Kabletown, West Virginia
| Kabletown | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
  Kabletown Location within the state of West Virginia | |
| Coordinates: 39°12′59″N 77°51′25″W / 39.21639°N 77.85694°WCoordinates: 39°12′59″N 77°51′25″W / 39.21639°N 77.85694°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Jefferson |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1541055[1] |
Kabletown is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, West Virginia, USA. The town lies along a spring-fed stream called Bullskin Run near the Shenandoah River on Kabletown Road (County Route 25), very close to the border with Virginia. Kabletown's population was 10,073 in 2000.
Kabletown is located on land that was purchased by Daniel Kable in 1814 and was named in his honor. The land was acquired from Daniel Musselman who originally purchased it from Fernando Fairfax, a nephew of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron.
Over the years, several different types of mills were constructed along Bullskin Run, including a gristmill known as Gaunt's Mill, owned by Daniel Kable. This mill burned down in 1900. In 1841, a woolen mill built at the mouth of Bullskin Run employed fifty men. This mill was washed away in the flood of 1889.
The town was the site of an American Civil War skirmish on November 18, 1864, when Confederate partisans under Colonel John S. Mosby defeated Blazer's Scouts, inflicting 42 casualties, almost half of the Union force.
Wood from the Kabletown area provided the lumber to rebuild the Court House after it burned down during the Civil War. The first church in Kabletown was built of logs. It was used until it was replaced by the old stone church in 1850. This church served as a hospital during the Civil War. In 1920, the Methodist congregation built a new brick church, Kabletown Methodist, in another location and abandoned the old stone church.
The Bloomery-Kabletown Turnpike was built in 1871 connecting Kabletown to what is now known as Route 9. The Charles Town-Bloomery leg was completed in 1872. A tollgate operated on the road until about 1910.
In 1885, a one-room school was built in the village opposite the old stone church. This building served until 1915 when a new two-room brick school was built to serve both Kabletown and the adjoining village of Myerstown. Kabletown also had a school for black students back then.
In 1912, a bridge was constructed over the Bullskin Run. Prior to that, it was necessary to ford the stream at Kabletown. In 1915, a cold storage plant for apples was built by the Rouss Brothers on the site of the old Gaunt Mill. It was used until 1975.
