Brian and Emma Wenner stand with their children, Vera Beth, Willem and Mavis, in front of the Pump House. Courtesy photo

Since 2021, Emma and Brian Wenner have owned what is known locally as the Pump House (circa 1790) at 107 North Princess Street in Shepherdstown.

Friends at Jefferson High School in the early 2000s and as students at West Virginia University, it wasn’t until 2013 when Emma was home from New York City, visiting her parents in Harpers Ferry, that she ran into Brian again and a closer relationship blossomed. Brian moved to New York to be with her where, for the past seven years, they lived in Brooklyn.

Emma worked for Publishers Weekly as an editor and Brian managed a creative team for a marketing firm. When the pandemic prompted their employers to move to a virtual working environment, they used it as motivation to return to their Jefferson County roots.

“Growing up in a place like Harpers Ferry, surrounded by a beautiful green environment, is a part of my life that I value,” noted Emma. Brian added, “we recognized that growing up in a big city comes with challenges and we want our children to have the benefits and memories we did living in a small friendly community.”

They continue their New York careers from their new home: Emma on a freelance basis and Brian at a desk in one of three upstairs bedrooms. When visiting them, their three children – Vera Beth (7), Willem (5) and Mavis (2) – were playing vigorously in an enclosed second floor sleeping porch that runs the entire length of the 1830s addition. That Emma and Brian decided to purchase one of the most historic residences in Shepherdstown seems right, given their earlier lives in two of the most historic towns in the region. An added bonus to their choice in home is that Brian grew up right around the corner on High Street, where his parents have lived since 1973.

While the Wenners eventually plan to update features in the house — such as the kitchen — to-date, their approach to their home (part of which is 226-years-old and the “newer” part is 186-years-old) has been to stabilize it –replacing corroded pipes, adding HVAC and removing exterior parts of two of the house’s three chimneys, to stop water infiltration. Emma was quick to point out the latter was accomplished in a way that the two chimneys could be replaced in the future. A structural engineer who reviewed the visible bowing of the floor in their principal bedroom, in the oldest part of the house, concluded that as long as the floor support is not disrupted, their bedroom should remain stable.

Assuming the Wenners continue to view their home as a long-term place to raise their family, it will be in keeping with the home’s history. Generations of the Show (1905 – 1997) and Barnhart families (1835 – 1905) owned the house for a combined 162 years. The property was purchased from Thomas Shepherd by Peter Bedinger in 1764. His brother, Henry, purchased the adjacent lot. The Bedingers were German and among the earliest settlers of Shepherdstown. Henry Bedinger was a part of the Beeline March from Shepherdstown to Boston in the summer of 1775, to join the Continental Army; excerpts from his journal, of the march and aftermath, can be found in Danske Dandridge’s “Historic Shepherdstown.”

We have not been able to review the deed recordings from the latter 1700s, but we know that John Lyne sold it to Adam Heyser for $500 in 1803, and given the price, we assume it included the original log structure that fronts Princess Street (later weatherboarded) believed to have been constructed circa 1790. A Shepherdstown Register article confirmed that the well for the pump, which still stands in front of the house, was sunk when Heyser purchased the home in the early 1800s, to operate a hat factory at the property. This became a source of cool, clear water for generations of town residents and provided a social gathering place to interact with others.

The property was purchased by Samuel Barnhart in 1835 for $725. Barnhart, a local contractor of some note, constructed the substantial rear brick addition of the house in the late 1830s. The west side of the addition along the side garden somewhat resembles a Charleston, S.C. single house with long porches — the difference being that the formal entrance of this house fronts Princess Street. There are several historic homes around town with this style. Barnhart’s woodworking and design skills can be seen throughout the house. The rich details of the main staircase extend into the attic level, though with descending ceiling heights that challenge 6’4″ Brian.

Samuel Barnhart was described over the years in the Shepherdstown Register as a contractor and skilled architect. He is credited as the contractor for Trinity Episcopal Church’s steeple, Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church, the “old college building” (McMurran Hall) and the old cement mill along the Potomac River. Barnhart’s son, Henry, worked with his father in construction and later commanded Company B of the Confederate Army Second Virginia Regiment, Stonewall Brigade. Two of Samuel Barnhart’s sons who served in the Confederate Army perished in the war.

Descendants of the Show family have visited the Wenners to share memories, such as pigs transported from a nearby farm to the brick smokehouse still handsomely standing in the side garden. It was also learned that the ground level fountain, near the front of the property, is what remains of a previously existing swimming pool.

The Wenners appreciate the social benefits of living in a small town. Their neighbors, Beth and Simon Ayling, greeted them with an apple pie and later hosted a welcome party for them and their other neighbors. They constructed a gate between their two yards, so the three children could run around and the Aylings could tend a vegetable garden in the rear of the Wenner property. This is precisely the sense of community Emma and Brian were seeking, when they left Brooklyn to raise their family in their historic Shepherdstown home.

Historic Shepherdstown board member Greg Coble wrote this column, with research and editorial assistance of fellow board members Marellen Aherne and Terry Fulton. Historic Shepherdstown is a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving Shepherdstown’s unique architectural character and building public understanding of the town’s distinctive history through its museum and other programs. Become a member at https://historicshepherdstown.com.