Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-08-10
1898, and is as follows

- LIZ Az Sh0NtNo ny tuO NtSASAeAA 49,
sembly of Virginia, that it shall be
lawful for the freeholders, housekeep-
ers and free male persons above the
age of twenty-one years, who shall
have been residing in the town of
Mecklenburgh and County of Berke-
ley one year next preceding the cleo
ton, to meet in some conyenientp place
in said town annually, on the first
Monday in April, and then and there
elect seven fit and able men, being
freeholders and inhabitants Of said
town, to serve as trustees thereof, and
the persons so elected shall choose
out of their body President, whose
authority shall continue until the first
of April following.
The first trustees chosen were
Abram Shepherd, Henry Bedinger,
Conrad Byers, Jacob Haynes, John
Morrow, Henry Cline and William
Chapline, who held their first meeting
June 30th, 1894, and elected Abram
Shepherd their first President. Among
the first acts Of the trustees was TO
place posts and ratings along the out
side of the footways on both sides of
German street from Mill street to
Duke street and both sides of Princess
street from Washington street to
Rocky street, theposts to be of locust
4 inches thick and 10 inches in breadth;
the rails 8 X inches and ten feet long
and to be placed three feet above the
pavements: the porches and cellar
doors not to project more than AZ feet
and the pavements to be ten feet
wide. The first levy made was 80
cents on the one hundred pounds and
25 cents on each tithable, which
amounted to Sl53.13, of which S114.79
was collected. The early fathers, like
those of later date, had great deal of
trouble about hogs and geese running
at large on the streets, and an ordin-
ance was passed requiring all hogs
and geese running in the streets,
to be taken up and placed in pound
made at the head of New street, where
the old Jail stood, and the owners
were required to pay 10 cents for a
goose and 25 cents for hog to have
them released from the pound.
The limits of the town under this
charter were Rocky street on the
North, Mill street on the East, Church
alley on the South and Shoe lane on
the West, but January IL, 1898, the
Charter was amended and the limits
of the corporation enlarged and the
name changed from Mecklenburgh to
Shepherdstown. The act reads thus
I. Be it enacted by the General AS
sembly, that the several lots adjoin-
ing the town of Mecklenburgh. In the
County of Berkeley, as they have
been respectively laid off On the lands
of Henry Cookus, William Brown,
John Morrow and Richard Henderson
and Company also the grounds lying
Immediately between said town and
the waters edge of the Potomac river,
shall be and they are hereby added to
and made part of said town to all in
tents and purposes.
II. "The said town of Mecklen-
burgh shall hereafter be called and
known by the name of Shepherds
Town" .......
The following were elected the first
trustees of Shepherdstown John
Kearsley, Jacob Haynes, Jacob
Smurr, Jacob Wysong, Peter Sim,
George Fayman and John Thombor-
ough. The trustees elected John
Kearsley their President.
The present market-house was built
in 1900, and was made 81 feet long and
20 feet wide. The stalls were rented
to the highest bidder and a regular
market sustained three days in the
week. The engine.house, ~ feet from
the market-house and ranging with
the east side oft, was built in 1901
and cost S31. 80.
The first fire engine was bought in
1904 in Lancaster. Pennsylvania, but
the contractor failed to complete it,
so that part of it had to be made in
ShepherdstOwn.
Berkeley County was taken from
Frederick County in 1872 and Jeffer-
son from Berkeley in 1S01.-SAep-
herdst0,on Register.