**Collected Excerpts and Articles on the History of [Morgan County
]{.underline}**

**in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia**

![](media/image1.png)

**Berkeley Springs Courthouse**

**by**

**Peter Groen**

**January 2005**

**Table of Contents**

[**Margan County - Map**](#map)

[**Morgan County - General Information**](#General)

[**Morgan County - Chronology**](#chronology)

[**Early History of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle**](#history-1)

[**Cities & Towns in Morgan County**](#towns)

[**Historical Sites & Points of Interest in Morgan County**](#sites)

# [Brigadier General Daniel Morgan](#brigadier)

[**National Register of Historic Places in Morgan County**](#register)

[**Historical Highway Markers**](#markers-1)

[**References**](#references)

[]{#map .anchor}

**Map of Morgan County**

![](media/image2.png)

[]{#General .anchor}**Morgan County -- General Information**

Morgan County was formed in 1820 on February 9th from parts of Berkeley
County and Hampshire County. The county was named after General Daniel
Morgan a Revolutionary War and "Whiskey Rebellion" hero who lived in
Berkeley County and later owned a house in Berkeley Springs

Morgan county is bordered in the north by the Potomac river, which
separates it from Maryland. It has an area of about 330 square miles. 
It is intersected by Cacapon river and by Sleepy Creek.  The leading
industrial and agricultural products are glass, sand, tomatoes, fruit
and rye.

In 1850, there were five flour and grist mills, two saw mills, two
tanneries, eleven churches, and 645 pupils attending public schools in
the county.  Morgan county contains large deposits of iron and stone
coal.  It is plentifully supplied with water power.  It had a population
of 3557 of whom 3434 were free and 123 slaves.

As of the census of 2000, there are 14,943 people, 6,145 households, and
4,344 families residing in the county. Morgan County is east of the
Allegheny Front, straddling the extreme Eastern Panhandle and the Ridges
and Valleys of the Potomac Potomac River. It is divided almost in half
by Cacapon Mountain. The eastern half was separated from Berkeley County
and the western half was taken from Hampshire County. It is one of the
smallest counties in West Virginia both in population and land area, but
has one of the fastest population growth rates, due to its proximity to
the Washington and Baltimore Metropolitan areas.

![](media/image3.png)

**Berkeley Springs Main Street**

[]{#chronology .anchor}**Chronology of Morgan County**

1600\'s - The Iroquois Confederacy (then consisting of the Mohawk,
Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca tribes) drove the Hurons from the
area now known as West Virginia. state. They used it as a hunting ground
during the spring and summer months.

1730\'s - The first English settlers in present-day Morgan County began
arriving.

1744 - Virginia officials purchased the Iroquois title of ownership to
West Virginia in the Treaty of Lancaster.

1748 - George Washington\'s first visit to \"ye fam\'d warm springs,\"
as he described them in his journal. At the time, he was a 16-year-old
surveyor surveying the fronteir region for Lord Fairfax.

1756 - A chain of small forts were built to protect the region from
attacks by Native American warriors. Fort Sleepy Creek was built near
the mouth of Sleepy Creek. Fort Maidstone was erected near present-day
Great Cacapon, in present-day Morgan County.

1772 - Berkeley County was created by an act of the House of Burgesses
from the northern third of Frederick County (Virginia). At the time of
the county's formation it consisted of the areas that make up the
present-day Jefferson and Morgan counties.

1776 - The town of Bath (Berkeley Springs) was established by an act of
the Virginia legislature on October 17, 1776. It was also referred to as
Warm Springs. The town charter specifically stated its purpose as caring
for health seekers. Bath became the country\'s first spa.

### 1784 - Stone pools in natural terrain were replaced by the first formal bath house. Newspapers and travelers of the time recorded three separate buildings located in Bath Square. 

### 1785 - James Rumsey, miller, innkeeper, and inventor of the steamboat. He first demonstrated a model of his boat before George Washington at Sir Johns Run.

