Editing Berkeley Springs, West Virginia

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                 = Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
| official_name        = Town of Bath
| settlement_type      = [[Town]]
| motto                = "America's First Spa"
<!-- Images -->
| image_skyline        = Fairfax St and N Washington St Berkeley Springs WV 2022-08-05 13-14-17.jpg
| imagesize            =
| image_caption        = Town square in Berkeley Springs
| image_flag           = 
| image_seal           = Seal of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.png
<!-- Maps -->
| image_map            = File:Morgan County West Virginia Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Bath (Berkeley Springs) Highlighted.svg
| mapsize              =
| map_caption          = Location of Bath (Berkeley Springs) in Morgan County, West Virginia
| pushpin_map          = West Virginia#USA
| pushpin_relief       = yes
| pushpin_label        = Berkeley Springs
<!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type     = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name     = United States
| subdivision_type1    = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1    = [[West Virginia]]
| subdivision_type2    = [[List of counties in West Virginia|County]]
| subdivision_name2    = [[Morgan County, West Virginia|Morgan]]
<!-- Government -->
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type      = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–council]]
| leader_title         = Mayor
| leader_name          = Scott Merki (R)<ref>https://voteref.com/VoterDetails?personId=31e96c4d-5aed-43a8-8ce0-f2365def806d&state=WV&search=scott+merki</ref>
| established_title    = Incorporation
| established_date     = December 1776
<!-- Area -->
| area_footnotes       = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_54.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
| area_magnitude       = 
| area_total_km2       = 0.87
| area_land_km2        = 0.87
| area_water_km2       = 0.00
| unit_pref            = Imperial
| area_total_sq_mi     = 0.34
| area_land_sq_mi      = 0.34
| area_water_sq_mi     = 0.00
<!-- Population -->
| population_est       = 755
| pop_est_footnotes    = <ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
| pop_est_as_of        = 2021
| population_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021">{{cite web   |title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=US Census Bureau |access-date=July 3, 2022}}</ref>
| population_as_of     = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_total     = 758
| population_density_km2 = 685.65
| population_density_sq_mi = 1773.81
<!-- General information -->
| timezone             = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset           = −5
| timezone_DST         = EDT
| utc_offset_DST       = −4
| elevation_footnotes  = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft         = 656
| coordinates          = {{Coord|39|37|32|N|78|13|37|W|region:US-WV_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type     = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code          = 25411
| area_code            = [[Area code 304|304]]
| blank_name           = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info           = 54-04876
| blank1_name          = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info          = 1877535<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|1877535}}</ref>
| website              = [https://townofbath.org/government/ townofbath.org/government]
| footnotes            = 
}}

'''Berkeley Springs''', formally named '''Bath''', is a town in [[Morgan County, West Virginia]], United States, and its [[county seat]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}</ref> The population was 758 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]. In 1776, the [[Virginia Legislature]] incorporated a town around the springs and named it Bath. Since 1802, it has been referred to by the name of its original post office, Berkeley Springs. It is located in the [[eastern panhandle of West Virginia]] and is part of the [[Hagerstown metropolitan area|Hagerstown–Martinsburg metropolitan area]].

The area contains mineral water springs frequented by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] indigenous to the area, possibly for thousands of years. After settlement by Europeans, the [[mineral springs]] drew many visitors from urban areas. Notable colonial visitors to the area included [[George Washington]] and [[James Rumsey]]. Berkeley Springs remained a popular resort area during the United States' early years. It is the home of the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting,<ref>[http://www.berkeleysprings.com/water/about.htm Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> the longest-running and largest such event in the world. Another local tradition is the [[Apple butter|Apple Butter Festival]], started by a group of local business owners in 1974.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} The area continues to be a popular resort area, with tourism the primary industry in the county and there being six full-service spas using mineral water.

