In the middle of an upstairs room in the Historic Shepherdstown Museum is a detailed scale-model steam boat, made of tin and about three feet long.
The boat was built by Henry Snyder, a Shepherdstown resident who was murdered in 1864, in a violent robbery by masked bandits. The crime caused a stir in Shepherdstown at the time, and for some years after. One of the stories in the Shepherdstown Register, shortly after it resumed publication at the end of the Civil War, was a reprint of an article that had appeared in a Baltimore newspaper in November of 1864. The article told of the robbery at the Snyder farmstead and the murder of a young family member, Henry Snyder.
Who was Henry Snyder and who was responsible for his death? Were they Northern sympathizers or “carpet baggers” as some claimed, or perhaps others closer to home? And why?
Henry Miller Snyder, “a good citizen and esteemed by all who knew him” according to the Shepherdstown Register, was born in 1836 at the family farm, Rock Springs, located off of Ridge Road, a few miles outside of Shepherdstown. A loyal Virginian, he enlisted as a private in the Confederate Army in May of 1861, a month after the state joined the Confederacy. Just two months later, his unit was sent to Manassas, Va., where he was wounded at the First Battle of Bull Run. Sent home to recuperate, he began work on his model steam boat. Partially painted red, it would never be finished.
Henry Miller Snyder
Still in the Confederate Army, in 1863 he married Mary Virginia Moler.
Whenever his unit was encamped nearby, he would at times sneak away from camp without leave to visit his wife and family.
One such occasion was on November 9th, 1864. According to the article in the Shepherdstown Register, four men on horseback— three wearing masks and one wearing blackface — approached the Snyder farmstead at about 8:00 PM and knocked on the door. The robbers apparently knew the area and likely assumed that the elderly Snyders were alone in the house. Mrs. Snyder, Henry’s mother, expecting the return of a family member, opened the door and three of the men barged in. Demanding money, they grabbed Mrs. Snyder and blindfolded her. Henry’s father, John Snyder, who had been sitting by the fire, stood up, only to be knocked down by one of the intruders, who then tied him to a chair. The robbers again demanded money. Mrs. Snyder agreed and they removed her blindfold. She went to an upstairs bedroom to retrieve the money, which was kept in a small purse.
Henry, who lived with his wife in another part of the house, heard the noise and rushed to his parents’ aid. In the scuffle, Henry was shot in the arm and the bullet passed through his abdomen and lodged in his back.
Mrs. Snyder gave the robbers her purse with forty dollars in it. They took the money and then threw the purse on the floor, threatening to shoot the two men’s wives if they didn’t stop their “hallooing.”
Henry Snyder lay bleeding in the front hall of the Rock Spring farmhouse and died some 36 hours later. A tall-case clock that stood in the room still has a hole where another bullet entered, and it is said that the blood stain on the floor where Henry lay dying is still visible.
After leaving the Snyder Farm, the bandits went to the house of Christian Rhinehart, a few miles away. They called for him to come out on his porch and demanded money, saying that just as they knew him, he would know them if they took off their masks. They told him that they had already killed one man and would kill Mr. Rhinehart as well if he didn’t hand over his money. They then hit him with a revolver, knocking him down and taking what money he had in his pockets.
Were the robbers members of a Confederate raiding party, as reported in the Daily National Republican, a Washington, D.C., newspaper a few days later? According to this article, on the evening of the 9th, Major Harry Gilmor, well known at the time for leading daring raids on Union positions, and his men were on their way to attack Chambersburg, Pa. Passing through Shepherdstown, they robbed stores and individuals, and murdered a man named Henry Snyder. Gilmor, in his autobiography, Four Years in the Saddle, admits to being in Shepherdstown at the time, but claims to have gone there to “discover the perpetrators of the fearful robberies, murders, and outrages of all kinds that had been committed in that neighborhood, scarcely a house having been free from such depredations.”
The Snyders apparently knew the identity of the bandits, but never revealed their names “for the sake of their families.” It wasn’t until 1991 that Henry Miller’s niece, Mary Saum, revealed to a select few, who have also remained silent, the names of the murderers. She did add, however, that they all died horrible deaths.
In July 1865, the Shepherdstown Register reported that a man named Enoch Thompson was acquitted in the murder of Henry Snyder. No further information was given. Records of the trial could not be located at the Jefferson County Courthouse, so the full details of the murder may never be known or if the other bandits were ever arrested or even identified.
