Charles Town, WV

I lived very briefly in Charles Town and had a chance to explore the town and surrounding areas. Charles Town has both history and horse racing. The town was founded in 1787 by Charles Washington, the youngest full brother of George Washington. He named several of the streets after his brothers and wife (Mildred Street). John Brown was tried and hanged in Charles Town after his unsuccessful raid on the Harpers Ferry Armory. The town changed hands several times during the Civil War until Union troops took permanent control in 1863. Charles Town is famous for its Race Track which opened in 1933, and the raising of racehorses is big business in the area.

View east along W. Washington Street

View west along West Washington Street

Grandma's Diner next to Studio M
Great Breakfast

View east down West Washington Street

Kratovil Law and Sumittra Thai Restaurant
Neat old buildings on Washington Street

Historic Marker

John Brown Hanging Site

Site of the Gallows

Historic Gibson-Todd House
515 S. Samuel Street

Gibson-Todd House
515 S. Samuel Street

Garrison's Barber Shop

Charles Town Police Department
114 W. Liberty Street

Briel Law - 201 N. George Street
Another cool building

Old Opera House
203 N. George Street

Corner of E. Liberty and S. George Streets

Charles Broadway Rouss Memorial Hall

Jefferson County Courthouse

City Hall

Fireman Statue

Old Charles Town Railroad Depot

Needful Things

Needful Things is a store that sells previously owned stuff, whether on consignment or not I don't know. But in addition the store has a really cool 60's style lunch counter. I would go there for breakfast. Needful Things is easy to find on Washington Street because Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy, and Charlie Chaplin hang around outside.

Charlie Chaplin

Lucy, Charlie Brown, and Snoopy

"All goods worth prices charged"

Friendly staff at Needful Things

"Eat & Browse"

Bars and Booths

Bars and Booths is a unique store specializing in all things retro for both commercial and home decor. I got to chat with GW and he let me take a few photos of the place. If you want a retro rec room or a 60's kitchen, Bars and Booths is the place to go.

Bars and Booths.com

Serve Coke

Pastels are a good look

Lots of Dino Clocks

Retro Diner

Kitchen Makeover

8th Annual Charles Town Car Show

If anybody can identify any of these cars let me know.

38-39 Chevy?

55 Chevy

28 or 29 Model A Ford

???

"To Protect and Serve and Block Off Streets"

32 Ford

Mercedes Military Unimog

34 Ford?

WWII Jeep

Jefferson County Museum

A good way to spend an afternoon is browsing through the Jefferson County Museum. The museum does a good job documenting the history of Jefferson County.

Charles Town Library
and Jefferson County Museum

Jefferson County Museum

World War I Artifacts

Martin Robison Delaney

Caption

Guns from Harpers Ferry Armory

Old Toys

Jefferson County Pharmaceutical and Beverage Bottles

Pharmaceutical Bottles

Early Domestic Items

Civil War Artillery Shells

Hollywood Casino and Charles Town Race Track

I guess you could say gambling is the major industry in Charles Town, either at the Hollywood Casino or the Charles Town Race Track. A lot of folks are employed raising, training, and racing horses in Jefferson County.