Top Attractions in Romney

Taggart Hall

Taggart Hall Civil War Museum Visitors Center is home to the Fort Mill Ridge Foundation and its Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches museum, the Hampshire County Visitors Bureau, and the Hampshire County Chamber of Commerce. It is located in Romney, West Virginia at 91 South High Street. Nextdoor to Taggart Hall on Gravel Lane stands Romneys oldest structure, the Wilson-Wodrow-Mytinger House . Taggart Hall was constructed in the 1790s by Frances Taggart, a Quaker, on a lot at the corner of High Street and Gravel Lane laid out in the original Romney survey conducted in 1762 on behalf of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. Taggart Hall was originally built as a clapboard "half-house". The original eighteenth-century structure has been expanded to accommodate the Fort Mill Ridge Foundation, the Hampshire County Visitors Bureau, and the Hampshire County Chamber of Commerce.

Wilson-Wodrow-Mytinger House

The Wilson-Wodrow-Mytinger House is believed to be the oldest house in Romney and the oldest public office building in the U.S. state of West Virginia. An assemblage of three separate buildings—a kitchen, a dwelling and an office—the Mytinger House, as it is commonly known, was built during colonial times probably dating from the 1740s to the 1780s, although there are no records to indicate the exact dates. According to records in the Hampshire County Courthouse, Colonel George Wilson received a patent on this property from Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron in 1763. George Wilson was a major in the Hampshire County Militia during the French and Indian War and was praised by George Washington for his zeal and bravery. Wilson was also the leader in whipping up sentiment for the Revolution and became Lieutenant Colonel in the Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment. He died during the long march the Pennsylvanians made in late winter, 1777, to join Washington in New Jersey. Wilson's daughter, Mary Ann, married another patriot, Andrew Wodrow. Wodrow had set up a thriving import business in the 1770s, but threw over his business rather than handle English goods. He put his stock of goods up for public auction and sent the profits to Boston to aid patriots there. He then became the clerk of the Revolutionary Committee in King George County, Virginia. In 1782, Wodrow was assigned by the new Commonwealth of Virginia to come to Hampshire County to take over authority as Clerk of the Court from Fairfax's man. He remained in that position until his death in 1814. It was during this time that he built the office; and he went to great expense to add beauty and dignity to this building, which is still evident today. Gone now from the property is the old log house where George Washington spent the night on October 9, 1770, during his last visit to Romney. The architecture of the three remaining buildings is representative of a time period spanning much of the early history and development of Romney. The architectural style and construction of the dwelling is very much like examples found in sections of Tidewater Maryland, that date about 1730. Whatever its origins, the building would have been an expensive and pretentious structure for the area and time. The half-timbered construction with brick nogging, the double brick chimneys with connecting pent, and the medieval floor plan are features not associated with what is now West Virginia. Wodrow's office is considered to be the oldest office in the state used as a public office. It is outstanding today for its paneled walls and woodwork that are reminiscent of a style prevalent in Williamsburg. The building must have been most impressive to the people of Hampshire County in the 1780s. For the next 170 years the property was owned by such people as John McDowell, Wodrow's son-in-law; Dr. McClintoch, one of Romney's first physicians; the Mytinger family, in whose hands the property remained for 100 years; Manning Williams, who was responsible for the restoration work; the Herbert Stelling family; and is now owned by Tom Stump, Lowell Hott, and Dottie Eddis.

Kuykendall Polygonal Barn

The Kuykendall Polygonal Barn was an early 20th-century polygonal barn in the South Branch Potomac River valley near Romney in Hampshire County, West Virginia. The Kuykendall Polygonal Barn was the only 15-sided barn built in West Virginia, and one of only a few such known to have been constructed in the United States. The barn utilized a number of sophisticated technological innovations not found in West Virginia's other round and polygonal barns. The Kuykendall Polygonal Barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 9 July 1985.

Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches

The Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches are battle trenches originally dug between 1861 and 1862 and lined with chestnut logs by the Confederate artillery during the American Civil War to defend the approaches to Romney on the Northwestern Turnpike and the South Branch Potomac River. The trenches were then refurbished between March and June 1863 by the 54th Pennsylvania Infantry and the 1st West Virginia Infantry. When Colonel Jacob M. Campbell garrisoned Union forces at Romney, camps were set up at nearby at Mechanicsburg Gap. The Fort Mill Ridge trenches are believed to be the best preserved battle trenches dating from the Civil War in existence. The trenches are located three miles southwest of Romney adjacent to the Fort Mill Ridge Wildlife Management Area off of the Northwestern Turnpike . A Civil War museum relating to the construction and use of the Fort Mill Ridge trenches is located within the Taggart Hall Civil War Museum & Visitors Center on the corner of High Street and Gravel Lane in downtown Romney. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

Fort Van Meter

Fort Van Meter — or Fort VanMeter — is a mid-18th century frontier fort in the South Branch Potomac River Valley about 9 miles southwest of Romney in Hampshire County, West Virginia, USA. It is located 15 miles northeast of Moorefield and about a mile northeast of the former community of Glebe at the northern end of the rugged river gorge known as The Trough. Fort Van Meter, a small rectangular stone building erected around 1754 for the protection of white settlers against hostile Indians of the Delaware and Shawnee tribes, is still standing and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2009.

Old Methodist District Parsonage

The Old Methodist District Parsonage is a 19th-century Italianate residence in Romney, West Virginia, United States. It is a two story brick dwelling constructed between 1868 and 1882 to serve as the district parsonage for the area's Methodist churches. After it fell out of use by the church, the eight-room residence was purchased and restored by the Long family and currently features 18th and 19th century furnishings and folk art. The Old Parsonage was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Literary Hall

Literary Hall is a mid-19th-century brick library building and museum in Romney, West Virginia. It is located at the intersection of North High Street and West Main Street . Literary Hall was constructed between 1869 and 1870 by the Romney Literary Society. Founded in 1819, the Romney Literary Society was the first literary organization of its kind in the present-day state of West Virginia, and one of the first in the United States. In 1846, the society constructed a building which housed the Romney Classical Institute and its library. The Romney Literary Society and the Romney Classical Institute both flourished and continued to grow in importance and influence until the onset of the American Civil War in 1861. During the war, the contents of the society's library were plundered by Union Army forces, and many of its 3,000 volumes were either scattered or destroyed. After a reorganization in 1869, the society commenced construction of the present Literary Hall in downtown Romney. It transferred ownership of its Romney Classical Institute campus to the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind in 1870 and in that year completed Literary Hall, where the society reconstituted its library collection and revived its literary activities. The Romney Literary Society's last meeting was held at Literary Hall in 1886. From 1886 to 1973 the building was used as a meeting space by the Clinton Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the Order of the Eastern Star. In 1973, the building was purchased by prominent Romney lawyer Ralph Haines, who used it as a law office and museum. From 1937 to the early 1940s the building also housed a community library. Literary Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 29, 1979. Literary Hall's basic design incorporates Federal and Greek Revival styles along with Victorian details. Architectural historian Michael J. Pauley described Literary Hall as "one of Romney's and Hampshire County's most notable landmarks, and one in which this community is justifiably proud".

Fort Mill Ridge Wildlife Management Area

The Fort Mill Ridge Wildlife Management Area is located on 217 acres two miles southwest of Romney in Hampshire County, West Virginia. Fort Mill Ridge WMA is owned by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. The Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches are located at the top of the Fort Mill Ridge access road. Fort Mill Ridge WMA is located atop Mill Creek Mountain's Fort Mill Ridge and is bound to its west by Mill Creek and its tributary Core Run and bound to its east by the South Branch Potomac River. The South Branch Valley Railroad runs along the WMA's eastern side, parallel to the South Branch. Fort Mill Ridge WMA ranges in elevation from 680 feet to 1,100 feet . Its forests consist primarily of various oaks and Virginia pines. The primary game species are deer and squirrel. Fishing for warmwater species is available on the South Branch via an access road on the eastern side of the WMA. Camping is not permitted.

