History Martinsburg, West Virginia

the baltimore , ohio s martinsburg shops 3 years before civil war

the baltimore , ohio railroad (b&o) reached martinsburg in 1842. baltimore , ohio railroad martinsburg shops constructed in 1849 , rebuilt after american civil war.

an engineer waves passing b&o freight train in 1969. b&o s shops employed many locals throughout 130 years of operation.

according william still, father of underground railroad , historian, robert brown, alias thomas jones, escaped slavery in martinsburg on christmas night, 1856. rode horse , had swim across freezing potomac river. after riding forty miles, walked in cold wet clothes 2 days, harrisburg, pennsylvania. received assistance there underground railroad , traveled train philadelphia, , office of william still pennsylvania anti-slavery society. brown s wife , 4 children had been sold; sought find them. had likeness of wife, , locks of hair each of them.

in 1854, ten-year-old isabelle boyd, known belle , later noted spy confederacy, moved martinsburg family; father benjamin operated general merchandise store. after civil war began, benjamin joined second virginia infantry, part of stonewall brigade. wife mary in charge of boyd home when union forces under general robert patterson took martinsburg. when group of patterson s men tried raise union flag on boyd home, mary refused. 1 of soldiers, frederick martin, threatened mary, , belle shot him. acquitted.

she became involved in espionage, sending information confederate generals thomas stonewall jackson , j.e.b. jeb stuart. helped eliza corsey, boyd family slave whom belle had taught read , write. in 1863, belle arrested in martinsburg union army , imprisoned. boyd s greek revival home, had built in 1853 , sold in 1855, had numerous owners on decades. in 1992 purchased berkeley county historical society. historical society renovated building , operates berkeley county museum. known belle boyd house.

most residents of west virginia yeomen farmers supported union and, during civil war, voted separate virginia. new state admitted union during war. city of martinsburg incorporated act of new west virginia legislature on march 30, 1868.

martinsburg became center of railroad industry , workers. great railroad strike of 1877 began july 14, 1877 in city @ b&o shops , spread nationwide.

telephone service established in martinsburg in 1883. in 1889, electricity began furnished martinsburg part of franchise granted united edison manufacturing company of new york.

the interwoven mills began operations in martinsburg in 1891; grew largest manufacturer of men s hosiery in world.

construction of apollo civic theatre completed in 1913.

over 1 thousand (1,039) men berkeley county participated in world war i. of these, forty-one killed , twenty-one wounded in battle. monument fell in battle erected in martinsburg in 1925.

during world war ii, newton d. baker hospital in martinsburg treated thousands of soldiers wounded in war. in 1946 military hospital became part of veterans administration (va). va medical center in martinsburg still provides care united states veterans.

due restructuring beginning in late 1940s , continuing through 1970s, many of mills , factories operating in martinsburg shut down , went out of business, dealing major blow local economy. jobs moved deep south , later offshore.