### 1801 - A post office was established at Bath and it was called Berkeley Springs since there already was a Bath further south along the Blue Ridge. Up until the Civil War both names were used. Since then, the world has come to know the town around the warm springs as Berkeley Springs although Bath remains the official municipal name. 

1820 - Morgan county is created from Berkeley and Hampshire counties. It
was named in honor of General Daniel Morgan (1736-1802).

1830\'s and 1840\'s saw a lot of activity associated with building the
first railroad lines, bridges, and roads in Morgan county.

1843 - When the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was completed, people from
the nation\'s capital started to come to Berkeley Springs for relief
from hot summer weather.

1844 - Fire destroyed most of the business district in Berkeley Springs
(Bath).

1846 - A post office was established at Paw Paw, Morgan County.

1848 - A post office was established at Cacapon Depot, later renamed
Great Cacapon, Morgan County.

1850 - Lee Montgomery, an engineer on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Project, completed work on the 3,118 foot Paw Paw Tunnel.

1851 - A post office was first established at Smith\'s Cross Roads,
Morgan County.

1853 - The Virginia General Assembly passed an act which incorporated
the Morgan Academy in Berkeley Springs.

In July, 1853, a post office was established at Unger, Morgan County.

1860 - A post office was established at Birch Grove, also known as
Timber Ridge, Morgan County.

The Hancock Potomac Bridge Company was incorporated to construct a
bridge across the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and the Potomac River at
Orrick\'s Ferry in Morgan County.

1861 - The Berkeley Springs Savings Bank in Bath (Berkeley Springs) was
incorporated.

**The Civil War (1861-65)** - In January 1861, the South seceded from
the Union to form the Confederate States of America. On March 4, 1861,
Lincoln was innaugurated as President of the United States. In April
1861, the attack on Fort Sumter occurred. It was the opening engagement
of the American Civil War.

1862 - In January, 8,000 Confederate troops under General \"Stonewall\"
Jackson began a three day occupation of Berkeley Springs, Sir Johns Run,
Alpine, and Great Cacapon, all in Morgan County, during an attack on
Hancock, MD.

In May, 1862, Morgan County voters approved the new West Virginia
Constitution.

1863 - In June 20, 1863, West Virginia is admitted to the Union as 35th
state. The new state begins to function as Arthur I. Boreman of
Parkersburg is inaugurated at Wheeling as the first governor.

On April 9, 1865, Gerneral Lee surrendered to General Grant at
Appomattox Courthouse. On April 14, as President Lincoln was watching a
performance of \"Our American Cousin\" at Ford\'s Theater in Washington,
D.C., he was shot by John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln died the next morning.
In May 1865, the remaining Confederate troops were defeated. Confederate
President Jefferson Davis was captured in Georgia on May 10, 1865. The
Civil War finally ended.

1873 - The cornerstone was laid for the Berkeley Springs Presbyterian
Church in Berkeley Springs, the first Presbyterian church in Morgan
county.

1870\'s and 1880\'s saw installation of gas lighting in local towns. The
early 1900\'s saw the spreading installation of electric lights and
telephone utilities.

1885 - Berkeley Castle was built by Colonel Samuel Taylor Suit. It is
the only English Norman castle in America.

The Berkeley Springs News, a Democratic newspaper, was first published
in Morgan county. Publication was discontinued in 1968.

1893 - The Morgan Messenger, a Republican newspaper, was first
published. This was a weekly newspaper for Morgan County, WV.

1911 - The state of West Virginia ordered the elimination of all toll
roads.

1919 - Of the nearly five million men who fought World War I, over
65,000 were West Virginians with the combat forces. During World War I,
many men from Morgan county enrolled in military service and 12 lost
their lives. **See <http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/wvvetmem.html>**

1920 - Women in the United States of America received the right to vote.

1922 - The treason trial of labor leader Frank Keeney stemming from his
involvement in the \'mine war\' was moved from Charles Town, Jefferson
County, to Berkeley Springs, Morgan County.

