Discover 5 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Charles Town (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, Jefferson County Courthouse, and New Opera House. Also, be sure to include Charles Town Mining in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Charles Town (West Virginia).
Table of Contents
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races
Sports facility in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races is a race track and casino just outside the eastern city limits of Charles Town, West Virginia, owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Penn National Gaming. It features a six furlong thoroughbred horse racing facility that is home of the West Virginia Breeders' Classic. It generally runs a 5 days a week schedule. It also contains over 3,000 slot machines, table games, and sports betting.[1]
Address: Charles Town, 750 Hollywood Drive, Charles Town, WV 25414
Jefferson County Courthouse
The Jefferson County Courthouse is a historic building in Charles Town, West Virginia, USA. The building is historically notable as the site of two trials for treason: that of John Brown in 1859, and those of unionizing coal miners from Mingo County, West Virginia, a consequence of the Battle of Blair Mountain, whose trials were moved from the southern part of the state in 1922 as a result of a change of venue.[2]
Address: 100 E Washington St, 25414-1072 Charles Town
New Opera House
Theater. The Old Opera House is located in the Shenandoah Valley in Charles Town, West Virginia, once known as the New Opera House or simply The Opera House, is a restored theater, designed by T.A. Mullett of Washington, D.C., son of architect Alfred B. Mullett. The theater opened in 1911, bringing minstrel shows, vaudeville, touring theater groups, circuses and wild west shows to Charles Town. By the 1930s a projection machine was installed, but the theater closed in 1948. It has since re-opened as a community-supported performance space.
The building consists of a two-story street front with offices on the second floor in an old apartment building, pre-dating the theater portion by about twenty years. The house and stage occupy the interior of the lot.[3]
Address: 204 N George St, 25414-1504 Charles Town
Charles Town Mining
The Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building in Ranson, Jefferson County, West Virginia is a Romanesque Revival building that now serves as Ranson's City Hall. It was built for the Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing and Improvement Company in 1891 as its headquarters. The CMM&I sought to develop industry in the area that in 1910 became the City of Ranson. The company was formed in 1890 by Roger Preston Chew, Frank Beck, Forrest W. Brown, T.C. Green, W.F. Lippitt, A.W. McDonald and B. C. Washington, with Chew as president. Using 850 acres of land purchased from the Ranson family, a planned community was laid out by D.G. Howell, a Washington, D.C. landscape architect and civil engineer. In 1891 the 3½ story headquarters was built, designed by J.C. Holmes.
By 1893 the CMM&I was facing hard times, possibly as a result of the Panic of 1893, and the headquarters was sold to the Board of Education of Charles Town, and served as the white Charles Town High School from 1893 to 1912. The school was sometimes known as the "Keyhole School" after its distinctive entrance, and as the Wright Denny School. In 1917 the Board of Education sold the school to former mayor Gerard D. Moore, and upon his death the property went to H.C. Getzendanner for $4500. Part of the building was used as a confectionery and the north half became the Ranson Post Office. In 1936 the City of Ranson bought the building for $3000 as its City Hall, although apartments occupied the upper floors until the 1970s.[4]
Happy Retreat
Happy Retreat is a historic property in Charles Town, West Virginia, which was originally owned and developed by Charles Washington, the youngest brother of George Washington and the founder of Charles Town.[5]