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Back to Current Family Monongalia County History Monongalia County was one of three counties created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly in October 1776 from the District of West Augusta (Virginia). The others were Ohio and Yohogania counties. Monongalia County was named in honor of the Monongahela River, named by the Algonquin (Delaware) Indians. The river's name means "river of crumbling banks" or "high banks fall down." When the bill creating the county was being prepared the spelling was changed to Monongalia. It is not known if the spelling was changed on purpose or was an error. Monongalia County is known as the mother county for northern West Virginia because many other counties were created from its original territory. The precise number is difficult to determine because the original county's boundaries fell along watersheds which shifted over time. However, at least thirteen West Virginia counties were created in whole, and perhaps as many as eighteen West Virginia counties were created either in whole or in part, from Monongalia County. Moreover, parts of Greene, Fayette and Washington counties in Pennsylvania also were created from the county. The Pennsylvania counties were carved from Monongalia County when the Mason-Dixon line was accepted as defining the borders of Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. That approval process began in 1779, and was officially agreed to by the three states in 1784. The First Settlers The first native settlers in present-day North-Central West Virginia (Barbour, Harrison, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, and Taylor counties) were the Mound Builders, also known as the Adena people. Remnants of the Mound Builder's civilization have been found throughout northern West Virginia, with a high concentration of artifacts located at Moundsville, West Virginia, in West Virginia's northern panhandle (in Marshall County). The Grave Creek Indian Mound, located in the center of Moundsville, is one of West Virginia's most famous historic landmarks. More than 2,000 years old, it stands 69 feet high and 295 feet in diameter. According to missionary reports, several thousand Hurons occupied present-day West Virginia during the late 1500s and early 1600s. During the 1600s, the Iroquois Confederacy (then consisting of the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida and Seneca tribes) drove the Hurons from the state. The Iroquois Confederacy was headquartered in New York and was not interested in occupying present-day West Virginia. Instead, they used it as a hunting ground during the spring and summer months. During the early 1700s, North-Central West Virginia was also used as a hunting ground by the Shawnee (also known as the Shawanese). They resided near present-day Winchester, Virginia and Moorefield, West Virginia until 1754 when they migrated into Ohio. They settled all along the Ohio River, but lived primarily in a series of villages along the Scioto River in southern Ohio. These villages were collectively known as Chillicothe and served as their base camp for hunting and fishing in present-day West Virginia. The Mingo, who lived in the Tygart Valley and along the Ohio River, and the Delaware, who lived in present-day eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, but had several autonomous settlements as far south as present-day Braxton County, also used present-day North-Central West Virginia as a hunting ground. The Mingo were not actually an Indian tribe, but a multi-cultural group of Indians that established several communities within present-day West Virginia. They lacked a central government and, like all other Indians within the region at that time, were subject to the control of the Iroquois Confederacy. The Mingo originally lived closer to the Atlantic Coast, but European settlement pushed them into western Virginia and eastern Ohio. The Seneca, headquartered in western New York, was the closest member of the Iroquois Confederacy to West Virginia and took great interest in the state. In 1744, the Seneca boasted to Virginia officials that they had conquered the several nations living on the back of the great mountains of Virginia. Among the conquered nations were the last of the Canawese or Conoy people who became incorporated into some of the Iroquois communities in New York. The Conoy continue to be remembered today through the naming of two of West Virginia's largest rivers after them, the Little Kanawha and the Great Kanawha. Seneca war parties, and war parties from other members of the Iroquois Confederacy, often traveled through the state to protect its claim to southern West Virginia from the Cherokee. The Cherokee were headquartered in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee and rivaled the Iroquois nation in both size and influence. The Cherokee claimed present-day southern West Virginia as their own, setting the stage for conflict with the Iroquois Confederacy. In 1744, Virginia officials purchased the Iroquois title of ownership to West Virginia in the Treaty of Lancaster. The treaty reduced the Iroquois Confederacy's presence in the state. During the mid-1700s, the English indicated to the various Indian tribes that they intended to settle the frontier. The French, on the other hand, were more interested in trading with the Indians than settling in the area. This influenced the Delaware, Mingo, and Shawnee to side with the French during the French and Indian War (1755-1763). Although the Iroquois Confederacy officially remained neutral, many in the Iroquois Confederacy also allied with the French. Unfortunately for them, the French lost the war and ceded the all of its North American possessions to the British. Following the war, the Mingo retreated to their homes along the banks of the Ohio River, and the Shawnee retreated to their homes at Chillicothe. Although the French and Indian War was officially over, many Indians continued to view the British as a threat to their sovereignty and continued to fight them. In the summer of 1763, Pontiac, an Ottawa chief, led raids on key British forts in the Great Lakes region. Shawnee chief Keigh-tugh-qua, also known as Cornstalk, led similar attacks on western Virginia settlements, starting with attacks in present-day Greenbrier County and extending northward to Bath, now known as Berkeley Springs, and into the northern Shenandoah Valley. By the end of July, Indians had destroyed or captured all British forts west of the Alleghenies except Fort Detroit, Fort Pitt, and Fort Niagara. The uprisings were ended on August 6, 1763 when British forces, under the command of Colonel Henry Bouquet, defeated Delaware and Shawnee forces at Bushy Run in western Pennsylvania. Although hostilities had ended, England's King George III feared that more tension between Native Americans and settles was inevitable. In an attempt to avert further bloodshed, he issued the Proclamation of 1763, prohibiting settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. The next five years were relatively peaceful in North-Central West Virginia. However, many land speculators violated the proclamation by claiming vast acreage in western Virginia. In 1768, the Iroquois Confederacy (often called the Six Nations) and the Cherokee signed the Treaty of Hard Labour and the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, relinquishing their claims on the territory between the Ohio River and the Alleghenies to the British. With the frontier now open, settlers, once again, began to enter into present-day West Virginia. During the spring of 1774 there were several incidents between the Shawnee and surveying parties traveling within present-day West Virginia which resulted in the deaths of several surveyors and Indians. Captain Michael Cresap led efforts to put down the Indian uprising, leading to what some called "Cresap's War." The most serious encounter took place in April 1774. Although there are conflicting accounts over what occurred, most accounts indicate that several Indians stole some property from white settlers near present-day Wheeling. In retaliation, several settlers from the area, led by Daniel Greathouse, an associate of Cresap's, followed their trail and came upon two Indians on the north side of the Ohio River. Believing them to be the thieves, the settlers killed them. The next day, April 30, 1774, the settlers found four Indians at a local tavern owned by Joshua Baker. The tavern was located on the southern side of the Ohio River across from the mouth of Yellow Creek which enters the Ohio River several miles above present-day Wheeling. After getting the Indians drunk, the settlers killed them as well. Four more Indians approached the tavern inquiring about the whereabouts of the missing Indians, among them was the brother and pregnant sister of Logan, the now-famous Mingo Indian Chief. The settlers killed them as well, and, reportedly, mutilated Logan's sister's body. After learning of his brother and sister's deaths, Logan led a series of attacks on settlements along the upper Monongahela River and in the neighborhood of Redstone Creek, where the settlers who committed the killings originated. Logan later admitted to killing at least thirteen settlers that summer. He was convinced that Michael Cresap was responsible for his brother's murder and the killing and mutilation of his sister, but it was later determined that Cresap was not responsible. Following what the Indians referred to as the Yellow Creek Massacre, violence between settlers and the various Indian tribes spread across western Virginia. Virginia Governor John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, decided to end the Indian uprising by force. He formed two armies. He led the first army, which was comprised of 1,700 men drawn primarily from the upper Shenandoah Valley, including present-day West Virginia's eastern panhandle region. Colonel Andrew Lewis led the second army. It was comprised of 800 men, drawn primarily from the lower Shenandoah Valley. The two armies marched into western Virginia to meet the Indians, which was led by Shawnee chieftain Keigh-tugh-qua, also known as Cornstalk. Lord Dunmore's army took a more northerly route through present-day West Virginia and Colonel Lewis' army took a more southerly route. Aware of their presence, the Indians, comprised of approximately 1,200 Shawnee, Delaware, Mingo, Wyandotte and Cayuga warriors, decided to attack Lewis' army on October 10, 1774. They hoped to defeat Colonel Lewis' army before it united with Lord Dunmore's army. The attack took place at the confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, at