National Register Landmarks

Jefferson County is home to 71 nationally registered landmarks. More about the National Register and Jefferson County properties can be found below.

What is the National Register?

The National Register is the official list of buildings, structures, objects, and sites recognized by the National Park Service on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior for their importance to local, state, or national history. Properties must retain their historic integrity, and may be recognized for their connections to American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture. Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historic and archaeological resources.

What are the criteria for listing?

The National Register’s standards for evaluating the significance of properties were developed to recognize the accomplishments of all peoples who have made a significant contribution to our country’s history and heritage. The criteria are designed to guide State and local governments, Federal agencies, and others in evaluating potential entries in the National Register.

What is the criteria for evaluation?

The quality of significance in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture is present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and:

  1. That are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or

  2. That are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or

  3. That embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or

  4. That have yielded or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

What are the criteria for considerations?

Ordinarily cemeteries, birthplaces, graves of historical figures, properties owned by religious institutions or used for religious purposes, structures that have been moved from their original locations, reconstructed historic buildings, properties primarily commemorative in nature, and properties that have achieved significance within the past 50 years shall not be considered eligible for the National Register. However, such properties will qualify if they are integral parts of districts that do meet the criteria or if they fall within the following categories:

  1. A religious property deriving primary significance from architectural or artistic distinction or historical importance; or

  2. A building or structure removed from its original location but which is primarily significant for architectural value, or which is the surviving structure most importantly associated with a historic person or event; or

  3. A birthplace or grave of a historical figure of outstanding importance if there is no appropriate site or building directly associated with his or her productive life; or
    A cemetery which derives its primary importance from graves of persons of transcendent importance, from age, from distinctive design features, or from association with historic events; or

  4. A reconstructed building when accurately executed in a suitable environment and presented in a dignified manner as part of a restoration master plan, and when no other building or structure with the same association has survived; or

  5. A property primarily commemorative in intent if design, age, tradition, or symbolic value has invested it with its own exceptional significance; or

  6. A property achieving significance within the past 50 years if it is of exceptional importance.

National Register Properties

Click through the drop down menus to the right to see the National Register properties. Nominations, reports, and photos are linked where available. 

Jefferson County National Register Properties

Charles Town Properties

Harpers Ferry Properties

Ranson Properties

Shepherdstown Properties

February 12th,
2025

Next JCHLC meeting
7:00 pm

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Contact Information

116 E. Washington St. 

Charles Town, WV 25414

(304) 728-3195

landmarkscommission@jeffersoncountywv.org