But the story doesn’t end here. Even though Enoch Thompson was acquitted in this instance, he apparently went on to live a life of banditry and crime. In 2017 an interesting medallion appeared at an auction in Connecticut. The medallion is inscribed:
“We Honor the Brave
Presented to
Sergt. J.F. Wilt
by the citizens of
Shepherdstown, VA
for killing a
noted highwayman
Enoch Thompson”
The donors of the medallion are “J.W. Grant, & many Friends.”
Sergeant Wilt has yet to be identified; no date or other information was given on the medallion, although it is known that J.W. Grant was treasurer of Shepherdstown in the years after the Civil War. It would seem that Enoch Thompson met his fate shortly after his acquittal.
Who was really responsible for killing Henry Snyder will likely continue to remain a Shepherdstown murder mystery.
A Shepherdstown Murder Mystery
In the middle of an upstairs room in the Historic Shepherdstown Museum is a detailed scale-model steam boat, made of tin and about three feet long.
Who was Henry Snyder and who was responsible for his death? Were they Northern sympathizers or “carpet baggers” as some claimed, or perhaps others closer to home? And why?
Henry Miller Snyder, “a good citizen and esteemed by all who knew him” according to the Shepherdstown Register, was born in 1836 at the family farm, Rock Springs, located off of Ridge Road, a few miles outside of Shepherdstown. A loyal Virginian, he enlisted as a private in the Confederate Army in May of 1861, a month after the state joined the Confederacy. Just two months later, his unit was sent to Manassas, Va., where he was wounded at the First Battle of Bull Run. Sent home to recuperate, he began work on his model steam boat. Partially painted red, it would never be finished.
Henry Miller Snyder
Still in the Confederate Army, in 1863 he married Mary Virginia Moler.
Whenever his unit was encamped nearby, he would at times sneak away from camp without leave to visit his wife and family.
Henry, who lived with his wife in another part of the house, heard the noise and rushed to his parents’ aid. In the scuffle, Henry was shot in the arm and the bullet passed through his abdomen and lodged in his back.
Mrs. Snyder gave the robbers her purse with forty dollars in it. They took the money and then threw the purse on the floor, threatening to shoot the two men’s wives if they didn’t stop their “hallooing.”
Henry Snyder lay bleeding in the front hall of the Rock Spring farmhouse and died some 36 hours later. A tall-case clock that stood in the room still has a hole where another bullet entered, and it is said that the blood stain on the floor where Henry lay dying is still visible.
After leaving the Snyder Farm, the bandits went to the house of Christian Rhinehart, a few miles away. They called for him to come out on his porch and demanded money, saying that just as they knew him, he would know them if they took off their masks. They told him that they had already killed one man and would kill Mr. Rhinehart as well if he didn’t hand over his money. They then hit him with a revolver, knocking him down and taking what money he had in his pockets.
Were the robbers members of a Confederate raiding party, as reported in the Daily National Republican, a Washington, D.C., newspaper a few days later? According to this article, on the evening of the 9th, Major Harry Gilmor, well known at the time for leading daring raids on Union positions, and his men were on their way to attack Chambersburg, Pa. Passing through Shepherdstown, they robbed stores and individuals, and murdered a man named Henry Snyder. Gilmor, in his autobiography, Four Years in the Saddle, admits to being in Shepherdstown at the time, but claims to have gone there to “discover the perpetrators of the fearful robberies, murders, and outrages of all kinds that had been committed in that neighborhood, scarcely a house having been free from such depredations.”
The Snyders apparently knew the identity of the bandits, but never revealed their names “for the sake of their families.” It wasn’t until 1991 that Henry Miller’s niece, Mary Saum, revealed to a select few, who have also remained silent, the names of the murderers. She did add, however, that they all died horrible deaths.
In July 1865, the Shepherdstown Register reported that a man named Enoch Thompson was acquitted in the murder of Henry Snyder. No further information was given. Records of the trial could not be located at the Jefferson County Courthouse, so the full details of the murder may never be known or if the other bandits were ever arrested or even identified.
The donors of the medallion are “J.W. Grant, & many Friends.”
Sergeant Wilt has yet to be identified; no date or other information was given on the medallion, although it is known that J.W. Grant was treasurer of Shepherdstown in the years after the Civil War. It would seem that Enoch Thompson met his fate shortly after his acquittal.
Who was really responsible for killing Henry Snyder will likely continue to remain a Shepherdstown murder mystery.
Historic Shepherdstown Museum Participates in Annual Museum Day!
The Smithsonian Magazine holds an annual museum day each year–and we’re joining!
The Historic Shepherdstown Museum will open its doors free of charge to all Smithsonian Museum Day ticketholders on Saturday, September 21, 2019, as part of the Smithsonian Magazine’s 15th annual Museum Day, a national celebration in which participating museums emulate the free admission policy at the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington D.C.-based museums.
