Misplaced Pages

Rumsey Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Show map of West VirginiaShow map of the United States
Location	129 E. German St., Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Coordinates	39°25′49.6″N 77°48′15.4″W / 39.430444°N 77.804278°W / 39.430444; -77.804278
Built	1780
Architectural style	Federal
NRHP reference No.	73001919
Added to NRHP	March 30, 1973

Rumsey Hall, also known as the Entler Hotel, is an historic building in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The building is located in the center of the Shepherdstown Historic District and is a composite of six separate phases of construction. The earliest portion was built in 1786, and was the home belonging to Christian Cookus. This section burned in 1912. This section was separated by a narrow passage from the core of the hotel property, first started in the 1790s by owner Daniel Bedinger. This Federal style structure was expanded to the corner sometime before 1809, with a further addition along Princess Street by 1815. A kitchen and a carriage house completed the complex. Significant interior features remain. In 1809 a store was opened in the corner building, operated by James Brown. At about the same time, the Globe Tavern opened, offering overnight accommodations. In 1815, Bedinger sold the property to James Brown and Edward Lucas for $6,000. In 1820 it was again sold, to Thomas Crown of Washington, D.C., for $4000. By this time the tavern was managed by Thomas James and the hotel by Daniel Entler. In 1823, Daniel Entler became the manager of the entire property. The Entlers managed the properties until 1873, when they moved to Piedmont, West Virginia, while retaining ownership of the hotel.

The Entler Hotel was one of two in Shepherdstown run by Entlers. Daniel Entler's brother Joseph ran the Great Western Hotel, and both were the sons of a German immigrant butcher and innkeeper from York, Pennsylvania.

The Entler Hotel was the chief venue in Shepherdstown for social events. After the Battle of Antietam, three miles away, Shepherdstown became a field hospital for the wounded, with many severely wounded brought to the Entler. On December 14, 1898, the Entler received one of the first two telephones installed in Jefferson County. Several fires occurred between 1899 and 1912, with a fire in 1910 killing the manager's daughter, who was playing with matches. In 1912 a conflagration burned several buildings on the north side of German Street, including the original Entler property. The hotel closed in 1917 and in 1921 it was sold to the State of West Virginia and became the first men's dormitory at Shepherd College, at which time its name was changed to Rumsey Hall. In the 1950s the building was used as faculty apartments, then as storage.

The Town of Shepherdstown bought the Entler from the State in 1978 after a bill was passed by the West Virginia Legislature that mandated that Shepherd College sell the building to the Town after a campaign to prevent the building's demolition, and began restoration work in 1982. The college was going to demolish the building and turn the property into a parking lot. The bill was sponsored by Delegates Clarence E Martin, III and Joseph Caudle. It is now used to house the Historic Shepherdstown Museum, office space for non-profit groups and for town meetings.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
2. "History Timeline". Historic Shepherdstown and Museum. Historic Shepherdstown Commission. 2008-07-08. Archived from the original on 2008-05-14.
3. Ted McGee (October 6, 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Rumsey Hall" (PDF). National Park Service.
4. "Entler Restoration". Historic Shepherdstown and Museum. Historic Shepherdstown Commission. 2008-07-08. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10.

External links

• Historic Sheperdstown and Museum
• The Entler Hotel, Historic Shepherdstown & Museum

v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
Topics	Contributing property Keeper of the Register Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Property types
Lists by county	Barbour Berkeley Boone Braxton Brooke Cabell Calhoun Clay Doddridge Fayette Gilmer Grant Greenbrier Hampshire Hancock Hardy Harrison Jackson Jefferson Kanawha Lewis Lincoln Logan Marion Marshall Mason McDowell Mercer Mineral Mingo Monongalia Monroe Morgan Nicholas Ohio Pendleton Pleasants Pocahontas Preston Putnam Raleigh Randolph Ritchie Roane Summers Taylor Tucker Tyler Upshur Wayne Webster Wetzel Wirt Wood Wyoming
Other lists	Bridges National Historic Landmarks
Category:National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Portal:National Register of Historic Places

• Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
• Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
• Houses in Jefferson County, West Virginia
• Federal architecture in West Virginia
• Museums in Jefferson County, West Virginia
• History museums in West Virginia
• National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, West Virginia
• Houses completed in 1786
• Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in West Virginia
• Museums on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
• Historic house museums in West Virginia