Darkesville, West Virginia
Darkesville Historic District | |
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| Location | US 11 at Middle Creek, Darkesville, West Virginia |
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| Coordinates | 39°22′27″N 78°1′25″W / 39.37417°N 78.02361°W |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Gothic, Federal |
| MPS | Berkeley County MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 80004410[1] |
| Added to NRHP | December 10, 1980 |
Darkesville is an unincorporated community in Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States. Established in 1791,[2] Darkesville has been nationally recognized as a historic district.[3]: 7
A post office and school (now closed) once operated in Darkesville.[4][5]
Geography[edit]
Darkesville lies between Inwood and Martinsburg along U.S. Route 11.[6] The community's elevation is 535 feet (163 m), and it is located at 39°22′25″N 78°1′30″W / 39.37361°N 78.02500°W.[2]
Middle Creek flows through the center of Darkesville.[6]
Name[edit]
Established by an act of the Virginia General Assembly on December 7, 1791, on the property of James Buckells,[7] Darkesville is named for William Darke, a Virginia military officer who had his headquarters in the community.[3]: 7 Historically, Darkesville has been known by various names and a wide variety of spellings. An 1895 atlas showed the community as "Buckletown", and later variants included "Buckellstown", "Buckels Town", "Buckelstown", "Buckle Town" and "Bucklestown", all referring to the entrepreneurial James Buckles (1732-1796) who contributed land and laid out the town in 1790.[8] "James Town" and "Locke" have also been applied to the community. Its current name has also been spelled "Darkes" and "Darkville".[2]
Historic district[edit]
In 1980, the community was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district.[1] Darkesville was recognized for its historic architecture, which includes approximately twenty-five buildings constructed as log cabins in 1810 or earlier.[3]: 2, 12, 13
External sources[edit]
"Darkesville: A Name Born of Tragedy," 8thVirginia.com (Gabriel Neville)
References[edit]
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Darkesville, West Virginia
- ^ a b c Wood, Don C. National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Darkesville Historic District. National Park Service, c. 1980.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Darkesville Post Office
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Darkesville School
- ^ a b DeLorme. West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. 4th ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2007, 30. ISBN 0-89933-327-3.
- ^ "An act to establish several Towns, and for other purposes. Hening's Statutes at Large, Vol. XIII, Chapter LIV". vagenweb.org. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
- ^ Don C. Wood, Berkeley Journal 34:15, Berkeley County Historical Society, Martinsburg, WV, 1980
Municipalities and communities of Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Town | ||
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| Unincorporated communities |
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| Ghost town | ||
- Populated places established in 1791
- Unincorporated communities in Berkeley County, West Virginia
- Unincorporated communities in West Virginia
- National Register of Historic Places in Berkeley County, West Virginia
- Federal architecture in West Virginia
- Greek Revival architecture in West Virginia
- Gothic Revival architecture in West Virginia
- Historic districts in Berkeley County, West Virginia
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
- Houses in Berkeley County, West Virginia
- Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia