Falling Waters, West Virginia

"Falling Waters" redirects here. For other uses, see Falling Waters (disambiguation).

Falling Waters, West Virginia
Census-designated place
Welcome center in Falling Waters
Location in Berkeley County and the state of West Virginia.
Falling Waters, West Virginia Location within the state of West Virginia
Coordinates: 39°33′54″N 77°52′47″W
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Berkeley
Area
• Total	1.245 sq mi (3.22 km2)
• Land	1.245 sq mi (3.22 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	443 ft (135 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,440
• Density	1,160/sq mi (447/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	25419
Area code	304
GNIS feature ID	2586801

Falling Waters is a census-designated place (CDP) on the Potomac River in Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States. It is located along Williamsport Pike (US 11) north of Martinsburg. An 1887 Scientific American article claimed that the first U.S. railroad was built in Falling Waters in 1814. The population was 1,440 at the 2020 census.

History

The community of Falling Waters was established in 1815. Because of its location between Hagerstown and Martinsburg on the Potomac River, Falling Waters is a predominantly residential community with numerous historic residences, some of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Recently the community has had a boom in new residential construction as many people use Falling Waters as a bedroom community to commute to cities nearby and as far as Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

The community is planned to receive a 548 acre data center which would span up to 1.9 million square feet. A public hearing was held at the Spring Mills High School with concerns about its impacts on water, the ecosystem, noise, quality of life, and property values.

Falling Waters on a map depicting the Army of the Potomac march

Civil War Era

Falling Waters was the site of two battles during the American Civil War:

• The Battle of Hoke's Run — July 1861
• The Battle of Williamsport — July 1863 during the Gettysburg campaign

In the latter engagement on the Maryland side of the river, Confederate general J. Johnston Pettigrew, a key leader of Pickett's Charge, was mortally wounded by Union cavalry under George Armstrong Custer. However, his men helped delay the Union forces long enough for the bulk of the Army of Northern Virginia to escape into West Virginia and then on to Virginia following its defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Schools

• Marlowe Elementary School

Historic sites

• Edward Colston House, 1598 Tice Road
• Harmony Cemetery, Nestle Quarry Road
• Maidstone-on-the-Potomac, 12 Temple Drive

Notable people

• Mike and Heather Martin of FamilyOFive, lived in Falling Waters.

External links

Media related to Falling Waters, West Virginia at Wikimedia Commons