Shepherdstown Wedding

Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 803 at the 2000 census.

Colonial settlers began their migration into the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley in the early 1700s. Many crossed the Potomac River at Pack Horse Ford, about one mile (2 km) down river. The Colony of Virginia began issuing Valley land grants in the 1730s. In 1734, Thomas Shepherd was granted 222 acres (898,000 m) on the south side of the "Potowmack" river, along the Falling Spring Branch (now known as the Town Run). From that tract he selected 50 acres (202,000 m) and laid out a town. In 1762, the Virginia General Assembly chartered the town of Mecklenburg. Thomas Shepherd was the sole trustee: he owned the town and was responsible for its government.

More than twenty natural springs feed Town Run before it enters the south end of town. It never floods, nor runs dry; it meanders through backyards, under houses, across alleys and beneath five streets. This setting was conducive to millers, tanners, potters, smiths and other artisans. As a result, by 1775 it boasted 1,000 inhabitants.