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Morgan County government offices are located in Berkeley Springs, a health resort, which has one of the oldest spas in the south. The life of Berkeley Springs centers around the warm mineral water springs and the Berkeley Springs State Park, which is near the center of the town. There are several bathhouses where baths, massages, and various heat treatments are available. The water doesn't have the usual medicinal taste, but is fresh and slightly sweet. The springs were known to the Indians long before the white man arrived. They said the springs were a gift from the Great Spirit. The valley of the springs was a neutral zone, and Indians who were bitter enemies camped side by side and bathed together in peace. Berkeley Springs originally became a health resort town because of George Washington. He discovered the springs while surveying, and went back many times with his family. In October, 1776, the Virginia assembly established the town as Bath, named for the spa city of Bath in England. Although it is better known for its post office name of Berkeley Springs, the town's legal name still is Bath. It was platted in 1777, and during the Revolutionary War was thronged with an odd mixture of soldiers and families seeking relief from the stress of war. Some came to take the cure. The cost of a week at Bath was $4, which was thought to be exorbitant. By 1830 business at Berkeley Springs dropped off, because of other, newer springs. But in 1843 when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was completed, people from the nation's capital started to come for relief from hot summer weather. That business ended temporarily with the advent of the Civil War. During the war Berkeley Springs changed hands many times. Morgan County is in the Eastern Panhandle of the state. It contains livestock, dairy and fruit farms, glass sand pits, and timber. Morgan County was founded in 1820, and named in honor of General Daniel Morgan, a prominent officer in the Revolutionary War. Morgan's greatest success was when he defeated British forces at Coupens in 1781. He later was in charge of the Virginia military when the Whiskey Rebellion was suppressed in 1794. Morgan County is located in the eastern part of the sate and consists of some 231 square miles of land area. Cacapon State Park is located here as is the Ridge Bass Hatchery. |
