Jefferson County, located in the extreme eastern part of the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, was named for Thomas Jefferson, third president of The United States, and formed in 1801 from Berkeley County.
Bound on the north by the Potomac River, on the east by the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, and Loudoun County, VA, on the south by Clarke County, VA and on the west by Opequon Creek and Berkeley County, West Virginia, Jefferson County covers 212.41 square miles, varies in elevation from a low of 275 feet above sea level at Harpers Ferry to a high of 1000 feet at the top of the mountain east of the Shenandoah River, and is located about 58 miles from Washington, DC, and 67 miles from Baltimore, MD.
Charles Town was laid out in 1786 by Charles Washington, who donated the four corner lots at the intersection of George and Washington Streets for public buildings of the town and county. Charles died sometime between July and September, 1799, only a short while before the death of his brother, George.
Charles Washington, was born in Huntington Creek, now Fairfax County, Virginia, on May 2, 1738. He was the youngest full brother of General George Washington. He came to present Jefferson County between April and October, 1780.
First settled in 1732 by Peter Stephens whose "squatter's rights" were bought in 1747 by Robert Harper, for whom the town was named, and who first operated ferries across the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers at that point. Incorporated by the Circuit Court in 1872. President George Washington asked Congress in 1794 for an Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Building was commenced in 1796. Scene of John Brown's raid in 1859. Site of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park with over half-million visitors each year.
Jefferson County
Charles Town
Harpers Ferry