Maidstone-on-the-Potomac, human settlement in Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States of America
Maidstone-on-the-Potomac is a historic house and former plantation property in Berkeley County near Falling Waters, West Virginia. The stone and brick structure was built around 1741 and sits on a large parcel of land directly along the Potomac River, overlooking Williamsport, Maryland across the water.
The property was established in 1741 by Evan Watkins, who operated a ferry service across the Potomac River at this location. For decades, the crossing was used by significant figures including George Washington and later by thousands of soldiers during the Civil War who relied on the ferry for troop movements and supply transport.
The place served as a crossing point where travelers and traders from different regions met and exchanged news. The ferry and house formed a gathering spot where people on journeys between Virginia and Maryland paused and interacted.
The property is located along US Route 11, which runs directly through the grounds and crosses the Potomac River at this point. Visitors can walk the grounds to view the structure and surrounding landscape, though the house itself remains inaccessible due to fire damage sustained in 2009.
After the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, approximately 70,000 Confederate soldiers retreated and crossed the Potomac River at this ferry location. This made the crossing a critical point during one of the largest military campaigns of the Civil War.
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