“The Shepherdstown Museum is pleased to participate in this Smithsonian event. It’s a chance to join with others in highlighting the fascination of museums. Our focus is on items that reveal Shepherdstown’s story, which is at the heart of much of American history, and we welcome visitors to share that with us,” says Historic Shepherdstown president Jerry Bock.
Museum Day tickets are available for download at Smithsonian.com/museumday. Visitors who present a Museum Day ticket will gain free entrance for two on September 21. Other participating museums can be found at Smithsonian.com/MuseumDay/Search.
The Shepherdstown Museum is joining the Smithsonian in celebrating their “Year of Music,” with permanent and temporary displays that reflect the history of music in the community. Among these are the Museum’s massive 1870’s square piano that belonged to the Show family of German Street; a piece of original sheet music for a bugle march, found in a Shepherdstown attic; and several vintage instruments, including two dulcimers, a concertina, and an accordion.
The Shepherdstown Museum is open on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Museum will be open on weekends from now through October and during Christmas in Shepherdstown. Visitors who would like to visit at other times may inquire at the office (304-876-0910 or HSC1786@gmail.com).
Speaker Series, 2019 – Four Experts to Discuss Artisans of the Lower Shenandoah Valley
On Wednesday, September 11th, Historic Shepherdstown will present “Artisans of the Lower Shenandoah Valley,” a panel discussion by four experts on the history of decorative arts in this area. Located at the Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education on the Shepherd campus, the free event will begin at 6:45 with Historic Shepherdstown’s annual meeting followed by the talks from 7 to 8:30. Light refreshments will be served afterwards.
Matthew Webster, former Shepherdstown resident, now Colonial Williamsburg’s Director of the Grainger Department of Architectural Preservation and Research, will lead the discussion. He assembled this group of young speakers, saying that they are “up and coming stars in their field. I have seen their lectures develop from research and each is highly regarded. This is a great opportunity for them and Shepherdstown.”
The three additional speakers will be: Kate Hughes, Decorative Arts Trust Curatorial Intern and Research Scholar of the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Katie McKinney, Colonial Williamsburg’s Assistant Curator of Maps & Prints; and Nicholas Powers, Curator of Collections, Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.
The titles of the individual talks will be:
Each talk will take place at 7 p.m. at the Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education.
Shepherdstown Museum to Open with Display of Local Silver
The Historic Shepherdstown Museum will open for the season on April 6 with a display of historic Shepherdstown and Jefferson County silverware.
Beginning on April 6, the Museum will be open on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. It is located in the Entler Hotel building at 129 E. German Street in Shepherdstown.
The silver display, which includes spoons and serving pieces made by a number of local craftsmen, is on loan from the extensive collection of Eric Hendricks Jenkins, a twelfth-generation resident of the Eastern Panhandle. He is an avid collector of local silver and other artifacts, a history teacher at Wildwood Middle School, and a docent at the Shepherdstown Museum.
Mr. Jenkins tells some great stories about his pieces and the people who made them. Among the items featured are spoons by Frederick Jerome Posey (1815-1881), who lived at the Entler Hotel and had his workshop there at one point. An opponent of slavery, Posey attempted to assist a group of slaves to escape from their owner to Canada in 1857. Posey lent his carriage to the group, which was led by an enslaved man named William Henry Mood and included a woman named Belinda Bivans. Bivans was attempting to find her father, who had escaped to Canada earlier. She said that her owner, though a Christian, was a “backslider,” and added that “money was his church.” Unfortunately, the group was caught in Chambersburg.
Also on display will be silver items made by Jacob Craft and John Bernard Woltz, both also makers of tall clocks, several of which are on display in the Museum. Clockmaking clearly was only one source of their income.
The Shepherdstown Museum houses a varied collection of other Shepherdstown objects, from prehistoric tools to an early Rural Free Delivery mail cart to two mid-twentieth century dial phones on which guests can call each other.
A suggested donation of $4 for adults is welcome. Admission for children and members is free.
For more information about the Museum opening or the exhibits, contact the Historic Shepherdstown Commission office at hsc1786@gmail.com or 304-876-0910.
Historic Shepherdstown newsletter, June 2026
Historic Shepherdstown newsletter, June 2026
Historic Shepherdstown – West Virginia Association of Museums’ Institution of the Year
Bee Line March Commemoration events
Historic Shepherdstown was recognized recently by the West Virginia Association of Museums for its participation in activities related to the Bee Line March 250th Anniversary celebrations last spring and summer. The award for Institution of the Year 2026 was announced at the association’s Annual Conference held in Wheeling in April. It was a unanimous decision on the part of the judges, according to Katie Thompson, president of the Association.
