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 Builders' 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.

A more thorough discussion of the first native settlers in West Virginia can be read on-line here. The following is a brief overview of that history:

o Several thousand Hurons occupied present-day West Virginia during the late 1500s and early 1600s.

o During the 1600s, the Iroquois Confederacy (then consisting of the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca tribes) drove the Hurons from the state and used it primarily as a hunting ground.

o During the early 1700s, the Shawnee, Mingo, Delaware, and other Indian tribes also used present-day West Virginia as a hunting ground. West Virginia's Potomac Highlands was inhabited by the Tuscarora. They eventually migrated northward to New York and, in 1712, became the sixth nation to formally be admitted to the Iroquois Confederacy. The Cherokee Nation claimed southern West Virginia.

o In 1744, Virginia officials purchased the Iroquois title of ownership to West Virginia in the Treaty of Lancaster.

o The Delaware, Mingo, and Shawnee sided with the French during the French and Indian War (1755-1763). The Iroquois Confederacy officially remained neutral, but many in the Iroquois Confederacy allied with the French.

o When the French and Indian War was over, England's King George III feared that more tension between Native Americans and settlers was inevitable. In an attempt to avert further bloodshed, he issued the Proclamation of 1763, prohibiting settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. The Proclamation was, for the most part, ignored.

o During the summer of 1763, Ottawa Chief Pontiac led raids on key British forts in the Great Lakes region. Shawnee Chief Keigh-tugh-qua, also known as Cornstalk, led similar raids on western Virginia settlements. The uprisings 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.

o 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.

o In April 1774, the Yellow Creek Massacre took place near Wheeling. Among the dead were Mingo Chief Logan's brother and pregnant sister. Violence then escalated into Lord Dunmore's War.

o On October 10, 1774, Colonel Andrew Lewis and approximately 800 men defeated 1,200 Indian warriors led by Shawnee Chief Cornstalk at the Battle of Point Pleasant, ending Lord Dunmore's War.

o The Mingo and Shawnee allied with the British during the American Revolutionary War (1776-1783). One of the more notable battles occurred in 1777 when a war party of 350 Wyandot, Shawnee, and Mingo warriors, 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. Following the war, the Mingo and Shawnee, once again allied with the losing side, returned to their homes in Ohio. As the number of settlers in the region grew, both the Mingo and the Shawnee move further inland, leaving western Virginia to the white settlers.

Monongalia County's 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 Brice 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 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 newspaper to Morgantown and opened a road to the town. 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 Kerns'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 comprised about forty 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, WV: Preston Publishing Company


Author

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