==History==
[[File:BerkeleyCastle WestVirginia.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Samuel Taylor Suit Cottage]] overlooks the town]]
During colonial times in 1748, [[George Washington]], then just 16 years old, was part of the team that surveyed the [[Eastern Panhandle]] region for [[Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron]]. Washington returned several times over the next several years with his half-brother, Lawrence, who was ill, hoping that the warm springs might improve his health. The springs, and their rumored medicinal benefits, attracted numerous [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] and Europeans to the area.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

While vacationing in the area in 1767, Washington noted how busy the colonial town had become. Lord Fairfax had built a summer home there and a "private bath", making the area a popular destination for [[Virginia]]'s social elite. With the advent of independence, ''An act for establishing a town at the Warm Springs in the county of Berkeley''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://vagenweb.org/hening/vol09-11.htm|title=Hening's Statutes at Large|website=vagenweb.org|access-date=March 5, 2017}}</ref> was adopted by the Virginia General Assembly in December 1776. Officially, the town was named '''Bath''', in honor of England's spa city [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]]. 
[[File:George Washington's Bathtub.jpg|thumb|"Bathtub" used by [[George Washington]]]]
George Washington, his family members, and several colonial elites were among the town's first landowners. The town's main north-south street was named Washington, and the main east-west street was named Fairfax. Also, four acres were set aside for "suffering humanity." The area around the springs always was public land known as ''The Grove'' and overseen by a state-appointed group of Bath Trustees. This would become [[Berkeley Springs State Park]] with its springs and bathhouses, which was made part of the West Virginia state park system in 1925. Nearby, [[Cacapon State Park]] was opened in 1933. The mountain that gives its name to the park has an elevation of {{convert|2320|ft|m}} above sea level.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Bath's population increased during and immediately after the Revolutionary War as wounded soldiers and others came to the area believing that the warm springs had medicinal qualities.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

===Chronology of names===
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2021}}
In 1772, the springs were part of the newly formed Berkeley County, named after its colonial governor, Norborne Berkeley. The waters became known as Berkeley Springs because the existing protocol was to name springs after the colonial Virginia county in which they were located. Previously, the area had been called ''Warm Springs'' and ''Medicinal Springs'' among other names.

Bath became known permanently to the world as ''Berkeley Springs'' in 1802 when the Virginia postal system was established in the new nation, and there already was a Bath, Virginia, in [[Bath County, Virginia|Bath County]].

In 1861, many residents of Virginia were opposed to Virginia's secession from the United States, some calling the act of secession treasonous. Following the [[Wheeling Convention|Wheeling Conventions of 1861]], a referendum was held in 41 mostly northwestern Virginia counties on whether to secede from Virginia and seek admission to the United States as a new state. An overwhelming majority of voters in these counties voted in favor of the proposal. Confederates commanded by [[Stonewall Jackson]] captured Bath during the [[Romney Expedition]] in January 1862, and ransacked the homes of local unionists.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cozzens |first=Peter |title=Shenandoah 1862: Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign |date=2008 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-8078-3200-4 |series=Civil War America |location=Chapel Hill, NC}}</ref> The United States admitted the State of West Virginia on June 20, 1863. Berkeley Springs remained the conventional name used for the town. Its [[sister city]] is Bath, England.

==Geography==
Berkeley Springs is located in the [[Appalachian Mountains]]. The town lies in the [[eastern panhandle of West Virginia]] {{convert|26|mi}} northwest of [[Martinsburg, West Virginia]] and {{convert|36|mi}} west of [[Hagerstown, Maryland]]. Berkeley Springs is the county seat of Morgan County. Morgan County makes up one of the central counties in the eastern panhandle.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the incorporated town of Bath has a total area of {{convert|0.34|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all land.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 24, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=July 2, 2012 }}</ref>

There are two rivers in Morgan County. The [[Potomac River|Potomac]] makes up the northern border, and the [[Cacapon River]] cuts through the center of the county connecting with the Potomac at [[Great Cacapon, West Virginia|Great Cacapon]]. [[Cacapon Mountain|Cacapon]] and [[Sleepy Creek Mountain]] are the two most notable mountains in the county. Berkeley Springs is nestled northwest of the [[Shenandoah Valley]] at an elevation of approximately {{convert|656|ft}}. [[Warm Spring Run]] cuts through the center of the town and eventually connects with the Potomac River near Hancock Station. [[Sleepy Creek]] connects with the Potomac along River Road north and east of the town.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1850= 77
|1860= 2982
|1870= 407
|1880= 534
|1900= 781
|1910= 864
|1920= 980
|1930= 1039
|1940= 1145
|1950= 1213
|1960= 1138
|1970= 944
|1980= 789
|1990= 735
|2000= 663
|2010= 624
|2020= 758
|estyear=2021
|estimate=755
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|author=United States Census Bureau|author-link=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 30, 2013}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 24, 2013}}</ref> of 2010, there were 624 people, 314 households, and 158 families residing in the incorporated town of Bath. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1835.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 416 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1223.5|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 96.5% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.5% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.3% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1.0% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.8% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.7% of the population.