Mount Pisgah Benevolence Cemetery

Mount Pisgah Benevolence Cemetery is an African-American cemetery in Romney, West Virginia, United States. The cemetery is located along the Northwestern Turnpike below Indian Mound Cemetery overlooking Sulphur Spring Run. Historically known as the Romney Colored Cemetery and more recently as the Romney African-American Cemetery, the cemetery was created for African-Americans in the South Branch Valley who were not permitted to be interred in the city's Indian Mound Cemetery. The cemetery has been in use since the early 19th century and continues to serve Romney's African-American community. It is currently maintained by the Mount Pisgah United Methodist Church, from which it takes its name.

Sloan-Parker House

The Sloan-Parker House or Stone House, constructed in 1790 of locally quarried fieldstone for Richard Sloan, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Located on the Northwestern Turnpike near Junction, West Virginia west of Romney it has served as a stage coach stop as well as a private residence. The Stone House has been owned by two families: the Sloan family until 1854 when it was sold to the Parker brothers: John, Peyton, Benjamin, and William. Current owners are fourth generation Parkers: Mr. David Renick Parker,and family.

High Knob

High Knob is a mountain summit on the border between Hampshire and Hardy counties in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. High Knob is known for its overlook of The Trough and of points in three counties. A historical marker was placed on U.S. Route 220/West Virginia Route 28 noting its scenic and historical value. Geologically, High Knob is a summit of Mill Creek Mountain.

Hickory Grove

Hickory Grove is a historic home located near Romney, Hampshire County, West Virginia. It was built in 1849, and is a three-story, red brick dwelling. It sits on a stone foundation and has a hipped, standing-seam metal roof with four large brick chimneys. The front facade features a Greek Revival style trabeated entrance. The north section was built in 1892, and replaced an earlier log structure. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

Sycamore Dale

Sycamore Dale is a 19th-century Greek Revival plantation house overlooking the South Branch Potomac River southwest of Romney, West Virginia. Sycamore Dale is one of several historic estates along South Branch River Road . It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1980.

Scanlon Farm

Scanlon Farm is a late 19th-century loghouse and farm overlooking Three Churches Run east of the unincorporated community of Three Churches, West Virginia. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 3, 1988.

Nathaniel Mountain Wildlife Management Area

Nathaniel Mountain Wildlife Management Area is located on 10,675 acres south of Romney in Hampshire County, West Virginia. The wildlife management area's principle access road is off of Grassy Lick Road . Nathaniel Mountain is one of West Virginia's largest and most important wildlife management areas. Nathaniel Mountain WMA is owned by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. On November 17, 2003, the WMA was expanded by 1,800 acres after MeadWestvaco Corporation sold the property to the WVDNR. Nathaniel Mountain WMA is made up of three major mountains: Nathaniel Mountain , Piney Mountain , and South Branch Mountain . The WMA's forests are primarily dominated by mature species of oak, hickory, and Virginia pine. White-tailed deer, turkey, grouse, squirrel, and black bears are abundant in the WMA and available for hunt. Mill Run, a steep mountain stream that meanders through a seven mile course to join the South Branch Potomac River, is also located in the Nathaniel Mountain WMA.

Mechanicsburg Gap

Mechanicsburg Gap (also known as Mill Creek Gap) is a water gap mountain pass through Mill Creek Mountain in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Mechanicsburg Gap allows for the passage of the Northwestern Turnpike (U.S. Route 50/West Virginia Route 28) and Mill Creek through Mill Creek Mountain. It takes its name from the community of Mechanicsburg at the gap's western entrance. Today, Mechanicsburg Gap has a number of interesting features within it. Near The Burg (an 18th-century home) lies the Romney Spring which flows from a PVC pipe at the foot of the gap which is visited daily by its patrons along the side of U.S. Route 50. Mechanicsburg Gap is also home to the now closed limestone rock quarry which has cut a massive hole into the gap's northern wall. Adjacent to the quarry is the former Evelyn's Restaurant, which was long a popular steakhouse and truck stop. The site is now home to Good 'n Gooder, a store with a variety of used items.