present-day Point Pleasant, in Mason County. During the battle, both sides suffered significant losses. Although nearly half of Lewis' commissioned officers were killed during the battle, including his brother, Colonel Charles Lewis, and seventy-five of his non-commissioned officers, the Indians were forced to retreat back to their settlements in Ohio's Scioto Valley, with Lewis' men in pursuit. Meanwhile, Lord Dunmore arrived and joined forces with Lewis. Seeing that they were outnumbered, Cornstalk sued for peace. Although western Virginia's settlers continued to experience isolated Indian attacks for several years, Cornstalk's defeat at Point Pleasant was the beginning of the end of the Indian presence in western Virginia. The Indians agreed to give up all of their white prisoners, restore all captured horses and other property, and not to hunt south of the Ohio River. They also agreed to stop harassing boats on the Ohio River. This opened up present-day West Virginia and Kentucky for settlement. Cornstalk was later killed at Fort Randolph near Point Pleasant in 1777 in retaliation for the death of a militiaman who was killed by an Indian. During the American Revolution (1776-1783), the Mingo and Shawnee allied themselves with the British. In 1777, a party of 350 Wyandots, Shawnees, and Mingos, armed by the British, attacked Fort Henry, near present-day Wheeling. Nearly half of the Americans manning the fort were killed in the three-day assault. The Indians then left the area celebrating their victory. For the remainder of the war, smaller raiding parties of Mingo, Shawnee, and other Indian tribes terrorized settlers throughout North-Central West Virginia. As a result, European settlement throughout the region came to a virtual standstill until the war's conclusion. Following the war, the Mingo and Shawnee, once again allied with the losing side, returned to their homes. However, as the number of settlers in the region began to grow, and with their numbers depleted by the war, both the Mingo and the Shawnee moved further inland, leaving their traditional hunting ground to the white settlers. European Pioneers and Settlers Dr. Samuel Eckerlin and his two brothers (probably Gabriel and Israel) were the first Europeans known to visit present-day Monongalia County with the intent of establishing a settlement. They left eastern Pennsylvania in 1751 or 1752 and arrived near present-day Morgantown. After exploring the area, they finally settled in present-day Preston County. During the fall of 1758, Thomas Decker established the first settlement in present-day Monongalia County. He led a group of settlers to Decker's Creek, in present-day Morgantown. The settlement was destroyed the following spring by a party of Delaware and Mingo Indians. All but one of the original settlers, including Thomas Decker, were killed or captured in the attack. Most historians believe that David Morgan and his younger brother Zackquill Morgan were the next Europeans to attempt a permanent settlement in Monongalia County. They left Delaware and reached present-day Morgantown in 1766 or 1767. Zackquill decided to build his home near Decker's Creek. David continued down the Monongahela River and settled in present-day Marion County. Other accounts suggest that Bruce Worley and his brother, Nathan, arrived in the county the year before the Morgans arrived. Most historians credit Zackquill Morgan as Monongalia County's second permanent settler, citing as evidence Colonel William Crawford's sworn deposition. Colonel Crawford indicated that Zackquill Morgan, James Chew, and Jacob Prickett moved into present-day North-Central West Virginia in 1766, and that he personally visited Morgan's farm, near Decker's Creek. Zackquill Morgan, son of Morgan served in both the French and Indian War and in the American Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of Colonel. He received a legal certificate for 400 acres of land in the Morgantown area in 1781. In October 1785, at Colonel Morgan's request, the Virginia General Assembly specified that 50 acres of his land was to be laid out in lots of a half acre each, and a town, named Morgans-Town, established on the site. The lots were to auctioned off and the proceeds given to Colonel Morgan. Initially, the land deeds required purchasers to build a house of at least 18 square feet on the lot within four years, but because of Indian hostilities the four-year time limit was extended in 1789 by the Virginia General Assembly an additional five years. Important Events in Monongalia County during the 1700s Monongalia county government's first organizational meeting took place at Jonathan Coburn's home on December 8, 1776. His home was located about two miles east of present-day Morgantown. Captain John Dent was named the county's sheriff. Because the new county's population was concentrated in the county's northern portion, it was decided to hold the county court meetings at Theophilus Phillips' plantation, Phillips' Choice, a few miles from New Geneva, in present-day Springhill Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. In 1782, after the extension of the Mason-Dixon line made his home a part of Pennsylvania, the county seat was moved south, first to Colonel John Evans' home and ultimately to Zackquill Morgan's home in present-day Morgantown. The county court was