There were 314 households, of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 49.7% were non-families. 43.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.99, and the average family size was 2.74.

The median age in the town was 42.9 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.1% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 663 people, 331 households, and 160 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|2,706.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 379 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,546.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 97.1% [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|White]], 1.7% [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|African American]], 0.2% [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Native American]], 0.3% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#Race|other races]], and 0.8% from two or more races. [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Hispanic]] or [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Latino]] of any race were 0.6% of the population.

There were 331 households, out of which 20.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.4% were non-families. 46.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 25.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.98, and the average family size was 2.85.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.5% under 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $24,934, and the median income for a family was $33,333. Males had a median income of $25,156 versus $23,611 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $14,917. About 13.4% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

==Transportation==
[[File:2016-06-25 15 19 21 View north along U.S. Route 522 and west along West Virginia State Route 9 (Washington Street) between Market Street and Warren Street in Berkeley Springs (Bath), Morgan County, West Virginia.jpg|thumb|US 522 northbound and WV 9 westbound in Berkeley Springs]]
Two main highways serve Berkeley Springs. The most prominent of these is [[U.S. Route 522 in West Virginia|U.S. Route 522]]. US 522 traverses the region in a general north-northeast to south-southwest direction. To the north, US 522 connects Berkeley Springs to [[Interstate 70 in Maryland|Interstate 70]] and [[Interstate 68 in Maryland|Interstate 68]] near [[Hancock, Maryland]], while heading south provides a connection to [[Interstate 81 in Virginia|Interstate 81]] near [[Winchester, Virginia]]. The other primary highway serving Berkeley Springs is [[West Virginia Route 9]], oriented in a general northwest-to-southeast alignment. WV 9 heads westward to [[Paw Paw, West Virginia|Paw Paw]] and continues east to [[Martinsburg, West Virginia|Martinsburg]]. The two highways run concurrently for a short stretch along Main Street in Berkeley Springs.

==Notable people==
* [[Beirne Lay, Jr.]], U.S. Army aviator
* [[Tom Netherton]], singer, Lawrence Welk Show
* [[Charles Triplett O'Ferrall]], politician
* [[John Herbert Quick]], author
* [[James Rumsey]], early steamboat inventor
* [[David Hunter Strother]], journalist, artist, politician and diplomat
* [[Lajos Veress]], Hungarian military officer, buried in Berkeley Springs

==In popular culture==
A location in the [[Online Multiplayer|online multiplayer]] game ''[[Fallout 76]]'' was named and inspired by Berkeley Springs.<ref>{{Citation|title=Berkeley Springs - Fallout 76 Wiki Guide - IGN|url=https://www.ign.com/wikis/fallout-76/Berkeley_Springs|language=en|access-date=April 7, 2020}}</ref>{{better source needed|other Wikis are not reliable sources|date=September 2021}}

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center">
File:North Berkeley - aqueduct.jpg|Storage bins no longer in use. At one time, they were used by the local sand mine for loading train cars for distribution.
File:1586-1587 - Berkeley Springs State Park.jpg|View of part of [[Berkeley Springs State Park]]
File:BerkeleySpringsSP WestVirginia.jpg|Another view of part of Berkeley Springs State Park, with fall colors
File:Sleepy Creek Mountain devils nose.JPG|View of Sleepy Creek Mountain from Devil's Nose
File:1615 - Berkeley Springs - Train Station.JPG|The former train station
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Berkeley Springs, West Virginia}}
* {{wikivoyage inline|Berkeley Springs}}
* [http://www.townofbath.org Official Website of Town of Bath Government Berkeley Springs]
* [http://www.berkeleysprings.com/ Official Website of Berkeley Springs]
* [https://www.discoverberkeleysprings.com/ Berkeley Springs Tourist and Local Information]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060117174937/http://www.berkeleyspringschamber.com/about.html Berkeley Springs – Morgan County Chamber of Commerce]

{{Morgan County, West Virginia}}
{{Eastern Panhandle of_West_Virginia}}
{{West Virginia municipalities}}
{{West Virginia county seats}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bath (Berkeley Springs), West Virginia| ]]
[[Category:County seats in West Virginia]]
[[Category:Hagerstown metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Towns in Morgan County, West Virginia]]
[[Category:Spa towns in West Virginia]]
[[Category:Towns in West Virginia]]
[[Category:1776 establishments in Virginia]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1776]]