Shepherdstown

West Virginia’s oldest town, Shepherdstown predates the Revolutionary War and has been collecting history ever since. James Rumsey launched one of America’s first steamboats on the Potomac here in 1787; the C&O Canal arrived in the 1830s, bringing Shepherdstown Lock 38 — the only canal lock in West Virginia named for its town; and when the Battle of Antietam ended in September 1862, every building and street in Shepherdstown filled with wounded and dying soldiers. Elmwood Cemetery, where 285 Confederate veterans are buried, offers a self-guided walking tour that brings that chapter quietly to life.

Today, Shepherd University anchors a lively arts and cultural scene, and German Street is lined with artisanal shops, restaurants, and cafés that reward slow exploration. Six natural springs feed streams that meander through town, a small wonder most visitors discover only by wandering.