Charles Town

Charles Town, city, seat (1801) of Jefferson county, in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, U.S. The city lies 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Martinsburg. Laid out in 1786 by George Washington’s youngest brother, Charles, it early became the residence of some of Virginia’s most aristocratic families. By the end of the 18th century it had become the educational centre of western Virginia with the founding of the Charles Town Academy for Boys in 1787 and a similar institution for girls a few years later. The abolitionist John Brown was tried and hanged there in 1859 following his raid on nearby Harpers Ferry. In 1922 the courthouse, used as a change of venue from Logan and Mingo counties, was the site of a trial regarding mining labour unrest; the trials that were held in Charles Town and other cities resulted in a decline of mine labour unionization until the mid-1930s. Charles Town was badly damaged during the American Civil War, but in 1871 it again became the county seat (which had been moved to Shepherdstown) after the courthouse was repaired.

Mainly residential, Charles Town also has Thoroughbred racing. The city’s historic landmarks include the Jefferson County Courthouse (1836), scene of John Brown’s trial, and various homes of members of the Washington family—including Happy Retreat, home of Charles Washington, and Harewood, home of George Washington’s younger brother Samuel, where Dolley Payne Todd was married to James Madison in 1794. Inc. 1872. Pop. (2000) 2,907; (2010) 5,259.