1924 - The Morgan County Library in Berkeley Springs formally opened.

1928 - The State Park Bath House opened. It was, and still is, is owned
and operated by the State of West Virginia.

1930 - The Bathhouse at Berkeley Springs State Park first opened. 

1931 - The Bank of Morgan County closed and was placed in receivership.
The Bank of Berkeley Springs in Berkeley Springs was also placed in
receivership in 1933, leaving Morgan County without a bank until the
Citizens National Bank of Berkeley Springs was opened in June 1934.

1934 - Attracted by the therapeutic properties of the local mineral
springs, the West Virginia Foundation for Crippled Children opened a
treatment center for post-paralysis care on a hilltop above Berkeley
Springs. This treatment center became better known as "The Pines\".

1941 - In World War II , there were over 16 million men and women in the
American armed forces, some 200,000 of them were from West Virginia.
During World War II, many citizens of Morgan county served in the armed
forces and thirty-seven (37) of them died during the war. **See
<http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/wvvetmem.html>**

1947 - The West Virginia Foundation for Crippled Children conveyed the
buildings and property of the Pines treatment center in Berkeley
Springs, Morgan County, to the Morgan County Court for inclusion in the
new Morgan County War Memorial Hospital in honor of local soldiers
returning from World War II.

1958 - The first radio station in Berkeley Springs, Morgan County,
[WCST]{.underline} AM radio went on the air.

1963 - The new wing for maternity and chronic disease cases at the
Morgan County War Memorial Hospital was dedicated in Berkeley Springs.

1977 - The Paw Paw Public Library building opened.

1979 - The Morgan County State Bank opened in Berkeley Springs. At the
time, Morgan County was the only county without a state-chartered bank.

1992 - An Air National Guard C-130E transport plane from nearby
Martinsburg crashed near Berkeley Springs, killing all six crew members.

**\* Visit - <http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/index.htm>**

***Excerpts from* - The Early History of West Virginia's Eastern
Panhandle**

[]{#history-1 .anchor}by

Robert Jay Dilger

**Early History and the Native American Indians**

The Mound Builders, also known as the Adena people, were the first known
settlers in present-day West Virginia's eastern panhandle region
(Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties). Remnants of the Mound
Builder's civilization have been found throughout West Virginia, with a
high concentration of artifacts in Moundsville, West Virginia (Marshall
County). The Grave Creek Indian Mound, located in 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, including the eastern panhandle region,
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, West Virginia's eastern panhandle region was
inhabited by the Tuscarora. They eventually migrated northward into New
York and, in 1712, became the sixth nation to be formally admitted into
the Iroquois Confederacy. The eastern panhandle region was also used as
a hunting ground by several other Indian tribes, including the Shawnee
(also known as the Shawanese) who resided near present-day Winchester,
Virginia and Moorefield, West Virginia until 1754 when they migrated
into Ohio. The Mingo, who resided in the Tygart Valley and along the
Ohio River in present-day West Virginia's northern panhandle region, 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 the
area as a hunting ground.

The Mingo were not actually an Indian tribe, but a multicultural 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 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 residing in present-day
West Virginia 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 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 their 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 the eastern panhandle
region. 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 settlers 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 on the frontier. 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."

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **"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 were 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, who were 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's army took a more southerly route. Aware of their presence,    |
| the Indians -- approximately 1,200 Shawnee, Delaware, Mingo,          |
| Wyandotte and Cayuga warriors -- decided to attack Lewis's army on    |
| October 10, 1774. They hoped to defeat Colonel Lewis's 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. During the battle, both sides suffered significant losses.  |
| Although nearly half of Lewis's 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's 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 Revolutionary War (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 soldiers 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 present-day northern
and eastern West Virginia. As a result, European settlement throughout
present-day West Virginia, including the eastern panhandle, 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. As the number of settlers in
present-day West Virginia began to grow, both the Mingo and Shawnee
moved further inland, leaving their traditional hunting ground to the
white settlers.

