Middleway, West Virginia

Middleway
—  Census-designated place  —
Middleway Location within the state of West Virginia
Coordinates: 39°18′12″N 77°58′58″W / 39.30333°N 77.98278°W / 39.30333; -77.98278Coordinates: 39°18′12″N 77°58′58″W / 39.30333°N 77.98278°W / 39.30333; -77.98278
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Jefferson
Area[1]
– Total	1.123 sq mi (2.9 km2)
– Land	1.123 sq mi (2.9 km2)
– Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Population (2010)[2]
– Total	441
– Density	392.7/sq mi (151.6/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes
FIPS code
GNIS feature ID

Middleway is an unincorporated census-designated place in Jefferson County, West Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 441.^[2]

History

On January 15, 1786, the Virginia General Assembly passed an act establishing the town of Smithfield on land owned by John Smith II and William Smith. A post office was established in 1806; and since there was another town called Smithfield in the state, a different name was needed to avoid confusion. Because Smithfield had become a center of commerce between several other towns, the post office became known as "Middleway." Middleway remains a small village and retains many of its historic buildings. The Middleway Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The area where the town grew was apparently first visited by John Smith I and his sons John Smith II and Rees Smith in 1729. By 1734 they had established a grist mill and a hemp mill. In the 1790s, in an effort to increase the town, the Smithfield Promotion was undertaken. This did increase the size of the town, but it stagnated from then on.

The town has also been known as "Wizard Clip" or "Clip", and townspeople as "Clippers". This is the result of a legend from the 1790s, in which A traveler lodged with Adam Livingston and his family. During the night, the traveler died, calling for a priest. After the stranger's burial, Livingston saw coals popping from his fireplace and tried to remove a phantom rope from the road in front of the house. A constant clipping sound, like that of scissors, pervaded the house. Anyone entering the house had their clothes cut into tatters or half-moon crescents. Livingston contacted a priest in Shepherdstown, Father Dennis Cahill, who exorcised the spirit.^[3]

Historic Buildings and Structures

Photo Gallery

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  Middleway Historic District

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  Grace Street

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  Half-Moon Crescent Symbols

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  The Daniel Fry House on Queen Street

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  Half-Moon Crescent Symbols

Google Earth Placemark

• Middleway Historic District

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov. Retrieved 2011-05-14. 
3. ^ James E. Harding (October 23, 1979), National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Middleway Historic DistrictPDF (4.44 MB), National Park Service