Adam Stephen House

{{short description|Historic house in West Virginia, United States}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox NRHP | name = Adam Stephen House | nrhp_type = | image = Adam Stephen House WV1.jpg | caption = | location = 309 E. John St., Martinsburg, West Virginia | coordinates = {{coord|39|27|16|N|77|57|39|W|display=inline,title}} | locmapin = West Virginia#USA | built = 1772 | architecture = | added = October 15, 1970 | area = {{convert|2.2|acre}} | refnum = 70000650 <ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2009a}}</ref> }}

'''Adam Stephen House''' is a historic home located at Martinsburg, Berkeley County, West Virginia. It was built between 1772 and 1789, and is a {{frac|2|1|2}}-story, stone house measuring 43 feet, 5 inches, by 36 feet, 3 inches. It was the home of Adam Stephen (c. 1718 – July 16, 1791).<ref name="dhr">{{cite web|url=https://wvculture.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Adam-stephen-house.pdf|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Adam Stephen House|date=July 1970|access-date=2011-06-02 |author=Clifford M. Lewis|publisher=State of West Virginia, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Historic Preservation}}</ref> Built of shaped limestone, it stands on a prominent stone ledge, with two outbuildings in stone and log. After falling into near-ruin, iIt was restored in the 1960s by the General Adam Stephen Memorial Association and is open as a historic house museum.<ref name="chambers1">{{cite book |last1=Chambers |first1=S. Allen Jr. |title=Buildings of West Virginia |date=2004 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-516548-9 |pages=525–526}}</ref> The house was built over a natural cave, with stone steps leading down from the basement. A local caver's organization has worked since 2002 to excavate the cave, which had become plugged with earth, and the excavation is available for tours on open house days.<ref name="mozier1">{{cite news |last1=Mozier |first1=Jeanne |title=The General Adam Stephen House |url=https://www.wonderfulwv.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/Archive/Dec2014.pdf |access-date=29 April 2019 |publisher=Wonderful West Virginia |date=December 2014 |archive-date=May 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514012540/https://www.wonderfulwv.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/Archive/Dec2014.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The site also includes the Triple Brick House, a brick two-story building built into the embankment next to the railroad tracks that run close to the site. It was built about 1875, and was primarily for residential use, but may also have been a kitchen for dining cars on the B&O railroad line.<ref name="dhr"/>

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. It is located within the South Water Street Historic District, listed in 1980.<ref name="nris"/>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.washingtonheritagetrail.org/bc_20.html Washington Heritage Trail website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928025159/http://www.washingtonheritagetrail.org/bc_20.html |date=September 28, 2011 }} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130918012426/http://www.orgsites.com/wv/adam-stephen/ General Adam Stephen Memorial Association website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephen, Adam, House}} Category:1772 establishments in the Colony of Virginia Category:Buildings and structures in Martinsburg, West Virginia Category:Culture of Martinsburg, West Virginia Category:Historic house museums in West Virginia Category:Houses completed in 1772 Category:Houses in Berkeley County, West Virginia Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Category:Museums in Berkeley County, West Virginia Category:Museums on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Category:National Register of Historic Places in Martinsburg, West Virginia Category:Stone houses in West Virginia