**Highlights of Berkeley (and Morgan) Counties\' Early History**

Berkeley County was created by an act of the House of Burgesses in
February 1772 from the northern third of Frederick County (Virginia). At
the time of the county's formation it also consisted of the areas that
make up the present-day Jefferson and Morgan counties. Most historians
believe that the county was named for Norborne Berkeley, Baron de
Botetourt (1718-1770), Colonial Governor of Virginia from 1768 to 1770.
West Virginia's Blue Book, for example, indicates that Berkeley County
was named in his honor. He served as a colonel in England's North
Gloucestershire militia in 1761, and represented that division of the
county in parliament until he was made a peer in 1764. He claimed the
title of Baron Botetourt as the lineal descendant of Sir Maurice de
Berkeley, who died in 1347. Having incurred heavy gambling debts, he
solicited a government appointment, and in July 1768, was made governor
of Virginia. In 1769, he reluctantly dissolved the Virginia General
Assembly after it adopted resolutions opposing parliament's replacement
of requisitions with parliamentary taxes as a means of generating
revenue and a requirement that the colonists send accused criminals to
England for trial. Despite his differences with the General Assembly,
Norborne Berkeley was well-respected by the colonists, especially after
he sent parliament letters encouraging it to repeal the taxes. When
parliament refused to rescind the taxes, Governor Berkeley requested to
be recalled. In appreciation of his efforts on their behalf, the
colonists erected a monument to his memory which currently stands in
Williamsburg, and two counties were later named in his honor, Berkeley
in present-day West Virginia and Botetourt in Virginia. Other historians
claim that Berkeley County may have been named in honor of Sir William
Berkeley (1610-1677). He was born near London, graduated from Oxford
University in 1629, and was appointed Governor of Virginia in 1642.He
served as Governor until 1652 and was later reappointed Governor in
1660. He continued to serve as Virginia's Governor until 1677 when he
was called back to England. He died later that year, on July 9, 1677.

**Berkeley County's European Settlers**

In 1670, John Lederer, a German physician and explorer employed by Sir
William Berkeley, colonial governor of Virginia, became the first
European to set foot in present day Berkeley County. John Howard and his
son also passed through present-day Berkeley County a few years later,
and discovered the valley of the South Branch of the Potomac. The next
known explorer to traverse the county was John Van Meter in 1725. He
came across the Potomac River, at what is now known as Shepherdstown,
then he made his way to the South Branch River. When he returned to his
home in New York, Van Meter advised his sons to purchase land in the
area.

In 1726, Morgan Morgan II moved from Delaware and founded the first
permanent English settlement of record in West Virginia on Mill Creek
near the present-day Bunker Hill in Berkeley County. The state of West
Virginia erected a monument in Bunker Hill commemorating the event, and
placed a marker at Morgan's grave, which is located in the area. Morgan
Morgan and his wife, Catherine Garretson, had eight children. His son
later founded present-day Morgantown, West Virginia.

In 1730, John and Isaac Van Meter, two of John Van Meter's sons, secured
a patent for forty thousand acres at the South Branch River, much of it
located in present-day Berkeley County, from Virginia's Colonial
Governor Gooch. The brothers sold the land the following year to Hans
Yost Heydt, also known as Joist Hite. In 1732, Joist Hite and fifteen
families set out from York, Pennsylvania, passed through present-day
Berkeley County, and settled near present-day Winchester, Virginia. In
1774, John Van Meter moved to a site near Moorefield, then part of
Berkeley County, but now in present-day Hardy County. His brother, Isaac
Van Meter, settled further to the west.

**Important Events in Berkeley County during the 1700s**

In 1716, Governor Alexander Spotswood, the colonial governor of
Virginia, organized what he called the Trans-Mountain Order, or the
"Knights of the Golden Horseshoe" in Williamsburg, then Virginia's
capital, to explore the Shenandoah Valley. Thirty men accompanied him on
the journey. All of them were provided a miniature horseshoe with the
inscription "Sic jurat transcudere montes," meaning "Thus he swears to
cross the mountains." They reached the base of the Appalachian Mountains
on the eighth day of their journey and climbed to the top of a high
peak. When they reached the top they drank to King George's health.
Although the expedition did not lead to the area's immediate settlement,
it became part of local folklore and later inspired the annual Golden
Horseshoe Test of West Virginia's history which has been administered in
West Virginia's schools each year since 1931, and is the longest running
program of its kind in any state. The top-scoring students in each
county receive the prestigious Golden Horseshoe award and are inducted
as "knights" and "ladies" of the Golden Horseshoe Society.

In 1748, George Washington surveyed present-day Berkeley County for Lord
Fairfax. He later returned to Bath (Berkeley Springs) several times over
the next several years with his half-brother, Lawrence, who was ill and
hoped that the warm springs might improve his health. The springs, and
their rumored medicinal benefits, attracted numerous Indians as well as
European settlers to the area.

In April 1754, Colonel Joshua Fry and his second-in-command, Lieutenant
Colonel George Washington, led a force of nearly 400 Virginians, many of
them from the eastern panhandle region, toward Fort Duquesne in an
attempt to drive the French from the area. Washington and about forty of
his men reached Great Meadows, in present-day Farmington, Pennsylvania,
in late May 1754 and surprised an encampment of thirty-four French
soldiers. Ten of the French soldiers were killed, one was wounded,
twenty-one were taken prisoner, and one escaped and headed for the main
French garrison at Fort Duquesne. Anticipating a counter-attack,
Washington ordered the construction of a circular palisaded fort which
he named Fort Necessity. Meanwhile, Colonel Fry was killed in a separate
engagement, leaving Washington in command. Over the next several

weeks, the rest of the Virginia command made its way to Fort Necessity.
On July 3, 1754, approximately 600 French soldiers, accompanied by about
100 Indians, attacked the Fort. After exchanging gun fire throughout the
day, Washington, realizing that he was outnumbered and surrounded,
agreed to surrender Fort Necessity. The following day he marched out of
the Fort and led his men back toward Virginia. The French then burned
Fort Necessity and returned to Fort Duquesne. Many historians consider
the Battle of Fort Necessity to be the opening battle of the French and
Indian War (1754-1763).

**The Formation of Jefferson and Morgan Counties**

Berkeley County was reduced in size twice during the 1800s. On January
8, 1801, Jefferson County was formed out of the county's eastern
section. Then, on February 9, 1820, Morgan County was formed out of the
county's western section.

**Highlights of Morgan County's Early History**

Morgan County was created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly in
March 1820 from parts of Berkeley and Hampshire counties. It was named
in honor of General Daniel Morgan (1736-1802).

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  Daniel Morgan was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and moved to
  Winchester, Virginia as a youth. He served as a wagoner in Braddock's
  Army during the campaign against the Indians in 1755. During the
  campaign, a British Lieutenant became angry with him and hit him with
  the flat of his sword. Morgan punched the Lieutenant, knocking him
  unconscious. Morgan was court-martialed for striking a British officer
  and was sentenced to 500 lashes. Morgan later joked that the drummer
  who counted out the lashes miscounted and he received only 499 lashes.
  For the rest of his life he claimed the British still owed him one.
  After the campaign ended, he bought a two-story house in Winchester,
  Virginia, where he and Abigail Curry established a home. They had two
  daughters and were later married in 1773. When the American
  Revolutionary War broke out, he joined the American army and, in July
  1775, was commissioned a Captain of the Virginia riflemen. He was
  captured during the Battle of Quebec in December 1775 and spent the
  next eight months as a prisoner of war. He was paroled under the
  promise of a prisoner exchange and later distinguished himself at the
  Battle of Saratoga in 1777. In 1779, he resigned from the army after he
  was passed over for promotion to Brigadier General. In 1780, he
  accepted command of the Southern Campaign and, soon afterwards, was
  promoted to Brigadier General. In 1790, the Continental Congress
  awarded him a gold star for his victory at the Battle of Cowpens, South
  Carolina on January 17, 1781. After the war, he returned to Winchester.
  During his retirement he was a frequent visitor to Bath (Berkeley
  Springs) in hopes that the warm waters would provide some relief for
  his gout. He was called out of retirement in 1794 and put in command of
  the Virginia military during the Whiskey Rebellion that was suppressed
  later that year. In 1797, he was elected to the U.S. House of
  Representatives and served there for two years before retiring due to
  ill health. He died in Winchester on July 6, 1802.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

