Take A Walk Through West Virginia History On These Colonial-Era Grounds
West Virginia is peppered with preserved historical structures, some older than others. And these colonial buildings in Martinsburg preserve history both above and below ground.
The General Adam Stephen House was built sometime in the 1770s or 1780s. Aside from building the limestone structure, Stephen was also instrumental helping to establish the town of Martinsburg. He was a soldier who fought in the French and Indian War and The American Revolution.
However, Stephen is probably most famous for his speech at the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1788 which pushed delegates to ratify the constitution. It was not long after that other states followed Virginia's example.
Next door to The Adam Stephen House is the Triple Brick Museum, built in 1874 by Philip Showers. Showers rented the house to railroad workers and their families; the house was separated into three different residences, presumably one on each floor.
Today, the house is a museum filled with several items such as 19th century surveying equipment, quilts, spinning wheels, railroad artifacts, fossils, arrowheads and military uniforms.
Also on the grounds in separate building are the kitchen, smokehouse and wash house. There is even a garden beside the kitchen that grows various herbs, lettuce, squash, sunflowers, and marigolds.
Perhaps most interesting are the tunnels that run beneath the structures. These man made passages were cut into the limestone and might have been used as escape routes during wartime. Both British and Native Americans played the role of aggressors during Martinsburg's long history, and it is believed that these tunnels might have served unarmed civilians or outmanned soldiers very well. However, the tunnels' purpose is just speculation.
The General Adam Stephen Memorial Association provides regular tours of the passages for anyone interested in learning more about these mysterious tunnels.
