Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-11-06
THE COURT HOUSE
REOPENED TODAY
Handsome Structure Was Formal
y Taken Possession OF.
APPROPRIATE EXERCISES
IN HISTORIC BUILDING

interesting Address Delivered BY
Judge Faulkner, Judge Heckwith
and others--Laree Number of Per
sons Present at the Ceremonies
lis A Handsome and Substantial
structure--coneert BY City Band.
From The World of Thursday:
The Berkeley county court house.
built In 1854 by Contractor G. NJ
Shaffer OF Martinsburg. deceased and
enlarged, remodeled ami refurnished
/ in 1909, was reopened 10 the public
today with ceremonies appropriate 70
the oeoalson.
| The old building had outiived it's
usefulness and the present imposing
structure, represeatEha cost OF about
$50, 900, Is one befttins the wealth.
dignity and importance OF the town
of Martinsburg and the county Of
lsBerkeley s, A. Westenhaver this
city, MAS the general contractor and
the work was done after designs by
Architects Milbourn q He.ston. of
Washington. The court house has
been pronounced model architecture
ally and In all ITS appointments, and
1t can be pointed out q the stranger
with pardonable degree of pride
The building had been scrubbed and
cleaned last night from tcp TO bottom
and this morning It looked as clean
ASA new pm. There we're many Wis
itors IN town today he majority o.
them, OF course, being attracted thith.
er by the Apple Show. and all took
advantage OF the opportunity to take
look around the courl house. while
many OF them tarrled for the exer-
cises In the court room,
The reopenlng exercises were held
In the large and ornate circuit court
room on the second floor and began at
eleven o'clock. by that time the
court room was well filed with an
audience Of representative men Of
town and county and . number OF
ladies'. Previous TO this the City Band
played three selections in the square.
President d. p. Lemaster of the
county court presided at the meeting.
After an invocation by Rev DR. F, M.
Woods, pastor of the Presbyterian
church, Judge Il. Boyd Faulkner OF
the circuit court was introduced.
Judge Faulkner sad that he felt
somewhat strange in the new court
house and could not nelp but cen
tras II with the old and unattractiye
building with its small and dingy
court room: but he felt sure he said.
that Berkeley county was Justly en-
titled TO t. The judge then spoke Of
the time when in 1915 Alexander
Spottswood looked down from the
mountain heights and behc Id the beau
tiful Shenandoah valley lie beng the
first white man to gaze upon this I'M
known valley. The speaker alluded
to the religious persecution that was
rife in America about that time; how
IL affected the early white settlers
along the Opequon and at the sites OF
the present towns of Shepherdstown
and Gerrardstown. This had much 70
do with bringing about the Revolu-
tionary War and the spirit of revolt
IN the colonies against the English
crown had its beginning In Berkeley
county.
Judge Faulkner referred to the part
the early settlers of Berkeley county
bore ia the wars with the Indians and
later the French when from 1716 to
1872 this valley was the scene o. al
most constant warfare. He spoke OF
the statesman, scholars and patriots
of that period and for some years
subsequently. He referred particu-
barly to General Adam Stephen, the
founder of Martinsburg in 177S, and
ate limits Of the town that should
have borne his name, but whose grave
is unmarked save by pile of stones
In traci-g the history OF Berkeley
county, which was established in 1772
and which originally embraced the
present counties of Berkeley Jeffer-
son and Morgan, the speaker said that
the first thing done was to make prep
araticns dor a court house. 1t was
Gen. Adam Stephen who was instru-
mental in having an act passed Great
ing it, and H was built on the site OF
the present Berkeley county court