Greenbrier County History

Greenbrier County was created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly in October 1777 from parts of Montgomery and Botetourt counties (Virginia). It was named in honor of the principal river that drains through the county. It is considered the mother county of southern West Virginia because the following 11 counties were created, either in whole or in part, from its original territory: Boone, Cabell, Jackson, Kanawha, Mason, Monroe, Nicholas, Putnam, Roane, Wayne and Webster.

According to the 1790 census, Greenbrier County had the fourth largest population (6,015) of the nine counties that were then in existence within the current boundaries of West Virginia. At that time, there were 55,873 living within the state and Berkeley County had the largest population (19,713).

The First Settlers

The first native settlers in central West Virginia were the Mound Builders, also known as the Adena people. Remnants of the Mound Builder's civilization have been found throughout West Virginia, with a high concentration of artifacts located at Moundsville, West Virginia, 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. They were driven out of the state during the 1600s by members of the powerful Iroquois Confederacy (consisting of the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida and Seneca tribes, and joined later by the Tuscaroras tribe). 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, central West Virginia, including present-day Greenbrier County, was used as a hunting ground by the Mingo who lived in both the Tygart Valley and along the Ohio River in West Virginia's northern panhandle region, 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, and by other members of the Iroquois Confederacy, especially the Seneca, one of the largest and most powerful members of the Iroquois Confederacy.

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.

The Seneca, and other members of the Iroquois Confederacy, claimed all of present-day West Virginia as their own, using it primarily as a hunting ground. Also, war parties from the Seneca and 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 had made it clear to the various Indian tribes that they intended to settle the frontier. The French, on the other hand, were more interested in trade. This influenced the Mingo 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 were rarely seen in central West Virginia.

Although the war was officially over, many Indians continued to see 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. Shawnee chief Keigh-tugh-qua, or Cornstalk, led similar attacks on western Virginia settlements in present-day Greenbrier County. By the end of July, Indians had captured all British forts west of the Alleghenies except Detroit, Fort Pitt, and Fort Niagara. Then, on August 6, 1763, British forces under the command of Colonel Henry Bouquet retaliated and destroyed Delaware and Shawnee forces at Bushy Run in western Pennsylvania, ending the hostilities.

Fearing more tension between Native Americans and settlers, England's King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763, prohibiting settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. However, many land speculators, including George Washington, violated the proclamation by claiming vast acreage in western Virginia. The next five years were relatively peaceful on the frontier. 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.

In 1772, a series of incidents between settlers and Indians in West Virginia ended what had been nearly eight years of peace. During the spring of that year, several
Indians were murdered on the South Branch of the Potomac River by Nicholas Harpold and his companions. About the same time, Bald Eagle, an Indian chief of
some notoriety, was murdered while on a hunting trip on the Monongahela River. In the meantime, Captain Bull, a Delaware Indian Chief and five other Indian
families were living in Braxton County in an area known as Bulltown, near the falls of the Little Kanawha River, about fourteen miles from present day Sutton.
Captain Bull was regarded by most of the settlers in the region as friendly. But some settlers suspected him of providing information to and harboring unfriendly
Indians. While away from home in June 1772, the family of a German immigrant named Peter Stroud was murdered, presumably by Indians. The trail left by the
murderers led in the general direction of Bulltown. Peter's brother, Adam Stroud, had a cabin nearby and seeing smoke rising into the sky, raced to his brother's
cabin. He gathered up what was left of the bodies and buried them. He then headed for Hacker's Creek where he met with several other settlers who agreed to join him in an attack on Bulltown. They killed all of the Indians in the village, including Captain Bull, and threw their bodies into a nearby river. News of Captain Bull's murder quickly spread across the western frontier.

Following what the Indians referred to as the Bulltown massacre, Shawnee Chief Cornstalk, who had led numerous raids against West Virginia settlers in the past,
began to organize the Indians in a concerted effort to drive the whites from their territory.

