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History · Bath (Berkeley Springs)

Bath (Berkeley Springs) dates to 1776, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

8 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 223 buildings between them. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 1850.

1776founded
8on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Bath (Berkeley Springs)’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Bath (Berkeley Springs) began

When was Bath (Berkeley Springs) founded?

1776

Bath (Berkeley Springs) dates its founding to 1776 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 77 in 18502020 census: 753250 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1802.The full story ↓

What stands out about Bath (Berkeley Springs)’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Town of Bath Historic District takes in 218 historic buildings.Boom and bustPeaked at 2,982 in 1860; 753 people lived here in 2020.A town in postcards12 old photos, postcards and papers, 1818–1930.Landmarks on the Register8 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

8 listings protect 231 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
8
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
231
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
Berkeley Springs State Park
Berkeley Springs State Park, built 1970T. H. B. Dawson HouseSloat-Horn-Rossell HouseJudge John W. Wright CottageBerkeley Springs Train DepotClarence Hovermale HouseMorgan County CourthouseTown of Bath Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Italianate2
Second Empire2
Gothic1
Late 19th and Early 20 Century American Movements: Mission Style1
Late Victorian: Queen Anne1
Neo-Classical Revival1
Berkeley Springs State ParkBuilt 1970
T. H. B. Dawson HouseItalianate
Sloat-Horn-Rossell HouseSecond Empire
Judge John W. Wright CottageBuilding
Berkeley Springs Train DepotLate 19th and Early 20 Century American Movements: Mission Style
Clarence Hovermale HouseLate Victorian: Queen Anne
Morgan County CourthouseNeo-Classical Revival
Town of Bath Historic DistrictColonial Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Bath (Berkeley Springs), census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0001850190019502000Peak: 2,982

Peaked at 2,982 in 1860; 753 people lived here in 2020.

17 censuses, 1850–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bath (Berkeley Springs)’s Wikipedia page.

By decade

Bath (Berkeley Springs), decade by decade

7 decades in the archive, from the 1810s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1810s–1890s5 items
[Map of area in the vicinity of Berkeley Springs.]1818[Map of area in the vicinity of Berkeley Springs.]Map18360924 Berkeley Springs Ten Pin Alley - National Intelligencer (Washington)183618360924 Berkeley Springs Ten Pin Alley - National In…Document[Map of area in the vicinity of Berkeley Springs.]c. 1861[Map of area in the vicinity of Berkeley Springs.]MapBerkeley Springs, a celebrated and fashionable health resort, county seat of Morgan Co., W.Va1889Berkeley Springs, a celebrated and fashionable health…US-WV(1891) p883 BERKELEY SPRINGS1891US-WV(1891) p883 BERKELEY SPRINGS
1900s–1930s7 items
St. Marks Episcopal Church, Bekeley Springs, W.V1902St. Marks Episcopal Church, Bekeley Springs, W.VSt. Marks rectory, Berkeley Springs, W.V1902St. Marks rectory, Berkeley Springs, W.VBerkeley Springs Motel, U.S. Highway 522 and State Highway 9... Berkeley Springs, West Virginia (87584)c. 1930Berkeley Springs Motel, U.S. Highway 522 and State Hi…PostcardHotel Washington -- Public Square -- Berkeley Springs, W. Va (73242)c. 1930Hotel Washington -- Public Square -- Berkeley Springs…PostcardHotel Washington, Berkley Springs, W. Va (79853)c. 1930Hotel Washington, Berkley Springs, W. Va (79853)PostcardLake - beach - bath house, Cacapon State Park near Berkeley Springs, W. Va (71405)c. 1930Lake - beach - bath house, Cacapon State Park near Be…PostcardMain drinking springs, Hot Roman Bath House, library, American Legion Hall, in state park, Berkeley Springs, W. Va (719…c. 1930Main drinking springs, Hot Roman Bath House, library,…Postcard
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
The story

How Bath (Berkeley Springs) came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bath (Berkeley Springs).

Read it all →

During colonial times in 1748, George Washington, then just 16 years old, was part of the team that surveyed the eastern panhandle region for Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. Washington returned several times over the next several years with his half-brother, Lawrence, who was ill, hoping that the warm springs might improve his health. The springs, and their rumored medicinal benefits, attracted numerous Native Americans and Europeans to the area.

ChaptersChronology of names

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bath (Berkeley Springs), 1776 to 1970

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1776
    FoundingBath (Berkeley Springs) is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1802Post officeThe Berkeley Springs post office opens
  5. 1818In the archive[Map of area in the vicinity of Berkeley Springs.]
  6. 1823Born hereJoseph S. Wheat is born here
  7. 1836In the archive18360924 Berkeley Springs Ten Pin Alley - National Intelligencer (Washington)
  8. 1840Born hereCharles Triplett O'Ferrall is born here
  9. 1860CensusPopulation peaks at 2,982
  10. 1861In the archive[Map of area in the vicinity of Berkeley Springs.]
  11. 1889In the archiveBerkeley Springs, a celebrated and fashionable health resort, county seat of Morgan Co., …
  12. 1890Born hereJohn Allen is born here
  13. 1891In the archiveUS-WV(1891) p883 BERKELEY SPRINGS
  14. 20th century
  15. 1901On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  16. 1902In the archiveSt. Marks Episcopal Church, Bekeley Springs, W.V
  17. 1909Born hereBeirne Lay, Jr. is born here
  18. 1970BuiltBerkeley Springs State Park is built
On the map

Bath (Berkeley Springs) on the map, 1901 to 1981

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bath (Berkeley Springs). Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Bath (Berkeley Springs) on the 1901 USGS mapBath (Berkeley Springs) on the 1981 USGS map1901Hancock sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bath (Berkeley Springs).

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Berkeley Springs, a celebrated and fashionable health resort, county seat of Morgan Co., W.Va
Retake this viewBerkeley Springs, a celebrated and fashionable health resort, county seat of Morgan Co., W.Va, 1889

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Bath (Berkeley Springs)’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

4 famous people were born in Bath (Berkeley Springs)

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Charles Triplett O'FerrallAmerican politician · b. 1840
Beirne Lay, Jr.Author, aviation writer, Hollywood screenwriter… · b. 1909
J
John AllenAmerican professional baseball player · b. 1890
J
Joseph S. WheatWest Virginian farmer and politician · b. 1823
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Berkeley Springs
1cemetery inside Bath (Berkeley Springs)
Greenway

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Bath (Berkeley Springs)’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBerkeley Springs, a celebrated and fash…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Bath (Berkeley Springs)’s history

What year was Bath (Berkeley Springs) founded?

In 1776, according to Wikidata. Bath (Berkeley Springs)’s post office opened in 1802, and the census of 1850 counted 77 people here.

What is on the National Register in Bath (Berkeley Springs)?

8 listings: 6 buildings and 2 historic districts, the Berkeley Springs State Park and the Town of Bath Historic District, with 223 contributing buildings. 231 historic buildings in all.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (8), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.