The Only West Virginia Town Founded in 1776 Can’t Be Found on GPS
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Written by Dusty Martin, Executive Director of Travel Berkeley Springs
As West Virginia prepares to celebrate America’s 250th birthday in 2026, tucked deep in the shadow of Cacapon Mountain in the Eastern Panhandle, a quiet town celebrates its own 250-year anniversary. Many know Berkeley Springs, WV, as a destination for wellness and relaxation. What many do not realize is that there is no such town. The name “Berkeley Springs” is only assigned to the zip code. Founded in 1776, The Town of Bath, has lived under alias for over two centuries and this year it was officially recognized as America’s First Spa Town.
Long before wellness became a billion-dollar industry, people traveled hundreds of miles through rugged wilderness to experience the warm mineral waters that flow from the mountains of what is now Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. For centuries before European settlement, Indigenous peoples recognized the springs as a place of significance and healing. By the mid-eighteenth century, word of the waters’ restorative qualities had spread throughout the colonies, attracting visitors seeking relief from illness, exhaustion, and the hardships of frontier life.
The springs became so well known that in 1752, Thomas, Sixth Lord Fairfax, proprietor of Virginia’s vast Northern Neck lands, made a remarkable promise regarding their future:
“You may assure the gentlemen and others that if the waters continue to be useful in relieving the sick, I shall cause the lands around the springs to be surveyed and a number of convenient lots laid off for a town.”
At the time, the promise was ambitious. The region remained a remote frontier, accessible only by rough roads and mountain trails. Yet Fairfax recognized that the springs possessed something unique: a natural attraction capable of drawing visitors from across the colonies. His vision would eventually become reality.
A Town Born Alongside a Nation
In 1776, only weeks after delegates in Philadelphia declared independence and laid the foundations of a new nation, surveyors were busy creating a town around the warm springs. The settlement was named Bath after the famous spa city in England and was intentionally designed as a place dedicated to health, relaxation, and rejuvenation.
This was no accidental crossroads community that gradually evolved around commerce or transportation. Bath was planned from the beginning as a destination. Its streets and lots were carefully arranged around the springs that had already earned a reputation throughout the colonies. It became America’s first purpose-built spa town.
A Town Hidden in Plain Sight
Despite its historical significance, many visitors do not realize that Bath still exists. In 1802, local officials adopted “Berkeley Springs” as the area’s postal designation to avoid confusion with Bath County, Virginia. Over time, the postal name became far more recognizable than the municipal one. Today, Berkeley Springs appears on maps, highway signs, and GPS, while the Town of Bath quietly remains the legal and governmental entity at the community’s core.
As a result, countless visitors arrive believing they are visiting Berkeley Springs when they are actually walking the streets of Bath. Bath remains an incorporated municipality with its own mayor, town council, and police department. The original town, laid out in 1776, still functions much as it was intended, serving both residents and travelers who come seeking the waters.
Where History and Wellness Meet
Visitors can stroll through a town retracing the footsteps of George Washington and other Colonial Elits, soak in waters enjoyed by generations of travelers, and explore a downtown where history stands alongside art galleries, cafés, and locally owned boutiques.
The springs themselves remain the heart of the community. For more than two and a half centuries, people have come to these waters in pursuit of relaxation, renewal, and well-being. Modern spas, massage therapists, wellness practitioners, and healers continue a tradition that stretches back to the colonial period, allowing visitors to participate in one of America’s oldest vacation experiences.
In an era when many destinations have become crowded or commercialized, Berkeley Springs remains authentic. Here, history is not confined to museums or monuments. It remains woven into every street and plot of land laid out the year of the nation’s founding.
The Perfect Destination for America’s 250th Anniversary
As communities across the nation commemorate America’s semiquincentennial, Bath occupies a unique place in the celebration. It is the only town in West Virginia founded in 1776. For travelers looking beyond the crowded festivities of major cities, Bath offers a different way to experience America’s 250th birthday. Here, visitors can explore Revolutionary-era history while enjoying wellness traditions, Appalachian culture, scenic mountain landscapes, and small-town hospitality. After all, how many places can say they are turning 250 years old at the very same moment as the United States? In Bath, America’s first spa town, that extraordinary is the foundation of a story that continues to flow, much like the warm mineral waters that inspired the town’s creation nearly two and a half centuries ago.
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Dusty Martin
Travel Berkeley Springs – 📍Berkeley Springs, WV
This post was last updated on September 8, 2026
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