In 1773, land speculator Michael Cresap led a group of volunteers from Fort Fincastle (later renamed Fort Henry) at present-day Wheeling, murdering several
Shawnee at Captain Creek. Among other atrocities, on April 30, 1774, colonists murdered the family of Mingo chieftain Tah-gah-jute, who had been baptized under the English name of Logan. Although Logan had previously lived peacefully with whites, he killed at least thirteen settlers that summer in revenge.

Virginia Governor John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, worried about the escalating violence in western Virginia, decided to end the conflict by force. He formed two
armies, one marching from the North, consisting of 1,700 men led by himself and the other marching from the South, comprised of 800 troops led by western
Virginia resident and land speculator Captain Andrew Lewis. Shawnee chieftain Keigh-tugh-qua, or Cornstalk, along with approximately 1,200 Shawnee, Delaware, Mingo, Wyandotte and Cayuga warriors, decided to attack the southern regiment before they had a chance to unite with Lord Dunmore's forces. On October 10, 1774, the Indians attacked Lewis' forces 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 finally forced to retreat back to their settlements in Ohio's Scioto Valley, with Lewis' men in pursuit. In the meanwhile,
Lord Dunmore arrived and joined forces with Lewis. Seeing that they were now 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. Also, they were to allow boats on the Ohio River and promised not to harass them. 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, headquartered at Chillicothe, Ohio, 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 Fort celebrating their victory. For the remainder of the war, smaller raiding parties of Mingo, Shawnee, and other Indian tribes terrorized settlers throughout West Virginia. As a result, European settlement in the state 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.

The First European Settlers

John Peter Salley, Charles St. Clair, John Howard, and his son Josiah Howard were the first Englishmen to set foot in present day Greenbrier County. They traveled through the Greenbrier Valley in 1742. In 1750, Dr. Thomas Walker and five companions passed through the county. Dr. Walker reported in his journal that he had learned from the Indians that there were some settlements in the Greenbrier Valley, but he was not able to find them. At about that same time, Jacob Marlin and Stephen Sewell built a cabin along the Greenbrier River at the mouth of Knapp's Creek, at what is now known as Marlinton. Marlin and Sewell quarreled and Marlin returned back east. Sewell stayed and was later killed by Indians. In 1769, Robert McClanachan, Thomas Renick, and William Renick built homes near where the town of Frankford now stands. Captain McClanachan was later killed at the Battle of Point Pleasant.

Important Events During the 1700s

The Battle of Point Pleasant was considered a turning point in the war against the Indians and a precursor of the American Revolutionary War. During the battle, one-half of General Lewis' commissioned officers, including his brother, Colonel Charles Lewis, were killed, as were 75 of his non-commissioned soldiers. Another 140 soldiers were wounded. The actual number of Indians engaged or killed in the battle is not known, but included warriors from the Shawnee, Delaware, Mingo, Wyandotte and Cayuga tribes, lead by their respective chiefs and by Cornstalk, Sachem of the Shawnees and King of the North Confederacy. The remaining Indians fled into Ohio with Lewis' men in pursuit. Now on the defensive, the Indians later agreed to a peace treaty, ending what had become known as Lord Dunmore's War (John Murray, fourth Earl of Dunmore, was Governor of Virginia at the time). General Lewis died in 1781 from a fever.

Two of the boldest massacres committed by Indians in West Virginia's history took place in Greenbrier County. In June 1763, Cornstalk, a young Shawnee Chief, led a band of about 60 of this tribesman into the county. On June 26th, he pretended to be friendly and gained the confidence of the settlers at Muddy Creek. When their defenses were down, his warriors killed them all. Among the dead were the families of Frederick Sea, Joseph Carrol and Salty Yolkum. The next day, Cornstalk repeated his deception at the Clendenin Settlement, near the current site of Lewisburg, killing more than fifty settlers.

