Conrad Shindler House - History of The House and Property

History of The House and Property

Located at 136 West German Street, in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, the Conrad Shindler House, circa 1795, is likely the second house to have been constructed on Lot 17, as the first recorded deed of sale between Thomas Shepherd and George Burket stipulated that to maintain ownership of the property, “ must build or erect or cause to be built or erected … one good dwelling house twenty feet long and sixteen feet wide with a stone or brick chimney…” So, as the first owner, George Burket (who retained ownership until 1773) likely built a small log structure with a stone or brick chimney at the corner of Princess and German streets. George and his wife Barbary Burket were therefore likely the first European occupants of a structure at Lot 17. Presumably this original structure was torn down and replaced by subsequent owners with the current structure dating to 1795.

Michael Fouke purchased the property and its improvements in 1773 for ₤22 and held it through the American Revolution and into the early nineteenth century when he sold his claim to his sons and daughters. Fouke is known to have practiced carpentry in the Shepherdstown area in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century which could indicate he was responsible for the construction of the circa 1795 structure. Beyond his role as a carpenter, little has been recorded of his life, yet one account puts Fouke at the launch of James Rumsey’s steam-powered boat on the Potomac River in 1787 where he exclaimed, “Why, sir, she could navigate through the Strait of Gibraltar.”

Michael Fouke sold his ownership of the lot and its improvements to his children in 1810, but it is reasonable to assume he maintained residence in Shepherdstown with his children as they later preserved a life estate for him. With the vested interests in the home, George, Charles, John, Frederick, Michael, Christian, Phillip, and Elizabeth decided to sell their claims to the property to Conrad Shindler. One deed on November 29, 1813 retained the aforementioned life estate for George’s father, Michael Fouke Sr. This insured a home would be provided for the remainder of the elder Fouke’s life.

On April 17, 1815, Conrad Shindler gained full ownership of the property when he made a final purchase of claims on Lot 17 from John Fouke for $70. Incidentally, out of the original group of Michael Fouke’s children who purchased the property in 1810, Charles and Phillip never sold their portion of the property, likely due to their death or some other calamity. Nonetheless, by April 1815, Conrad Shindler, a coppersmith and the son of a German immigrant, was the rightful owner of Lot 17 for the combined sum of $530.

Conrad Shindler’s association with the building lasted officially from 1815 until May 8, 1852 when he died of natural causes.