Indian Mound Cemetery

Indian Mound Cemetery is a cemetery located along the Northwestern Turnpike on a promontory of the "Yellow Banks" overlooking the South Branch Potomac River and Mill Creek Mountain in Romney, West Virginia, United States. The cemetery is centered on a Hopewellian mound, known as the Romney Indian Mound. Indian Mound Cemetery is also the site of Fort Pearsall, the Confederate Memorial, Parsons Bell Tower, and reinterments from Romney's Old Presbyterian Cemetery. The cemetery is currently owned and maintained by the Indian Mound Cemetery Association, Inc. Indian Mound Cemetery is the burial site of two governors of West Virginia, a United States House Representative, a United States Secretary of the Army, an owner of the Washington Redskins, and descendants of the family of George Washington.

Hampshire County Courthouse

The Hampshire County Courthouse is a Neoclassical edifice in the center of downtown Romney, county seat of Hampshire County, West Virginia. The present building was constructed in 1922 to replace the previous 1833 Neoclassical courthouse that had been destroyed by fire in 1921. The original bell from the 1833 courthouse hangs in the domed bell tower.

Fort Pearsall

Fort Pearsall was an early frontier fort constructed in 1756 in Romney, West Virginia (then known as Pearsall's Flats, Virginia) to protect local settlers in the South Branch Potomac River valley against Native American raids. The area around present-day Romney had been settled as early as 1725 by hunters and traders in the valley. Fort Pearsall was originally erected as a log house with a stockade by Job Pearsall (Pearsal or Pearsoll) and his brother John on their plantation in an area between Indian Mound Cemetery and the South Branch Potomac River near the river crossing of the old Fort Loudoun Road (Northwestern Turnpike) to Winchester in 1738, according to tradition. However, a look at when forts were built in the region indicates that the fort was likely built when a fort was really needed; in 1755 in the aftermath of the failed Braddock campaign in the opening days of the French and Indian War. Possibly, Job Pearsall and his brother John constructed the stockade to protect the settlers of Pearsall's Flats and the South Branch Potomac Valley. The brothers also constructed a number of homes for settlers that same year. Pearsall’s stockade was provisioned as a fort for the Virginia Regiment, a bona fide military force raised by the colony, by George Washington in 1755 and garrisoned in 1756. The fort came under the command of Captain Robert McKenzie during the French and Indian War. Fort Pearsall was garrisoned at various times during the war until 1758. At around 1758, there were at least 100 people living in the general area of Pearsall's Flats, though this can't be verified by historical records. The number seems suspect unless the "general area" includes the South Branch River Valley eight miles south to The Trough and some 15 miles to the north at the confluence with the North Branch Potomac River. After the hostilities in the area, Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron recognized the fact that more settlers would be interested in moving into the South Branch Potomac Valley and that he would gain substantial revenue from the sales of plots of land in the Pearsall's Flats vicinity. Lord Fairfax sent a survey party to Pearsall's in 1762 to formally lay out the town into 100 lots. Lord Fairfax then renamed the town Romney in honor of the Cinque Ports city on the English Channel. Some confusion ensued for several decades concerning the ownership of land within the town as counterclaims were made by the original settlers and those who purchased lots laid out by Lord Fairfax's surveyors. According to oral tradition, Pearsall's Fort was garrisoned again in 1774 for Lord Dunmore's War, however, it cannot be documented in the historical records. Today, a marker stands in Indian Mound Cemetery by the "Yellow Banks" overlooking the South Branch commemorating Fort Pearsall. Alongside the marker is a pile of what are thought to be remnants of the old fort.

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Top Attractions in Romney

Taggart Hall

Wilson-Wodrow-Mytinger House

Kuykendall Polygonal Barn

Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches

Fort Van Meter

Old Methodist District Parsonage

Literary Hall

Fort Mill Ridge Wildlife Management Area

Mount Pisgah Benevolence Cemetery

Sloan-Parker House

High Knob

Hickory Grove

Sycamore Dale

Scanlon Farm

Nathaniel Mountain Wildlife Management Area

Mechanicsburg Gap

Indian Mound Cemetery

Hampshire County Courthouse

Fort Pearsall

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