Capon Springs, West Virginia

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Capon Springs, West Virginia
Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia Location Map.svg
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Capon Springs
USA West Virginia location map.svg
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Capon Springs
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Capon Springs
Coordinates: 39°8′10″N78°29′4″W / 39.13611°N 78.48444°W / 39.13611; -78.48444
Country United States
State West Virginia
County Hampshire
CharteredOctober 1787 [1] [2]
CharteredDecember 27, 1800 [3] [4]
Post office establishedJune 18, 1841 [2]
Population
 (2000)
  Total
95
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
26823
Area code 304
GNIS feature ID1560645 [5]
Main House at Capon Springs Resort. Main House Capon Springs WV 2004.jpg
Main House at Capon Springs Resort.
The Octagon House from Capon Springs Road. Octagon House Capon Springs WV 2004.JPG
The Octagon House from Capon Springs Road.

Capon Springs is an unincorporated community in southeastern Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States. According to the 2000 census, the Capon Springs community has a population of 95. [6] It is located on Capon Springs Road (West Virginia Secondary Route 16) along Capon Springs Run.

Contents

History

The community and springs were originally known as Frye's Springs after the springs' discoverer Henry Frye. [1] [5] In October 1787, the Virginia General Assembly established the town of Watson at the site of the springs. [1] [2] [5] It was believed that the springs possessed such healing powers that half an acre sold for $900 in gold in the late 18th century. [5] The Virginia General Assembly chartered the town of Watson again on December 27, 1800. [3] [4] On June 18, 1841, a post office was established under the name Capon Springs; however, maps of Hampshire County dated 1863 and 1865 continued to show the community's name as Watson. [2] After West Virginia seceded from Virginia in 1863, it needed to compensate Virginia for losing the springs during the Reconstruction. [5] The Capon Springs & Farms resort is situated in the community of Capon Springs. It is registered on the National Register of Historic Places.

Notable people

Herman Guy Kump (1877–1962), 19th Governor of West Virginia, and American educator Arthur R. M. Spaid (1866–1936) [7] [8] were born in Capon Springs.

Variant and historical names

Capon Springs and its post office have been known by several varying names throughout its history, which include: [5]

  • Cacapehon Spring
  • Cacapon Springs
  • Frye's Springs
  • Fryes Spring
  • Fryes Springs
  • Watson
  • Watson Town
  • Watsontown
  • Watsonville

Historic sites

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kenny 1945, p. 154.
  2. 1 2 3 4 McMaster 2010, p. 42.
  3. 1 2 Lewis 1889, p. 488.
  4. 1 2 Maxwell & Swisher 1897, p. 410.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Geographic Names Information System, United States Geological Survey. "Geographic Names Information System: Feature Detail Report for Capon Springs (Feature ID: 1560645)" . Retrieved October 10, 2025.
  6. Capon Springs, West Virginia ZIP code profile Archived January 7, 2005, at the Wayback Machine , DownloadZIPCode.com Archived December 30, 2005, at the Wayback Machine . Accessed 2008-01-19.
  7. Maxwell & Swisher 1897 , p. 730.
  8. Secrest 1922 , p. 65.

Bibliography

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Capon Springs, West Virginia at Wikimedia Commons