Historic Shepherdstown co-chaired a countywide committee that brought together local civic and historical organizations, museums, fraternal groups, businesses, and schools to plan events, ceremonies, and presentations. In partnership with the Kentucky Rifle Foundation, the museum mounted an exhibit of locally made 18th-century rifles. Brochures, posters, and other displays highlighted the story of the Shepherdstown men who marched to Massachusetts to support Gen. George Washington. The museum also worked with the county GIS (Geographic Information Systems) staff to create an interactive Bee Line March map featured in the July 2025 issue of Smithsonian Magazine.
In addition, Historic Shepherdstown’s Donna Bertazzoni and the late Peter Smith of the Shepherdstown Rotary Club were also recognized by the Archives and History Division of the West Virginia Department of Tourism for their leadership roles in carrying out the Bee Line March Anniversary activities. They were both recognized as West Virginia History Heroes in an award ceremony held June 3rd in Charleston.
Donna Bertazzoni was nominated by Historic Shepherdstown for the award. She organized three seminars about the Bee Line March and organized other events, ceremonies, reenactments and the GIS interactive map. She is a past President of Historic Shepherdstown and has been active as a docent since 2017. The late Peter Smith, who was nominated by the Rotary Club of Shepherdstown, organized and chaired Shepherdstown’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Bee Line March, which included coordinating with numerous federal, state, county and local entities. He was similarly active as a leader in the year-long 250th anniversary of Shepherdstown celebration in 2012. Smith worked diligently over the past three decades to celebrate the history of Shepherdstown.
“Each of us working in support of Historic Shepherdstown is proud of what we accomplished in 2025 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Bee Line March. To receive the Institution of the Year Award means that museum and history leaders throughout West Virginia recognized the importance of this celebration and what we were able to accomplish in partnership with others in Shepherdstown. And we are so proud to know that the Tourism Department recognized Donna Bertazzoni and the late Peter Smith as History Heroes. We’ve known for some time that they are heroes in preserving and celebrating the town’s history,” remarked Stephanie Unger, President of Historic Shepherdstown.
Speaker Series – Main Street: A Proven Strategy For Historic Small Towns – Erin Barnes, May 13, now online
Erin Barnes, President and CEO of Main Street America, spoke on “Main Street: A Proven Strategy for Historic Small Towns” on May 13. This talk, part of the Historic Shepherdstown Speaker Series, was held at 7 pm at the Robert Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education at Shepherd University, and was cosponsored by the Potomac Valley Audubon Society. Historic Shepherdstown YouTube Channel
Erin addressed the success of the Main Street movement over the past 45 years in demonstrating the effectiveness of a combination of historic preservation, economic development, marketing and business restructuring strategies in strengthening the competitiveness of the downtowns of historic small towns and historic urban neighborhoods. Main Street America, with a network that includes 1,200 towns in 44 states, including West Virginia, continues to adapt to changing economic, demographic and retail trends and pressures facing America’s small historic towns – which Ms. Barnes will address in her talk. Main Street America is a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which created the initiative in the early 1980s in response to historic small town downtowns throughout the country where historic buildings were decaying and business competitiveness was not being adequately addressed. In 2024, the network had $7.65B of local reinvestment and 10,126 building rehabs.
“As a member of the Historic Shepherdstown Board and as a former staff member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation when the Main Street initiative was launched almost 50 years ago, it is remarkable to consider what has been accomplished in the preservation and revitalization of small historic town downtowns in all parts of the country. The Historic Shepherdstown Speaker Series is fortunate to host someone of Erin Barnes background in small historic town revitalization and environmental issues,” remarked Historic Shepherdstown Board member Greg Coble.
For 15 years, Erin was CEO of ioby, an organization she cofounded, designed to mobilize neighbors who have good ideas to become powerful civic leaders who plan, fund, and make positive change in their own neighborhoods. The Rockefeller Foundation awarded Erin and her co-founders at ioby the Jane Jacobs Medal for New Technology and Innovation. She has also been a freelance writer on climate change and other environmental issues. Earlier in her career, she was a community organizer and public information officer at the Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition in Portland, Oregon. Erin holds a B.A. in English and American Studies from the University of Virginia and a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University.
Historic Shepherdstown’s Museum opens April 18, with historic 35 star US flag
35 Star Flag on display in Historic Shepherdstown
Historic Shepherdstown’s museum will open Saturday, April 18 with the debut of a rare 35 star US flag and the first public appearance of artifacts from the Battle of Shepherdstown.