**Morgan County's European Settlers**

The first English settlers in present-day Morgan County arrived during
the 1730s. Because most of these early pioneers were squatters, there is
no record of their names. Historians claim that the first cabin in the
county was built around 1745. As word of the county's warm springs
spread eastward, Lord Fairfax decided that the county needed to be
surveyed. As mentioned previously, George Washington was a member of the
survey party that arrived at the present site of Berkeley Springs, the
county seat, on March 18, 1748.

**Important Events in Morgan County during the 1700s**

George Washington visited present-day Berkeley Springs several times
with his half brother, Lawrence. When he vacationed in the area in 1767,
he noted how busy the town had become. Lord Fairfax had built a summer
home there and a "private bath," making the area a popular destination
for Virginia's social elite. As the town continued to grow, the Virginia
General Assembly decided to formally recognize it. In October 1776, the
town was officially named Bath, in honor of England's spa city called
Bath. The town's main north-south street was named Washington and the
main east-west street was named Fairfax. Also, seven acres were set
aside for "suffering humanity." When West Virginia gained statehood,
those acres became West Virginia's first state park.

Bath's population increased during and immediately after the American
Revolutionary War as wounded soldiers and others came to the area
believing that the warm springs had medicinal qualities. Bath gained a
reputation as a somewhat wild town where eating, drinking, dancing and
gambling on the daily horse races were the order of the day. Bath later
became known as Berkeley Springs, primarily because the town's post
office took that name (combining Governor Norborne Berkeley's last name
with the warm springs found there) to avoid confusion with another post
office, located in southeastern Virginia, which was already called Bath.
Because the mail was sent to and from Berkeley Springs, that name slowly
took precedence.

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="4.791666666666667in" height="3.66875in"}

[]{#towns .anchor}**Cities & Towns in Morgan County, West Virginia**

**Berkeley Springs (Bath)**

It is said that Berkeley Springs was well known among the Indians long
before the white men arrived and that the valley was considered a
neutral zone where Indians could come and bath in the springs without
fear of attack, even from the most mortal of enemies.

George Washington was a member of the survey party that arrived at the
present site of Berkeley Springs, the county seat, on March 18, 1748.
Berkeley Springs (Bath) became a health resort largely due to George
Washington\'s efforts to promote the area among his friends. He
revisited the area several times with his family. When he vacationed in
the area in 1767, he noted how busy the town had become. Lord Fairfax
had built a summer home there and a \"private bath\" and the social life
was rated as quite pleasant.

The Virginia General Assembly originally established the town of Bath
(now known as Berkeley Springs) in October 1776, naming it for the spa
city in England called Bath. The town\'s population jumped during and
immediately after the American Revolutionary War as wounded soldiers and
others came to the area believing that the warm springs had medicinal
qualities. A building boom began in the town in the 1780's being
overseen by James Rumsey the famous early inventor and resident of Bath.
James Rumsey, who later invented the first successful steamboat, was
contracted to construct five bathhouses and several other public
buildings.

The town of Bath was later to become known as Berkeley Springs,
primarily because the town\'s post office took that name *(a combination
of Governor Norborne Berkeley\'s last name with the warm springs found
there)* because another post office, located in southeastern Virginia,
was already called Bath. Since the mail was sent to and from Berkeley
Springs, that name came into common use. However, Bath is still the
official name of the municipality.

