When it was built in 1800, the Market House that today houses the Shepherdstown Public Library offered local farmers a sheltered place to sell their wares, and a centrally located spot for residents to buy farm fresh products. During its long history, it has, in turn, been home to the fire department, the town council offices, a butcher shop, a school and the local jail. A pigpen and a public whipping post were located in back. Today, it is the home of a thriving library that is literally and figuratively the heart of Shepherdstown. The building—the most distinctive in Shepherdstown and the one most frequently noticed by visitors—is West Virginia’s longest continuously occupied library building.
In 1800 the building was a typical market house—a single story with large doors front and back. It stood in the middle of King Street with traffic passing on both sides—a location that allowed sellers’ wagons to drive in. The sides were open to shoppers and closed with wooden slats when not in use. Measuring fifty-seven by twenty feet, it was an imposing building in early Shepherdstown.
In 1845, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows approached the town about building a second story onto the market house. They needed a meeting room, and as ritual demanded, it had to be on the second floor, with opaque windows to preserve the secrecy that surrounded their meetings. The brick front of the building was continued up and shaped to present a façade similar to that of the German Reformed Church and the whole was put under new roof. A stairway was constructed on the rear exterior of the building to avoid interfering with the market entrance. This work was done in exchange for a 999-year lease between the town and the Odd Fellows, and the floor upstairs served as their meeting room until 1962, when the Shepherdstown Women’s Club took over its lease for the library. The front of the second story features Odd Fellows symbols of the “All-Seeing Eye of God” in a sunburst and the “Heart-in-Hand”.
The Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, was fought at nearby Sharpsburg, Maryland, in September 1862. The market house, like many other buildings in town, was used as a makeshift hospital during the battle. During the subsequent few years, the building was used by the U.S. Military and the upstairs was employed as a holding area for conscripted soldiers; the entire building suffered quite a bit of abuse. By the early 1900’s, the market house had fallen into disrepair and many of the staid families tried to persuade other citizens to tear down the eyesore. The Odd Fellows firmly resisted and sued the government for damages to the building; they eventually were awarded $115.00 in recompense for rental of the building, and effectively saved the building from demolition.
The Shepherdstown Women’s Club took over the bottom floor for a public library in 1921. The library was operated by the club, funded by donations, and staffed by dedicated volunteers for about fifty years. Despite limited and unpredictable funding, the library thrived and gathered a reasonably balanced collection of books. In 1948 the town was finally persuaded to remove the jail cells. The Women’s Club bought the Odd Fellows’ lease in 1962 and took possession of the upstairs for its children’s department. In 1971 the Women’s Club turned the library over to the state. Since then, it has continued to grow in programs, patrons and popularity and is truly a cornerstone of the community.
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