One of the most beautiful and interesting historic properties in Martinsburg – Boydville, the Georgian Mansion on Queen Street was ordered to be burned down during the civil war. Mary Boyd Faulkner – the daughter of Elisha Boyd – managed to get an exemption from Abraham Lincoln an hour before that was to happen. That area,
The Boydville Historic Districtic, which includes the Boydville mansion, built by Elisha Boyd plus several other notable homes are part of the interesting history of Martinsburg. I’m going to talk about the Boydville Historic District so next time you are over that way, it hopefully will have a little more meaning. This information is from the Boydville website. Plus a few other sites with history about this area.
The Boydville Historic District runs from just south of downtown – includes the 400 through 600 block of Queen Street and bordered on the east by Spring St and includes all of the Boydville grounds including the Norborne Cemetery just off South St which backs up to the Boydville estate
. Adam Stephens the revolutionary war general laid out the cemetery in 1778 – the same year he established the city of Martinsburg. He sold the land for Boydville (about 300 acres to General Elisha Boyd for $290 . Elisha Boyd completed The Georgian mansion in the fall of 1812 when the family moved in. .and thankfully it has been well preserved. He willed the property to his daughter – Virginia Boyd Faulkner and It remained in the family until it was sold in 1958. Today Boydville The Inn at Martinsburg is a popular venue for weddings. Information about that can be found at Boydville.com.
Most of the original Boyd family members are buried in the Norborne cemetery which at that time was part of the Boydville estate. As are many prominent people of the time. That cemetary currently is owned by Trinity Episcopal Church. There’s a cottage on the edge of the Boydville grounds that Elisha Boyd used as a law office – it’s right next to the Norborne cemetery. Few Years back, the Snyder Bailey offices were in that same cottage. I learned it was considered to be haunted from a client I met there. They were just on a ghost tour that pointed out our offices – saying that on occasion a light would go in the middle of the night in a room upstairs. So I don’t know, I spent a lot of time there and never saw anything.
Elisha Boyd divided A portion of The original land into lots and sold to wealthy families who built some magnificent homes. It became know as millionaires row and The Boydville Historic District.
517 S Queen was owned by George Bowers. The huge columns on the house came from the Treasury building in Washington DC.
WH Crawford built this home at 505 S Queen. It’s a The Neo-Classical Revival brick with huge Corinthian columns on stone pedestals. He established the Crawford Woolen Mill. That building on the Corner of Raleigh and Stephen Street is now part of the Berkeley county Judicial Center
600 S Queen was built by HC Berry in 1890. It has been restored to maintain the architectural details of the time. It is currently for sale. Details can be found at our website – Meetmeinthepanhandle.com.
This area is full of history, old buildings beautiful historic homes. It makes for an interesting place to live and visit.
