• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Observer

Stories of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle

  • Home
  • Sightline Stories
    • Jefferson County Ambulance Services
    • School Construction In Jefferson County
    • Solar in Jefferson County
    • Remembering Hartstown
    • Waters of Jefferson County
    • 2022 Elections
    • Ambulances
  • Columnists
    • Editor’s Notes
    • Book Reviews
    • Nature
    • Environment
    • Education
    • Health & Wellness
    • Local History
    • Law
    • Government & Politics
    • A Little Time Away
  • Newsletter Sign-up

Primary Sidebar

Latest Stories

Two Commissioners Refuse To Meet

Local Woman Plays For USA Team In Amputee Soccer Tournament

Shepherdstown Day Care Center Celebrates 50 Years

Imaginary Horribles – An Artist’s Perspective

Local Residents Will Perform “The Anvil” At Courthouse In October

Friends Of Music Presents Poulenc Trio In October

Halloween Fun In Jefferson County

Events & Activities – October 2023

Comment On Air Permit Modification For Rockwool Factory In Ranson Due Oct 23

Jefferson County Planning Commission Takes Comments On Future Land Use

The Emotional Benefits Of Fishing

Stall Tactics On Jefferson County Commission

Read all stories

In Print

Observer 2023-08 cover

The Foundations of Local Community

February, 2022 Tagged With: editor's note, In Print Feb 2022

Hill top house before repair work began in January 2022.

A last look at the current Hill Top House in Harpers Ferry before construction work began in late January 2022. Swan Hill Top, the development company, says that the activity of the early stages of the project may not be very visible as workers clean up and deconstruct the interior of the building to salvage wood, stone, and other materials for reuse in the new structure.

Note from the Editor

People have been settling and moving around the region for a long time, as the newly-opened Contributions: African Americans in the Shenandoah Valley exhibition at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley reminds us (see page 6). Nick Powers, Curator of Collections at the museum, emphasizes that the local stories presented in this exhibition are intended to be interpreted in the broader context of American history. A few of the objects from this exhibition are presented in this issue, highlighting how these local stories are connected to our broader national narrative.

Looking back more recently, to 2007, the new owners of the Hill Top House (above) were planning to make some minor repairs and continue the hotel operations. Across the county, the real estate market was booming. By 2008, the Hill Top House was closed after the owners determined that the structure could not be salvaged. Likewise, the housing market sagged by half and stayed down for the next several years. Construction is finally underway at the Hill Top. And new home construction in Jefferson County is again booming, as evidenced by the number of building permits issued and the amount of construction equipment on the ground — a local version of the broader housing trends playing out across the region and the country.

Even closer to home, our community is enriched by the many who volunteer their time. We present two examples in this month’s issue — the Historic Landmark Commission which works to preserve examples of Jefferson County’s past, and CASA-EP, which works to support the “children who are the adults of the future,” as described by Darah Kehnemuyi, a long-time CASA volunteer.

By Steve Pearson

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

You Might Also Like:

We encourage our readers to contact The Observer to suggest topics, events, artists, musicians, craft-persons, businesses, or restaurants you want us to feature. Use the contact form or email Connect@WeAreTheObserver.com.

Footer

Topics

  • Community
  • Economy & Environment
  • Education
  • Government
  • Public Health

Sightline Stories

  • Solar in Jefferson County
  • Remembering Hartstown

Columnists

  • WV Perspectives
  • Book Reviews
  • Nature
  • Environment
  • Education
  • Health & Wellness
  • Local History
  • Government & Politics

The Observer

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Connect With Us
  • Print Issues
  • Terms of Use

Follow Us

  • Facebook

Copyright © 2023 WV Independent Observer LLC · Log in