The museum will be open from 11 am to 5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays 1 to 4 pm through October. Light refreshments will be available during the first hours of the reopening on April 18 at the museum at 129 East German Street in Shepherdstown, WV.
A grant from the Benedum Foundation enabled the conservation and encasing of a rare 35-star US flag in the museum. The flag’s significance is that it marked when West Virginia was admitted as the 35th state, serving as the official US flag from July 4, 1863 until July 4, 1865 when the 36-star flag became the official flag with Nevada becoming a state. Because it was in service for only two years, there were few 35-star flags produced. The flag to be flown in the museum was purchased at a private estate sale in 2024 and later conserved by Caring for Textiles of Washington, DC, an internationally known group that conserves antique and contemporary textiles for leading museums and collectors.
“While the flag was in service for only two years, it would have been flown by Union forces for nearly half of the Civil War. The Union forces in Sherman’s March to the Sea in November and December 1864 would have flown the 35-star flag, as well as in conflicts like the Battle of Spotsylvania in May 1864. Historic Shepherdstown’s museum is proud to now display a flag of such significant historic importance to the nation and to the state that will enhance the visitor experience,” remarked Historic Shepherdstown Board member and Museum Committee chair John Kavaliunas.
“The Benedum Foundation has been pleased to partner with Historic Shepherdstown on this notable project. Preserving the history of West Virginia through museums and artifacts such as the 35-star United States flag, allows for the sharing of cultural stories that are critical to the preservation of our heritage” said Kim Tieman, Benedum Foundation Vice President and Program Officer.
Oliver Petersen (left) and Julia Brennan of Caring for Textiles conserve the 35 star flag.
The museum will also unveil an exhibit of artifacts that have not been made available for public viewing until now from the Battle of Shepherdstown that was fought September 19-20, 1862, just two days after the Battle of Antietam across the Potomac River near Sharpsburg, MD. The Battle of Shepherdstown was a decisive Confederate victory that marked the end of Robert E. Lee’s Maryland Campaign. The artifacts to be on display in the museum include cannonball fragments, musket balls, fuse plugs and personal items such as a pocket knife, belt buckle and saddle tree. The Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association (SBPA) has managed, documented and cared for the artifacts through the collection efforts of its members, volunteers, private collectors and related organizations. The SBPA has amassed a collection of artifacts, 12 of which will be on display in the museum.
Mike Nickerson, Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association President and Historic Shepherdstown Board member, shared “The artifact collection allows us to learn new details about the Battle of Shepherdstown. Sharing it with the public at the Historic Shepherdstown Museum is a great opportunity to share those details. Many local landowners are enthusiastic supporters and have donated artifacts discovered on their land and allowed detecting – and they retain possession of artifacts found on their property.”
Historic Shepherdstown newsletter, March 2026
Historic Shepherdstown newsletter, March 2026
Historic Shepherdstown newsletter, January 2026
Historic Shepherdstown newsletter, January 2026
Historic Shepherdstown newsletter, September 2025
Historic Shepherdstown newsletter, September 2025
Historic Shepherdstown newsletter, February 2025
Historic Shepherdstown newsletter. February, 2025
Historic Shepherdstown Newsletter, May 2025
Historic Shepherdstown Newsletter, May 2025
The Historical Memory of Frontier War in Twentieth-Century Shenandoah Family Histories, speaker series: April 15, 2026 – Ben Bankhurst, recording available.
Dr. Ben Bankhurst of Shepherd University presented “The Historical Memory of Frontier War in Twentieth-Century Shenandoah Family Histories” on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. A recording is now available at Speaker series April 2026 – Ben Bankhurst, The Historical Memory of Frontier War in Twentieth-Century Shenandoah Family Histories
The talk addressed the privileged place that the era of white settlement on the eighteenth-century frontier holds in the family lore of the Shenandoah Valley and central Appalachia. For the descendants of white colonizers, the arrival of their pioneer ancestors and the conquest and settlement of the region serve as a heroic origin story, rooting them to the land while simultaneously connecting them to the grand narrative of the nation’s founding. Throughout the twentieth century, family historians with a connection to the region, whether resident or not, published hundreds of family histories celebrating their families’ colonial lineage. Dr. Bankhurst, Associate Professor of History at Shepherd University, examined how white families, in the Valley and Central West Virginia, utilized genealogies anchored in the colonial or revolutionary periods to tie them to the land and, through the positive depiction of pioneer ancestors, counter demeaning narratives of the region and its people. Central to this process was the construction of often demeaning Native American stereotypes.