207 High St E Shepherdstown, WV 25443

Nestled away on a quiet, tree-lined street in the historic town of Shepherdstown, sits what locals know as "Shepherd's Mill". Built in 1738 and home to the largest known overshot water wheel, this property offers endless possibilities. Most recently used as a private residence, the main level of the home has 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, kitchen and large great room. The upper level is a large open and airy room with built in bookcases and has recently been updated with insulation, drywall and paint. This floor could easily be finished off into bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. The basement still has all of the wheel workings and a walk out patio for enjoying the Town Run that flows through on its way to the Potomac River. Shepherdstown is a lovely, quaint town with shops, restaurants, library, art studios, professional offices, and home to Shepherd University. It is within minutes of the Maryland State line, C&O Canal, and not far from historical Harpers Ferry. "The remains of the of the first Shepherd Grist Mill, first built prior to 1739, and operated for two centuries, mark the industry of the States earliest incorporated settlement, originally known as Mecklenburg, the first settlers arriving probably as early as 1719. The mill stands near the Pack Horse Ford crossing of the Potomac. The Indian trail to Pack Horse Ford became the Philadelphia Wagon Road into the Valley of Virginia, and on this road, named High Street, the grist mill was erected. Thomas Shepherd Sr. not only built a mill; he laid out building lots for homes on a part of his first grant of land. Many wheat farmers settled in the vicinity. Shepherd bequeathed the mill to his son, Thomas Jr., in 1776. After the Revolution the village name was changed to Shepherdstown, honoring the builder of the mill. Shepherd started a trend of mills, which became focal points for roads leading out to seaboard markets for flour. A map published in 1810 lists 31 grist or merchant mills in Jefferson County serving a coastal area from Alexandria to Philadelphia. Thus it is no exaggeration to say that Thomas Shepherd with his grist mill inaugurated a bread basket for the growing nation. There seems to be little doubt of the continuous operation of a mill on this spot. It is presumed that the stone building still standing is more than two centuries old. The large, 40-foot iron wheel was once located 60 yards farther down stream, but the date of its installation is beyond the memory of local inhabitants who can remember the mill as it was at the beginning of the century.Shepherd's Mill, then known as Thompson and Carter, suspended operations in 1939. By that time, transportation facilities had increased to the point where large firms could control regional or national markets. Small firms with limited production were simply forced to close their doors in face of such powerful competition. Shepherd's Mill was too large to exist as merely a local supplier and not large enough to compete in a broader market where economy of scale meant the difference between survival and extinction. This phenomenon affected most of the town's industries in a similar fashion, and Shepherdstown reverted to its earlier function as a residential and commercial center catering to the needs of the surrounding farms and the local college." Source: Historic American Engineering Record of the National Park Service, Historian & Author Dennis M. Zembala, 1975