Tag: Charles Town

December 25, 1937: Statesman Newton Baker Dies at 66 in Cleveland

Statesman Newton Baker died in Cleveland on Christmas Day 1937 at age 66. The Martinsburg native earned a law degree in 1894 and practiced law briefly in his home town. In 1896, he became private secretary to U.S. Postmaster General William L. Wilson, a native of Charles Town and former president of West Virginia University. After a year in Washington, Baker resumed his Martinsburg law practice before moving to Cleveland, Ohio, where he served as city solicitor and mayor. 

In 1916, he was appointed secretary of war by President Woodrow Wilson. Baker oversaw U.S. military involvement in World War I. While General John J. Pershing dealt with military decisions, Baker built up a massive army and acquired essential supplies. He also brought the industry of war to West Virginia, including the Naval Ordnance Plant in South Charleston and a large munitions factory in Nitro. World War I ended before either facility had been completed. 

After leaving office in 1921, Newton Baker returned to Cleveland, where he practiced law and served on various boards. He also worked in the administrations of Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover.

December 2, 1859: John Brown Hanged For Raid on Harper's Ferry

On December 2, 1859, abolitionist John Brown was hanged in Charles Town for treason for his raid on the U.S. Armory at Harpers Ferry six weeks earlier. While Brown’s raid had failed miserably, his capture and hanging had a much greater impact on national events. Brown’s actions set off shockwaves across the country. In the North, many hailed him as a hero. In the South, he was viewed as a villain and a true reflection of the North’s intended war on slavery.

Tensions mounted in the days leading up to Brown’s execution. Rumors of a massive jailbreak circulated in both the North and South. The jail and gallows were guarded by Virginia troops, including Major Thomas Jackson—later to be known as “Stonewall.”

As Brown was brought to the gallows, he handed off a note that read, “I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land can never be purged away but with blood.” Perhaps more than any other event, Brown’s death hastened a cascade of events that culminated with the first shots of the Civil War 16 months later.

September 20, 1879: Artist Patty Willis Born in Jefferson County

Artist Patty Willis was born in Jefferson County on September 20, 1879. A painter, printmaker, designer, sculptor, and art historian, Willis studied at the Corcoran Gallery School of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Pratt Institute.

After World War I, she traveled throughout Europe and the Middle East and studied in Paris. Returning to the U.S. in the early 1920s, Willis exhibited her work at the Corcoran Gallery and later at the Carnegie Institute, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and elsewhere. During the late ‘20s and ‘30s, she was part of the art colony at Provincetown, Massachusetts, and exhibited at the 1939 World’s Fair.

Willis lived primarily in Charles Town. She was a member of the Allied Artists of West Virginia, a statewide nonprofit organization of painters, sculptors, and printmakers founded in 1930. She frequently lectured on the history of religious art and was a pioneer in the study of West Virginia art history, particularly her research on Jefferson County portraits and portrait painters. Patty Willis died in Jefferson County in 1953 at age 74.

September 16, 1799: George Washington's Youngest Brother Dies in Charles Town

Charles Washington, the youngest full brother of George Washington, died in Charles Town on September 16, 1799, at age 61. Charles Washington first came to present Jefferson County in 1780 and began constructing his home, Happy Retreat, on land he’d inherited from his half-brother. In 1786, Charles Washington laid out plans for Charles Town on 80 acres. The town square, where the courthouse now stands, was deeded by Washington as a gift to the town. Charles Town was incorporated the following year, and Charles Washington is buried nearby in the family plot at Happy Retreat.

He was one of many Washingtons who owned land in present Jefferson County. George Washington acquired his first tract there in 1750, when he was 18 years old. George’s half-brother Samuel built a house known as Harewood in 1770. And Samuel’s grandson, John Augustine Washington, later built Cedar Lawn. All of these homes are still standing and are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

One other Washington family member entered Jefferson County history in 1859, when Lewis Washington was captured at his home and taken hostage by John Brown’s raiders.

August 6, 1873: First Meeting of State Supreme Court of Appeals

On August 6, 1873, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals met for the first time in the Jefferson County seat of Charles Town. During the state’s first 10 years, Supreme Court proceedings had been held solely at the state capitals, respectively Wheeling and Charleston. In 1873, though, the legislature decided to rotate the court’s three annual sessions among Charleston, Wheeling, and Charles Town.

In days of poor transportation, the rotating court allowed more people to attend. The legislature’s act specified Charles Town as the appeals site for all cases related to the eight easternmost counties: Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, Grant, and Pendleton.

While many saw the rotation system as a constructive development, some were less than pleased. A Wheeling newspaper kidded that perhaps the Supreme Court should also hold sessions in parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania and focus on the most-popular locations for making moonshine liquor since that was apparently the leading crime of the day.

The rotation system among Charleston, Wheeling, and Charles Town continued until 1912, when the Supreme Court was established permanently in Charleston.

July 23, 1900: Author Julia Davis Born in Clarksburg

On July 23, 1900, author Julia Davis was born in Clarksburg, the daughter of distinguished lawyer and statesman John W. Davis. She began her literary career writing books for young readers.

  

Her first, The Swords of the Vikings, was followed by a biography of “Stonewall” Jackson and a narrative of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Davis also found success with adult fiction, historical and biographical writings, and drama—more than two dozen books in all—including the Shenandoah volume for the landmark Rivers of America series.

Davis took care of numerous stepchildren and other children who needed homes. She was also active with charitable organizations in New York. Her 1942 book The Sun Climbs Slow is based on her experiences with two Spanish children who came to stay with her following upheavals during the Spanish Civil War. After the death of her husband in 1986, Julia Davis lived and wrote in Jefferson County, near Media Farm, the scene of the happy childhood summers described in her book Legacy of Love.

Julia Davis died in Charles Town in 1993 at age 92.

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