Hampshire County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,093. Its county seat is Romney, West Virginia's oldest town (1762). The county was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1754, from parts of Frederick and Augusta Counties (Virginia) and is the state's oldest county. The county lies in both West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands regions.
Capon Bridge is a town in eastern Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States, along the Northwestern Turnpike, approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Winchester, Virginia. The population was 418 at the 2020 census. Originally known as "Glencoe", Capon Bridge was incorporated in 1902 by the Hampshire County Circuit Court. It is named because of the construction of the bridge over the Cacapon River at that place, the name of the river being derived from the Shawnee Cape-cape-de-hon, meaning "river of medicine water".
Wardensville is a town in Hardy County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 265 at the 2020 census. Originally named Trout Run, Wardensville was chartered in Virginia in 1832 and incorporated in West Virginia in 1879. Wardensville is located west of the Great North Mountain range, which separates it from the Shenandoah Valley. The town lies on the east bank of the Cacapon River at its confluence with Trout Run. The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests border the town to its east and south.
The Cacapon River, located in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle region, is an 81.0-mile-long (130.4 km) shallow river known for its fishing, boating, wildlife, hunting, and wilderness scenery. As part of the Potomac River watershed, it is an American Heritage River.
Forks of Cacapon, formerly Forks of Capon, is an unincorporated community in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The community is named for its location at the confluence of the North River and Cacapon River. Forks of Cacapon is also located at another fork: the crossroads of West Virginia Route 29, West Virginia Route 127, and Frank Haines Road.
Hanging Rock is an unincorporated community in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Hanging Rock is named for the "Hanging Rock" outcrop that hangs over the Northwestern Turnpike. It should not be confused with the plural "Hanging Rocks" over the South Branch Potomac River north of Romney at Wapocomo. Originally, the community of Hanging Rock sprang up in the Henderson Hollow gap of North River Mountain. While only a few buildings of the old hamlet remain, today's Hanging Rock is situated at the intersection of North River Road and Delray Road where the North River flows under U.S. Route 50 towards the Cacapon.
Capon Lake is an unincorporated community in Hampshire County of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle region. Capon Lake is situated between Yellow Spring and Intermont at the junction of West Virginia Route 259 and Capon Springs Road along the Cacapon River. Capon Springs Run empties into the Cacapon here across from the old Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge. Capon Lake takes its name from the Cacapon River's lake-like characteristics there. It was a popular picnic spot for tourists and travelers on the Winchester and Western Railroad.
West Virginia Route 259 is a state highway in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The state highway runs 45.6 miles (73.4 km) from the Virginia state line near Mathias north to the Virginia state line at High View. At both termini, the road continues as Virginia State Route 259. WV 259 passes through Hardy and Hampshire counties and runs concurrently with WV 55 on Corridor H between Baker and Wardensville.
Capon Chapel, also historically known as Capon Baptist Chapel and Capon Chapel Church, is a mid-19th century United Methodist church located near to the town of Capon Bridge, West Virginia, in the United States. Capon Chapel is one of the oldest existing log churches in Hampshire County, along with Mount Bethel Church and Old Pine Church.
The Winchester and Western Railroad is a shortline railroad operating from Gore through Winchester, Virginia and West Virginia to Hagerstown, Maryland. It also operates several lines in southern New Jersey, connecting to Conrail Shared Assets Operations at Millville and Vineland.
Capon Springs Station was an unincorporated community hamlet in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia centered on a station on the Winchester and Western Railroad. Located along Capon Springs Road where Dry Run meets Capon Springs Run on the western end of Middle Ridge, Capon Springs Station served as a stop for guests at the Capon Springs Resort in Capon Springs and people picnicking at Capon Lake on the Cacapon River.
Cacapon is a term of Native American origin that means "medicine waters." It may refer to:
Capon Springs Run is a 4.8-mile-long (7.7 km) tributary stream of the Cacapon River in Hampshire County of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. Capon Springs Run is a shallow, stony, non-navigable stream fed by the famous "Capon Springs" at its source on the flanks of Great North Mountain east of the hamlet of Capon Springs. The stream flows west through Capon Springs Resort, parallel to Capon Springs Road along Middle Ridge and meets with Himmelwright Run. To the south, Capon Springs Run is bound by the George Washington National Forest. At its confluence with Dry Run at Capon Springs Station, the stream is met by the old Winchester and Western Railroad grade where a trestle and passenger station once existed. Capon Springs Run enters the Cacapon at the old Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge in Capon Lake.
Mill Branch is a 9.1-mile-long (14.6 km) tributary stream of the Cacapon River, belonging to the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. The stream is located in eastern Hampshire County in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle.
Schaffenaker Mountain is a forested mountain ridge of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The ridge runs southwest northeast between Edwards Run and Dillons Run. Schaffenaker Mountain takes its name from the Schaffenaker family that settled in the immediate area. The Northwestern Turnpike climbs Schaffenaker Mountain to the west of the town of Capon Bridge offering a bird's eye view of the community and of the Cacapon River. Until recently, the mountain had remained mostly undeveloped but its views and proximity to Capon Bridge have made it a prime location for real estate development by companies such as the North American Land Corporation.
James Caudy was an American frontiersman, settler, and landowner in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians of the Colony of Virginia—present-day West Virginia. Caudy was born in the Netherlands, immigrated to the Thirteen Colonies in the 1730s, and settled within the Cacapon River valley near present-day Capon Bridge in Hampshire County. As early as 1741, Caudy was associated with the arrangement and development of transportation routes throughout present-day Hampshire County. Caudy twice hosted George Washington; first during his surveying expedition in 1748 and again upon Washington's 1750 return to the Cacapon River valley.
The Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge, formerly known as South Branch Bridge or Romney Bridge, is a historic Whipple truss bridge in Capon Lake, West Virginia. It is located off Carpers Pike and crosses the Cacapon River. The bridge formerly carried Capon Springs Road over the river, connecting Capon Springs and Capon Lake.
Hebron Church is a mid-19th-century Lutheran church in Intermont, Hampshire County, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Hebron Church was founded in 1786 by German settlers in the Cacapon River Valley, making it the first Lutheran church west of the Shenandoah Valley. The congregation worshiped in a log church, which initially served both Lutheran and Reformed denominations. Its congregation was originally German-speaking; the church's documents and religious services were in German until 1821, when records and sermons transitioned to English.
Concord is an unincorporated community and former post office in southeastern Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located along Eldridge Road between the unincorporated communities of Lehew and Yellow Spring.