In 1798, Andrew Brous and Elizabeth Brous deeded property in the town of
Berkeley Springs, in present-day Morgan County, to Michael Burke as
trustee for the Roman Catholic Society of the Town of Bath, for
establishment of the first Catholic church in present-day Morgan County.

The Morgan county court met for the first time in Bath (Berkeley
Springs) on March 16, 1820 in Ignatious O'Ferrall's tavern. Later
meetings were held at the Buck Horn Tavern until a building was
purchased for the court's use. Initially, Morgan County's government was
dominated by Molly Abernathy and her two lawyer sons, John and Joseph.
The main order of business at that time was keeping the peace in town,
and the construction of roads to and from the county seat.

Over the years, the town has had its share of catastrophes such as the
plague of 1805 and a fire that destroyed most of the business district
in 1844. The rebuilding of the B&O Railroad brought some revitalization
back to Berkeley Springs (Bath) and Morgan County after the Civil War
and helped erase some of the scars of the Civil War. Another major fire
that destroyed the Berkeley Springs (Strother) Hotel in 1898 and the
Fairfax Inn in 1901. By 1890, many of the original town lots held summer
cottages. The tanneries which dominated downtown in the Victorian era
--- and were in major conflict with the tourism industry of the time ---
also burned or were razed by the turn of the 20th century. A major fire
in 1974 destroyed all the the east Fairfax St. block including the
Washington Hotel, last of the grand resort hotels.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **The Early Days of Bath**                                            |
|                                                                       |
| *by Jeanne Mozier*                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| The warm mineral waters of Berkeley Springs were already known        |
| throughout the colonies for their curative value when 16-year-old     |
| George Washington came in 1748 to survey the frontier region for Lord |
| Fairfax. In those early years, visitors like Washington found         |
| conditions primitive at the most ancient watering place in the Valley |
| of Virginia. A large hollow scooped in the sand, lined with stones    |
| and surrounded by a screen of woven brush, was the only               |
| bathing-house. There were a few private cottages and small boarding   |
| houses for visitors, but most encamped on nearby hills bringing their |
| own servants and provision in covered wagons. Local mountain settlers |
| provided milk, butter, eggs, fowl and wild game.                      |
|                                                                       |
| During the final half of the 18th century, the settlement around the  |
| springs grew from a little bush village to a fashionable watering     |
| spot with such riotous amusements that it was branded a seat of sin.  |
| In 1776, George Washington and his family and friends established the |
| town of Bath and set their sights on making it the country\'s first   |
| spa. That same year, America\'s first Methodist bishop, Francis       |
| Asbury, was horrified by Bath\'s \"overflowing tide of immorality.\"  |
|                                                                       |
| In addition to \"taking the waters\" several times a day \-- by cup   |
| and in baths \-- regular visitors for the summer season gambled at    |
| cards, raced horses in the streets and danced at twice weekly balls.  |
| Bathing facilities in these early years were used by both men and     |
| women but at separate times.                                          |
|                                                                       |
| In 1784, stone pools in natural terrain were replaced by the first    |
| formal bath house. Newspapers and travelers of the time recorded      |
| three separate buildings located in Bath Square. There were five      |
| bathing-houses with dressing rooms, a large bath for swimming and a   |
| bath for poor people. Three years later, a New England man counted    |
| 172 houses, several taverns, and an assembly and tea room.            |
|                                                                       |
| The nine-room brick Roman Bath House, built in 1815 on the same spot  |
| as the original individual bathing-house, has been modified and       |
| replumbed, offering modern visitors the opportunity to reenact        |
| history each time they bathe. Open daily, year-round, the Roman baths |
| are operated today as part of Berkeley Springs State Park.            |
|                                                                       |
| A detailed sketch of life 200 years ago at the spa was provided by    |