The first semblance of organized religion came to Greenbrier County in the 1780's. In 1787, the Rev. John Alderson Jr. organized a congregation to meet at the Old Greenbrier Baptist Church at Alderson. Also around this same time, Rev. John McCue and Reverand Benjamin Brigsby organized Presbyterians in Lewisburg, Union, and Spring Creek. In 1796, after a fire had destroyed the rudimentary Presbyterian Church in Lewisburg, a much larger and permanent structure was built to replace it. Known as the Old Stone Church, the place of worship has the distinction as the oldest, unrestored church still in continuous use west of the Alleghenies.

Important Events During the 1800s

In 1808, the Presbyterian minister John McElhenny and his wife Rebecca Walkup opened the first school in Lewisburg. Classes were initially held in their living room. In 1812, the community finished the construction of a two-story, brick schoolhouse. Later that year, Lewisburg Academy was commissioned as an independent co-educational institution. The Academy was progressive for its day, serving both men and women equally.

"Traveller" perhaps the most famous warhorse in history was at one time a resident of Greenbrier County. The horse was initially called "Jeff" by its owner, Andrew Johnston, of Greenbrier County. He later gave the horse to his son, James W. Johnston. The horse won several awards at the Greenbrier County Fair and when James joined the Confederate Army (where he served as a Captain) he took his prize-winning horse, with him. It was at that time that "Traveller" was first seen by General Robert E. Lee. James Johnston described the encounter:

…As a four-year old, General Lee first saw him on Big Sewell Mountain and admired him at once. Asking if he could be bought, I, J.W.J. promised him that I would see that he got him if he wanted him. I had promised Captain Broune to let him have him as soon as I had to return to my Company (I was then on detail duty that required the use of a horse - I belonged to Infantry). In the winter of 1861 we were ordered to South Carolina to report to General Lee (he having left Sewell). We took the horse and turned him over to the General in S. C. Captain B. proposed presenting him to General Lee but would not accept him, but paid $200.

"Traveller" served General Lee well. After the war, Lee kept him close by at all times. "Traveller" was later buried next to Lee's Tomb at Lee Chapel at Washington College (later Washington and Lee University.)

The Civil War divided the nation, and Lewisburg did not escape the war unscathed. In May 1862, Federal Colonel George Crook took control of the town from a small garrison of Confederate cavalry. Nearby, Confederate General Henry Heth had success in defeating some Federal troops, and he decided to press his advantage and retake Lewisburg for the Confederacy. Even with an advantageous position, Heth was unable to take control of the town. Old Stone Church served as a hospital throughout the encounter. Although it was located in the center of the battle, it remained untouched by the fighting.

County Seat

Lewisburg, the county seat, was originally called The Savannah, then Fort Savannah, and, in 1774, Camp Union (named for the rendezvous point for General Andrew Lewis' army prior to the decisive Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774). The town then became known as Lewisburg, in honor of General Andrew Lewis (1720-1781). The town's name was officially recognized as Lewisburg when the town was incorporated by the Virginia Generally Assembly in 1782.

General Andrew Lewis was born in Ulster, Ireland in 1720 and was brought to America by his father, John Lewis. Andrew Lewis entered the colonial service and rose rapidly through the ranks. He was a major in George Washington's regiment that surrendered to the French at Fort Necessity in 1754, and was wounded in the Battle of Monongahela. He later served with distinction during the Revolutionary War, but was most famous for commanding nearly 1,000 militiamen to a hard-fought victory over the confederated Indian tribes in the famous Battle of Point Pleasant on October 10, 1774.

References

Cole, J.R. 1917. History of Greenbrier County. Lewisburg: n.p..

Dayton, Ruth Woods. 1942. Greenbrier Pioneers and Their Homes. Charleston: West Virginia Publishing Company.

Greenbrier Bicentennial 1778-1978. 1978. Lewisburg: Greenbrier County Bicentennial Committee.

Things You Should See and Know About Lewisburg, WV. 1961. Lewisburg: Lewisburg Chamber of Commerce.

Authors

Dr. Robert Jay Dilger, Director, Institute for Public Affairs and Professor of Political Science, West Virginia University.

Steve Kovalan, undergraduate history and political science major, West Virginia University

May 7, 2001.

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