Battle of Charleston

Lightburn's Retreat

(Preface): Confederate Gen. Albert G. Jenkins led 550 cavalrymen on a 500-mile raid from Salt Sulphur Springs, Aug. 22-Sept. 12, 1862, attacking Federal forces and destroying military stores. He captured and paroled 300 Union soldiers, killed or wounded 1,000 ...

Charleston 's Civil War Sites

The Past is Present

Two significant dwellings that stood elsewhere during the Civil War have been relocated to this park for public use:

Craik-Patton House. The Rev. James Craik, son of George Washington’s personal secretary, constructed this house in downtown Charleston ...

Holley Motor Company

The acclaimed performance carburetor maker began here in 1899. The innovative carburetor on George and Earl Holley’s Motorette car gained the attention of Henry Ford. Soon specializing in this technology, they supplied Ford, and later the aircraft industry, and the ...

Bradford Oil Refinery

One of the oldest refineries in continuous production in the US was founded near here in 1881 by pioneer independent oilmen Robert Childs, Eli Loomis, and William Willis. The original refining capacity was 10 barrels a day. One hundred twenty-five ...

Allegheny Portage

The 23-mile crossing from Susquehanna West Branch to the Allegheny River followed Portage Creek to a "canoe place" near this point. From here Indians and pioneers continued on their way by boat down the Allegheny River.

Marker is at the intersection ...

The Roads to White Haven

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site

Settlement in St. Louis County first occurred along the three main thoroughfares out from the city: Gravois to the southwest, Manchester to the west, and Natural Bridge to the northwest. Railroad development paralleled the Mississippi ...

The Roulette Farm

The Battle Caused Considerable Destruction of Property Here

William Roulette

This farmstead dates from a time when Sharpsburg was the western frontier. In September 1862, it was the home of William and Margaret Roulette and their six children. They evacuated before the ...

New Buildings for White Haven

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site

Grant's plans for developing the farm resulted in many improvements, including a barn and stable built between 1869 and 1872. The stable you see today housed Grant's horses. The barn that also appears in the ...

Early's Washington Raid

Diverting Federal Forces, July 1864

In mid-June 1864, Confederate Gen. Jubal A. Early's corps drove Union Gen. David Hunter's army into West Virginia after the Battle of Lynchburg. On June 23 Early launched an incursion through Maryland against Washington, D.C., to ...

Seneca Crossing

Native Americans, French explorers, and Revolutionary War soldiers all used this 8-mile cross-country portage to access the upper reaches of the Allegheny River from Conewango Creek. This historic trail provided travelers with a preferable alternative to the arduous 26-mile upriver ...