Welcome to Historic Shepherdstown

Historic Shepherdstown is an active, non-profit, membership organization dedicated to preserving Shepherdstown's architectural character, and building public understanding of Shepherdstown's distinctive history.

Incorporated in 1961, Historic Shepherdstown has undertaken many important major projects that benefit our community. The Historic Shepherdstown Museum was founded in 1983, and in 1986 the expansion and updating of the National Register for Historic Places listing for the Shepherdstown Historic District was completed. The largest effort began in 1972 when the historic Entler Hotel was scheduled for demolition. Volunteers worked together to save and restore the building as a center for public activity. After many years of heavy public use, a major 25th anniversary renovation project was undertaken in 1997-98 to further enhance the public rooms. Today the Entler is headquarters for the Historic Shepherdstown Commission.

Become a Member Become a member of Historic Shepherdstown

Annual Appeal Make a donation to Historic Shepherdstown

Dear Friend:

A few weeks ago, one of the volunteer docents at Historic Shepherdstown told this story about the highlight of her day at the museum:

A young girl and her mother were in the vestibule and she overheard the mother tell her daughter that she “really didn’t want to go in”.  But the young girl insisted and the mother finally relented.  The mother told the docent that, although she was raised in Shepherdstown, she never knew there was a town museum.  The two looked around and then went upstairs to see the exhibits. The mother still wasn’t very enthusiastic. But when they came down half an hour later the mother couldn’t stop talking about how wonderful the museum was, how much she learned about her hometown, and how glad she was that her daughter had insisted on coming in.  Her last remark as she walked out the door was, “I’ll be back with the rest of the family; I can’t wait to share this with them”.

This past season nearly 2,000 visitors – like this mother and daughter - have visited the museum.  Almost without exception, they are just as enthusiastic. For 35 years, Historic Shepherdstown has been entrusted with telling the world about our history.  It has been challenging work, requiring the continuing effort of hundreds of volunteers and many dollars in contributions.  But hearing words like these from visitors, and seeing wonderment in the eyes of a child seeing the exhibits, makes it all seem very worthwhile.

As a contributor and friend, you deserve much of the credit for Historic Shepherdstown’s success.  It is only through your contributions that we are able to tell the story of Shepherdstown’s past and will be able to do so in the future.  Over the past year and a half we have made extensive improvements to the museum facility and exhibits and have continued to care for the landmark Entler building.  This has enabled us to:                                            

• Institute programs for children;
• Work closely with Shepherd  University students and;
• Increase availability of our archives to researchers. 

We need your help more than ever to be able to continue this work.   This year for the first time, we find ourselves reaching out to the community for additional help.   We are pleased to announce that the board of directors of Historic Shepherdstown has pledged $2,500 in the belief that the community can more than double its contribution.  Your gift will help us reach that goal.

We hope you find it possible to give a gift of history to people like the young girl and her mother and to future generations.

With grateful appreciation,

John T. Griffith

 President