Middleway, West Virginia

Last updated

Middleway, West Virginia
Census-designated place
USA West Virginia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Middleway
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Middleway
Coordinates: 39°18′12″N77°58′51″W / 39.30333°N 77.98083°W / 39.30333; -77.98083
CountryUnited States
State West Virginia
County Jefferson
Area
[1]
 • Total1.123 sq mi (2.91 km2)
 • Land1.123 sq mi (2.91 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation
[2]
509 ft (155 m)
Population
 (2010) [3]
 • Total441
 • Density390/sq mi (150/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
GNIS feature ID2586853 [2]

Middleway is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, in the lower Shenandoah Valley. As of the 2020 census, its population was 482. [4]

Contents

History

On January 15, 1786, the Virginia General Assembly passed an act establishing the town of Smithfield on land owned by John Smith II and William Smith. A post office was established in 1806; and since there was another town called Smithfield in the state, a different name was needed to avoid confusion. Because Smithfield had become a center of commerce between several other towns, the post office became known as "Middleway." Middleway remains a small village and retains many of its historic buildings. The Middleway Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The area where the town grew was first visited by John Smith I and his sons John Smith II and Rees Smith in 1729. By 1734 they had established a grist mill and a hemp mill. In the 1790s, in an effort to increase the town, the Smithfield Promotion was undertaken. This did increase the size of the town, but it stagnated from then on.

The town has also been known as "Wizard Clip" or "Clip", and townspeople as "Clippers". This is the result of a legend from the 1790s, in which a traveler lodged with Adam Livingston and his family. During the night, the traveler died, calling for a priest, though Livingston refused to let a Catholic priest enter his home. After the stranger's burial, Livingston saw various disturbing supernatural phenomena: heads and legs falling off chickens, all the crockery spontaneously falling to the floor, etc. The most common experience was a constant clipping sound, like that of scissors, pervaded the house, giving the legend its name. Anyone entering the house had their clothes cut into tatters or half-moon crescents. Livingston dreamed of a priest, and found in Shepherdstown Father Dennis Cahill, a Catholic priest who appeared in his dream. This priest exorcised the spirit and the family converted to Catholicism. Afterwards they would frequently hear a disembodied voice who provided advice, tell them to pray, and told them to be better Catholics. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefferson County, West Virginia</span> County in West Virginia, United States

Jefferson County is located in the Shenandoah Valley in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. It is the easternmost county of the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,701. Its county seat is Charles Town. The county was founded in 1801, and today is part of the Washington metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Wight County, Virginia</span> County in Virginia, United States

Isle of Wight County is a county located in the Hampton Roads region of the U.S. state of Virginia. It was named after the Isle of Wight, England, south of the Solent, from where many of its early colonists had come. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,606. Its county seat is Isle of Wight, an unincorporated community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnston County, North Carolina</span> County in North Carolina, United States

Johnston County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 215,999. Its county seat is Smithfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caldwell County, Missouri</span> County in Missouri, United States

Caldwell County is a county located in Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 8,815. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Its county seat is Kingston. The county was organized December 29, 1836, and named by Alexander Doniphan to honor John Caldwell, who participated in George Rogers Clark's Native American Campaign of 1786 and was the second Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selma, North Carolina</span> Town in North Carolina, United States

Selma is a town in Johnston County, North Carolina, United States. In 2010, the population was 6,073, and as of 2018 the estimated population was 6,913. Selma is part of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary Combined Statistical Area. The area has a population over 1.7 million residents, though the town of Selma is able to maintain its rural character. The Everitt P. Stevens House, located in Selma, was the site of the last Grand Review of the Confederate Army held on April 6, 1865, after its defeat at the Battle of Bentonville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Smithfield, Rhode Island</span> Town in Rhode Island, United States

North Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, settled as a farming community in 1666 and incorporated into its present form in 1871. North Smithfield includes the historic villages of Forestdale, Primrose, Waterford, Branch Village, Union Village, Park Square, and Slatersville. The population was 12,588 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smithfield, Rhode Island</span> Town in Rhode Island, United States

Smithfield is a town that is located in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. It includes the historic villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Mountaindale, Hanton City, Stillwater and Greenville. The population was 22,118 at the 2020 census. Smithfield is the home of Bryant University, a private four year college.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woonsocket, Rhode Island</span> City in Rhode Island, United States

Woonsocket, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsocket lies directly south of the Massachusetts state line and constitutes part of both the Providence metropolitan area and the larger Greater Boston Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onancock, Virginia</span> Town in Virginia, United States

Onancock is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,263 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berryville, Virginia</span> Town in Virginia

Berryville is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Clarke County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,574 at the 2020 census, up from 4,185 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smithfield, Virginia</span> Town in Virginia, United States

Smithfield is a town in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads subregion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States. The population was 8,533 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middleburg, Virginia</span> Town in Virginia, United States

Middleburg is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 673 as of the 2010 census. It is the southernmost town along Loudoun County's shared border with Fauquier County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shepherdstown, West Virginia</span> Town in West Virginia, United States

Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located in the lower Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. Home to Shepherd University, the town's population was 1,531 at the time of the 2020 census. The town was established in 1762 along with Romney; they are the oldest towns in West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occoquan, Virginia</span> Town in Virginia

Occoquan is a town in Prince William County, Virginia. The population was 934 at the 2010 United States Census. The current mayor is Earnest W. Porta Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saltville, Virginia</span> Town in Virginia, United States

Saltville is a town in Smyth and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 1,824 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Kingsport–Bristol (TN)–Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.

Burlington is a census-designated place (CDP) in Mineral County, West Virginia, United States, located along U.S. Route 50 where it crosses Pattersons Creek. As of the 2020 census, its population was 131. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterford, Virginia</span> Unincorporated community in Virginia, United States

Waterford is a unique place of historic significance. The entire village and surrounding countryside is a National Historic Landmark District, noted for its well-preserved 18th and 19th-century character. It is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the Catoctin Valley of Loudoun County, Virginia, located along Catoctin Creek. Waterford is 47 miles (76 km) northwest of Washington, D.C., and 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Leesburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middleway Historic District</span> Historic district in West Virginia, United States

The Middleway Historic District comprises sixty major buildings from the late 18th century and early 19th century in Middleway, West Virginia. Middleway was a crossroads town on the Shepherdstown-Berryville road and the Charles Town turnpike. The town was established by John Smith, Sr. and Jr., along with son and brother Rees Smith, who had established grist and hemp mills by 1734 along Turkey Run. The town was not, however, officially established until 1798. The town never followed up on its original growth, allowing the older stone, brick and log houses to be preserved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wizard Clip</span>

The legend of the Wizard Clip is a popular ghost story about an incident said to have occurred in Middleway, West Virginia in the 1820's. The story of the Wizard Clip is part of the oral history of the area, and was called by Rev. Alfred E. Smith, editor-in-chief of the Catholic Review and secretary to Cardinal Gibbons, "The truest ghost story ever told."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windsor Castle (Smithfield, Virginia)</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

Windsor Castle is a former plantation and now a public park in Smithfield, Virginia, United States. It is located in the Smithfield Historic District.

References

  1. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  2. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Middleway, West Virginia
  3. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  5. ↑ James E. Harding (October 23, 1979), National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Middleway Historic District (pdf), National Park Service
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.