Civil War buffs will enjoy visiting this house where Belle Boyd, the Confederate spy, lived for several years. The gentleman in charge was very helpful in explaining Belle's connection to General "Stonewall" Jackson. Their are photos and exhibits which are interesting. There is no charge.
Like two other reviews I feel that the Boyd House is lacking in many ways. The tour and displays try to make up for the lack of represented history throughout the Eastern Panhandle, not the Boyd House. With a little professional help and public education about Boyd herself this house could be a great visit for everyone, especially parents of elementary and middle school students. Being born in Martinsburg and moving to Colorado made me realize how little most people know about the Civil War. This is a site that could spark interest and excitement in the hearts of young people if portrayed right. For instance the Hack Wilson display is history but in no way belongs in the Boyd House. This is a prime example of the "Well it's OK" attitude of the Eastern Panhandle citizens instead of making things great. I'm moving back to the Panhandle soon with my new child in tow, and will make sure I tell them the the truth about Boyd and other civil war heroes. Not just a nice house with random displays but a true revolutionary.
This historic home now houses the Martinsburg-Berkeley Convention and Visitors Bureau. A great way to use a historic place. The museum displays that are on the 2nd and 3rd floors are great also
Visited while in the area for the gadget geo trail this was stop number one and the last stop of the geo tour.Very friendly workers lots of info about the area.Lots of historic things to look at and you can get info about the area here.
Living in this town, we have been to the Belle Boyd House several times. It's always a pleasure. It's an old house with several small exhibits from the local historic area, some of which rotate (like Victorian Toys, or the Valenltine collection) and some of which are permanent (like the Hack Wilson baseball exhibit and the Belle Boyd clothing and items). There is always a docent to give a brief tour, telling you about the history of the house, about Belle's story. It's a small house, a small museum, easily done in 45 minutes or so, so not too time-consuming. Personally, I love it because I love old houses. So while the docents speak, I'm checking out the architecture and wood molding, but the history is cool, too. My granddaughters loved the little Civil War dioramas, husband loved the baseball exhibit, something for everyone. There is a small gift shop. When you are in the room that housed the original kitchen, be sure and ask the docent to show you the unusual cellar door. Note: it has been a while since we visited, but at that time, it was operated on donations only. You might check before you go. It is not handicap accessible.
Kinda stuffy, but the cvb folks are nice. The history of Belle Boyd is very interesting. You could almost see her in the house still.
I was eager to see the house in which young Belle Boyd spent her younger days. I was expecting a well restored 19th century house filled with period furnishings and artifacts from Boyd's family. Instead I found an eclectic mishmash of seemingly unrelated items on display throughout the house, many of which would be of interest to residence of the city than to out of town visitors. The house is in need of a professional designer who, with insight from the Berkeley County Historical Society which owns the building, can create a more unified vision for the house and better displays with interpretive signage. There needs to be clarity as to whether the building is to be a house museum telling the story of the Boyd family or a museum that tells the story of Martinsburg. Grants are available to help the organization clarify the building's space. Besides the Berkeley County Historical Society, the structure also houses the county's CVB and a gift shop. Behind the house is a lovely garden. Next door is the county's archives and research center home of the Berkeley County Historic Landmark which also has a book store. Located behind the house is a herb. garden
The Belle Boyd House, home of the Berkeley County Historical Society, looks like a regular house but is surprising for its size and scope of exhibits. It has by far the best Hack Wilson exhibit anywhere, period clothing from most wars, an extensive local indian artifacts collection from Thornton Hilleary, a train exhibit, a children's antique toy room, a room of local black history, and drawings from David Hunter Strother,Martinsburg's superb graphic artist of the 19th century. Of course there are several exhibits relating to Belle Boyd, the famous Confederate spy who aided Stonewall Jackson, and who was put on a boat to England to keep the North from having the nasty task of hanging a woman .The best part, is the Archives Building next door, which keeps local history alive and which is open to the public for research on Thurs., Fri., and Sat., from 10am to 4 pm. It includes dozens of unique and scholarly books and pamphlets researched, edited and published by the Society. The Archives used to beat the Belle Boyd House, but is now across the street, where its rare documents are now housed in climate controlled rooms.It is considered one of the premier research facilities in West Virginia.
Take time ti visit and learn the perils of a young girl that eaves dropped on General's Conversations and then would risk her life to deliver messages of the opposite side. You can't even imagine living during that time.
If you're in the Martinsburg area, it's worth a stop for some history and info. I'd never been in the area before and it was my first stop - good choice to then plan out my visit.