| Berkeley County |
|
|
|
The eastern Panhandle of West Virginia is the home of Berkeley County. It is located partly in the Great Appalachian Valley. It is bounded on the northeast by the Potomac River. Dairy products, livestock, and fruit farms make up some of the economic base of the county. There also is some limestone quarrying. Col. T.B. Martin is the man honored at Martinsburg, which is the county seat. The city was chartered by the Virginia Assembly in 1778. Martin was the nephew of England's Lord Fairfax. The city was first laid out by Gen. Adam Stephen, a Revolutionary soldier, who named it for his friend, Col. Martin. Gen. Stephen was the first sheriff of Berkeley County. Martinsburg is a manufacturing center for the eastern part of the state. Woolen goods, clothing, socks, paper boxes, brick, tile, and furniture are some of the items produced here. Norborne Berkeley (the Baron de Botetourt) who served as the colonial governor of Virginia from 1768 to 1770 is the namesake of Berkeley County, which was created in 1772 and consists of some 325 square miles. |
