As I continue my travels throughout West Virginia, I had
the opportunity to visit the Eastern Panhandle of West
Virginia, including the cities of Keyser, Romney and
Martinsburg. Even before the changing of the leaves, the
mountains of West Virginia are beautiful and worth the trip
at any time of the year. You do have to prepare yourself for
some winding roads and the occasional deer, squirrel,
groundhog and even a black snake crossing in front of you.
There are numerous small farms along the road, and most
are well cared for and ready to harvest the corn and hay for
the long winter season.
Keyser is a short drive off Interstate 68 and is the home
of Potomac State College, a part of the West Virginia
University system. The college was founded in 1901 and
recently started a nursing program, which graduated its first
cohort of nurses in the Spring of 2021. The town of Keyser
has a rich history and much of it surrounded the Civil War
and the battles that commenced over the city. The labor
movement also figured prominently in its history with an
1877 strike between workers and the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad. The company prevailed in breaking the strike, but
the unrest spread throughout the country and led to the
formation of the modern labor movement. Today’s Keyser
is not the bustling town that it once was but is working to
revitalize the downtown business district and adjoining
neighborhoods.
A short drive from Keyser is the town of Romney that
sits at the intersection of Route 50 and Route 220. Romney
has a population of just under 2,000 and is a quaint city
with historic buildings and homes. The downtown business
district is well kept and filled with flowers situated in
flowerpots along Main Street. Romney has the distinction
of being one of the oldest towns in West Virginia and
houses the West Virginia School for the Deaf and the
Blind. Being the county seat for Hampshire County,
Romney has a beautiful courthouse located on Main Street
that houses county offices. In talking with an old gentleman
sitting in front of the courthouse, Romney is like going
back in history and enjoying a quieter form of life and I
would have to agree with him.
In order to drive from Romney to Martinsburg, you must
dip into Virginia and get a glimpse of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. Martinsburg has always been one of my
favorite cities in West Virginia and I always enjoy seeing
the brick buildings on Main Street and the assortment of
shops and restaurants that dot the downtown. Located a
short drive from Washington, DC, Martinsburg has a robust
tourist business, and the weekends are always filled with
people looking for an interesting visit to one of West
Virginia’s most historic cities. On this visit to Martinsburg,
we visited the county offices located in the Dunn Building,
which was formerly the Factory Outlets, known to many in
West Virginia. As we walked into the building, I
remembered many visits to the outlets and getting ice
cream at the shoppe in the Dunn Building. Although it now
houses the county offices, it still is very familiar to those
who used to search for bargains at the factory outlets. If
you get a chance, look for the large water tower outside the
Dunn Building and peek inside, it will bring back
memories.
These are only a few of the many sights and attractions
of West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. It is an easy drive
from Central West Virginia and offers dozens of activities
to see and do. I look forward to returning soon and
checking out some of the other attractions.