Company building and the Post Office. A few very early buildings are included, such as the Sheetz House, dating to 1797.
The town is significant as the scene of the trial of John Brown and as a contested town during the American Civil War. Charles Town is closely associated with the Washington family, as it was laid out by George Washington's brother Charles Washington.
During the Civil War, there was fighting in the town itself on several occasions. In 1864, General Philip Sheridan used the Rutherford House at 417 East Washington Street as a headquarters for the Valley Campaign, meeting General Ulysses S. Grant there.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/86535338