Once the westernmost outpost of civilization in the American colonies, the towns of Ridgeley and Carpendale, West Virginia began their lives as a trading post called Fort Ohio in the 1750's. In the late 1800's, the area began to develop into a bedroom community for the nearby city of Cumberland. The photos in this book start around the time of the Civil War, with early photos of the Calmes mansion, the Potomac Club, and early businesses like the Ridgeley Brothers' Icehouse. The book includes historic photos of Ridgeley and Carpendale businesses, schools, floods, parades, sports teams, civic organizations like The American Legion and Volunteer Fire Department, the town's two championship football teams, and much more. Chapter List 1. The Potomac Club and the Early Development of Ridgeley 2. The Growth of Ridgeley 3. Dreyer's Beach and the Potomac River 4. Carpendale and Wiley Ford 5. Floods 6. Schools 7. The Class of Ridgeley 8. The Ridgeley Volunteer Fire Department 9. The American Legion Post 10. The Ridgeley Boy's Club 11. People 12. Town Government 13. Early Football 14. Champions: The First and the Last 15. Basketball 16. Baseball 17. Ridgeley's Greatest Generation 18. Ridgeley's National Hero With over 230 pages of historic photos and text (and nearly 500 photos), the book is a comprehensive look back at the development of this small town along the Potomac River.