Finding aid for Romney subjects

    Sanborn Fire Map Color Legend
    Sanborn Fire Map of Romney 1894
    Note: the following are large maps of the center of Romney; you can click on them and your browser will show them or you can right click on the link and save it to your computer for viewing later or for editing since it more than fills your screen. They are large files (180-280kb) which take some time to download. We hope to upload the other sections of town at some later date (2028 to 2041 or thereabouts unless we get some help).
    Sanborn Map of center of Romney 1899
    Sanborn Map of center of Romney 1915
    Sanborn Map of center of Romney 1923
    Sanborn Map of center of Romney 1931

Large, color Sanborn Maps for downloading

The maps in this section were edited for more modern Internet speeds and computer monitors. The images are approximately 3200x3800 pixels and at 150 dip will print out as 22x26 inches. They are approximately 660-860Kb in size, so they take time to download. Although they can be viewed in your browser, they are best viewed and edited by downloading them to your computer and using an image viewer program or Photoshop. Make sure you notice the compass arrow pointing North in each map segment of the page since some segments are different than others. These images are half the size of the originals.
    1894 Sanborn Map of part of town
    1899 Sanborn Map WVSDB, Depot, parts of town
    1899 Sanborn Map Courthouse area
    1908 Sanborn Map Index, Depot, WVSBD
    1908 Sanborn Map Marsham St. West
    1908 Sanborn Map Marsham St. East
    1915 Sanborn Map Index, Depot, Farmers Exchange
    1915 Sanborn Map west side of town
    1915 Sanborn Map Courthouse area
    1915 Sanborn Map east and west end; water from spring
    1923 Sanborn Map Index, Birch, Bolton, Depot
    1923 Sanborn Map Marsham St. West
    1923 Sanborn Map Marsham St. East
    1923 Sanborn Map South, East, West, WVSDB
    1931 Sanborn Map Index, Depot, Farmers Exchange, schools
    1931 Sanborn Map west side of town
    1931 Sanborn Map Courthouse area
    1931 Sanborn Map east and west sides; WVSDB

1928 Town Water system black & white pan and zoomable

1928 Water system map - blueprint

Miscellaneous

Walking Tour of Romney - a work in progress

Archived page: Romney 250th Anniversary

Archived page: Photo Album of Romney 250th Anniversary

Demonstration of murals in Romney - what it might look like.

Items of note for the Romney Historic Landmarks Commission

Suggestions for the Romney Historic Landmarks Commission

Old W.V.S.D.B. Dairy Barn preservation project

Blank West Virginia Historic Property Inventory Form for sites inventory use - pdf file you can download

Romney's Historic District-?? - preserving W. Va.'s oldest town?

WV Historic Property Form filled in for some Romney sites

Timeline:

Note: this is an abbreviated timeline; check web site index for county "Timeline" and page on "Tidbits of History."

1729(?) first settlers enter the South Branch River Valley.
April 15, 1748 (approx.) Lot 18 on the South Branch is surveyed by James Genn; the Grant Book records "Laid off in a Town called Romney." [CRUP-Rice 2:165; 6:6-9]
by 1748 200 persons reside at Pearsall's Flats.
Thursday, Dec. 23, 1762 Gov. Fauquier signs Act establishing the Town of Romney.
Oct-Nov 1770 George Washington's last visit to Hampshire county; he and Dr. James Craik spend night in Romney.
1786 State road from Winchester to Romney.
1796 Post Office established at Romney.
January 30, 1819 The Polemic Society of Romney (later Literary Society of Romney) was organized in the office of Dr. John Temple. M&SHHC p.430
Dec. 12, 1824 first Presbyterian Church dedicated by Dr. William Henry Foote on lots 59 & 60 at corner of High Street and Gravel Lane.
by 1834 the Northwestern Pike reached Romney; by 1838 it reached Parkersburg on the western edge of the state.
1837 New courthouse built in Romney; it survived until 1920.
December 12, 1846 The Virginia Legislature passed an act empowering the Literary Society to "establish at or near the town of Romney, a seminary of learning..."
April 1861 Committee of Safety meets in Romney and begins to prepare for the coming war.
1869 original Methodist Church built on lot 56 in Romney.
Sept. 1, 1884 the B & O Railroad opens 16.29 miles of track from Green Spring (main line of the B & O Railroad) and Romney
August 4, 1896 William McKinley registers during his campaign for the Presidency [see Keller Hotel Registers]
Oct. 30, 1896 William Jennings Bryan registers while campaigning for the Presidency [see Keller Hotel Registers]
1898 Telephone lines completed from Cumberland to Romney and Romney to Capon Bridge.
Feb. 24, 1909 Interstate Natural Gas Co. has made application to the Town Council of Romney for a franchise by which it will be empowered to lay, construct, maintain, and operate through the streets and alleys of the town its mains and pipe lines for supplying natural gas for lighting, heating, and other purposes. Council will take up the franchise on April 5. [from Hampshire History, February 2004]
July 26, 1920 During renovation the east wall of the Courthouse collapses burying a small child, Tom Duncan. The county will finally vote to construct a new Courthouse.
1959 Hampshire Memorial Hospital opens to patients on Center Lane off Depot Street in Romney.
September 2008 The new Hampshire County Judicial Center is dedicated by Gov. Joe Manchin.
May, 2011 the new Hampshire Memorial Hospital has an open house

Finding aid for Romney subjects

This is an unordered list of several of the pages that concern the Town of Romney

Early Romney

Later Romney

Hampshire Review articles:

Sanborn Maps of Romney

Large, color Sanborn Maps for downloading

Miscellaneous

Timeline:

This is an unordered list of several of the pages
that concern the Town of Romney