held in Morgan's home while a courthouse was constructed in the public square in what was then called Morgan's Town. The wooden court house was completed sometime between 1782 and 1785 at a cost of $250. It was at about this time (1784) that George Washington visited the area. In 1790, when the first national census was taken, Monongalia County had the sixth largest population (4,768) of the nine counties that were then in existence in present-day West Virginia. Berkeley County had the largest population (19,713) and Randolph County had the smallest population (951). Overall, in 1790, there were 55,873 people living in present-day West Virginia. In 1793, the Pittsburgh Gazette began delivering its paper to Morgantown and opened a road to it. The road's opening encouraged more people to move to the town and helped the local economy to grow, especially during the early 1800s as many pioneers heading west stopped in Morgantown for supplies. Important Events in Monongalia County during the 1800s In 1804, Morgantown's Monongalia Gazette and Morgantown Advertiser became the first newspaper published west of the Alleghenies. During the 1700s, most economic activity in North-Central West Virginia was conducted through barter (trade). Occasionally, tobacco was used as currency. That changed during the early 1800s. The opening of the road to Pittsburgh during the 1790s allowed monetary transactions to take place in present-day Monongalia County using Pittsburgh banks. In 1809, using money for economic transactions became a little easier when a bank opened in Washington, Pennsylvania, and in 1812, when one opened in Uniontown. In 1814, the first bank in Monongalia County opened for business. It operated out of Captain W. N. Jarrett's home in Morgantown and continued in operation until 1840. In 1814, the Monongalia Academy began operations in Morgantown. It was joined in 1858 by the Woodburn Female Seminary. In 1867, both institutions were donated to the state to form the Agricultural College of West Virginia, after Moundsville turned down the opportunity to host the college in 1866, opting instead to host the state penitentiary. The new college was renamed West Virginia University in 1868. It began operations with six professors and six students. By 1885, West Virginia University had three buildings for 107 students and twelve professors. The Monongalia County Seat Michael Kern's grist mill was Morgantown's first commercial enterprise. It was established around 1772. Zackquill Morgan opened the town's first tavern in 1783. Thomas Laidley opened the town's first general store in 1783 and by 1790 there were two tanneries and several iron furnaces in operation. By 1800, Morgan's Town was comprised of about 40 homes and five taverns. Among the first ordinances created by the town's trustees in 1810 was one creating a fine for galloping horses in the streets and another regulating the hours of the Market House, which was the only place in town allowed to sell meat. Morgantown was incorporated as the Borough of Morgantown, governed by a Board of Trustees, by the Virginia General Assembly on February 3, 1838. At that time, Morgantown's population was growing only slowly, primarily because the residents, fearing the corrupting influence of outsiders, initially opposed linking the city to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. In 1876, Morgantown had about 700 residents. After rejecting previous overtures, the city's residents finally gave in and approved the extension of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (which already had a line running to Fairmont) to Morgantown. The first locomotive arrived in the city on February 14, 1886. The railroad opened the area for economic development. Four smaller rail lines were soon in operation, extending from the main railroad terminal in Morgantown out into the surrounding coal fields. The opening of the coal fields encouraged people to move to Morgantown. In 1900, Morgantown's population reached nearly 2,000, with another 3,500 or so residing in the surrounding area. In 1901, after a local election was held, Morgantown merged with the surrounding communities of Durbannah (South Morgantown), Seneca, and Greenmount. The expansion increased Morgantown's boundaries three-fold and increased its population to 5,000. In 1905, East Morgantown was also annexed into the city (also joined in 1949 by Suncrest and Sabraton), and the Borough of Morgantown was granted a charter by the state legislature incorporating it as a city. Morgantown's annexations, and the economic growth provided by the arrival of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, resulted in Morgantown's population reaching 9,000 in 1910 and 13,000 in 1920. References Monongalia Historical Society. 1926. Sesqui-Centennial of Monongalia County, West Virginia. Morgantown, WV: Monongalia Historical Society. Monongalia Historical Society. 1954. The 175th Anniversary of the Formation of Monongalia County, West Virginia and other Relative Historical Data. Morgantown, WV: Monongalia Historical Society. Wiley, Samuel T. 1883. History of Monongalia County, West Virginia. Kingwood: Preston Publishing Company.
Dr. Robert Jay Dilger, Director, Institute for Public Affairs and Professor
of Political Science, West Virginia University.
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