Two Rivers Giving Circle awards Berkeley County Roundhouse Project

Special to the Herald-Mail

The Herald-Mail

Sept. 30, 2024, 4:01 a.m. ET

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — The Two Rivers Giving Circle honored the Berkeley County (W.Va.) Roundhouse Authority and Foundation with its 2024 Preservation Award.

The award was presented at the Roundhouse in Martinsburg on Sunday, Sept. 15. 

The Martinsburg Roundhouse is a National Historic Landmark in West Virginia, one of three in the Eastern Panhandle. 

The property was developed as a maintenance facility by the B&O railroad starting in the 1840s, and portions of it remained in service until 1988. Today, it is as an artifact of the history of railroading in the U.S., and its surviving buildings are examples of 19th century industrial architecture.

The Roundhouse property also plays an important role in the Civil War history of the area: It was at the center of Stonewall Jackson's "Great Railroad Caper" in the spring of 1861, during which Jackson stole 14 B&O locomotives. 

In addition, the property is notable from the standpoint of U.S. labor history: A major national railroad strike began there in 1877.

The Roundhouse Authority, a nonprofit public corporation, was established in 1999 to protect, preserve and redevelop the Roundhouse property. Its goal is to turn the site into a major community event center and marketplace, as well as a heritage education resource. The Roundhouse Foundation was established in 2016 to raise funds for the authority's efforts. 

The Roundhouse project has been supported by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History.

In presenting the Two Rivers Giving Circle award, Giving Circle member Peter Smith said, "We know your work here is nowhere near done. This is a complex, difficult site and you've faced an enormous job getting this far. But by now you've made significant progress, and increasingly, things are happening here. That's great to see, and we're pleased to recognize you for your stewardship, for everything you've accomplished so far, and for your vision for the future."

The Two Rivers Giving Circle is a field of interest fund of the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation. Since its inception in 2008, it has provided more than $130,000 to Eastern Panhandle organizations engaged in natural resources conservation and historic preservation.

To learn more about the Giving Circle, go to the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation website at www.ewvcf.org, or contact Susan Caperton, the foundation's executive director, at 304-264-0353 or info@ewvcf.org.