| French traveler, Ferdinand Bayard, who came to take the waters in the |
| summer of 1791. After enduring four days of \"abominable roads,\"     |
| poor taverns and primitive meals of eggs, ham, chicken and potatoes,  |
| the 23-year-old Bayard arrived in Bath from Paris via Baltimore.      |
|                                                                       |
| \"Bath has two public buildings,\" he wrote, \"the theater and the    |
| bath house.\" He described the bath house as \"a plain and large      |
| frame structure, divided into eight small rooms made of badly joined  |
| boards where the bathers go in the morning. There is a staircase in   |
| each small room so that when the bather wishes he can gradually       |
| change the water line.\"                                              |
|                                                                       |
| Although Bayard reported the water tasted tepid and insipid, he       |
| praised its effects. \"I saw several suffering with rheumatism who,   |
| carried at first to the baths and to the spring, walked there alone   |
| at the end of three weeks, with the aid of crutches,\" he wrote.      |
|                                                                       |
| The park area around the springs also drew comment from Bayard who    |
| identified a \"grotto with benches for those who love to chat.\" He   |
| noted a variety of summer amusements including young women from       |
| Virginia racing horses, boats heading downriver to Georgetown loaded  |
| with grain, gambling at faro, strolling Irish players and market-day  |
| fights with a Bruiser as referee.                                     |
|                                                                       |
| Bayard lodged for the summer season with Mrs. Thorgmorton, a relative |
| of George Washington and partner in the inn with James Rumsey seven   |
| years earlier. In 1791, Bayard was among 40 who were staying at the   |
| inn; he reported that they were \"fed well\" by Mrs. Throgmorton.     |
|                                                                       |
| One of Bayard\'s most entrancing vignettes centered on the social     |
| practice of five o\'clock tea parties while at the springs. He        |
| described the circle of ladies, decked out in their finest, pouring   |
| from silver pots. There were \"round slices of buttered bread and     |
| slices of smoked-cured meats presented to each person.\" Although     |
| tea-time was silent, it was followed by entertainment. Bayard         |
| reported on the performance of a \"wag, a Mr. West, who gagged rather |
| well,\" and the singing of \"Miss Lee, the virtuoso of Bath.\" The    |
| young songstress so impressed Bayard that he recorded the words for   |
| all four verses of her favorite song, \"The Kiss.\"                   |
|                                                                       |
| By the close of the 18th century, Bath was reputedly America\'s       |
| premier spa, prescribed by noted physicians and visited by rich       |
| Virginia planters and merchants. Cure seekers in the mountain town    |
| were often outnumbered by gamblers, confidence men, troupes of        |
| actors, mothers seeking to marry off daughters and bachelors looking  |
| over the prospects. The powdered hair and linen shirt society may     |
| have come each summer to take the waters, but it was the partying in  |
| an unrestrained frontier spa that made their season at Bath.          |
|                                                                       |
| Today\'s visitors may \"take the waters\" in a full-service spa or    |
| historic Roman Baths at [Berkeley Springs State                       |
| Park](http://www.wvparks.com/berkeleysprings) in the heart of the     |
| tiny spa town. Also in the park are George Washington\'s bathtub and  |
| spring water free for the taking from a pump. There are four other    |
| full-service spas \-- three within a block of the park and springs,   |
| one at Coolfont Resort south of town \-- offering a variety of        |
| treatments from massage and aromatherapy to mud-wraps and facials.    |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

**Great Cacapon**

Cacapon is an Indian word that means Healing Waters. George Washington
surveyed this tiny hamlet along the Potomac River just upstream from its
juncture with the Cacapon River. Washington owned 240 acres of
riverfront nearby which he prized for the abundance of fine walnut trees
growing in its fertile soil. His nephew Samuel later bought this land
from Washington's estate. In 1848, a post office was established at
Cacapon Depot, which was later renamed Great Cacapon, Morgan County. The
town currently has a population just over 500 people.

**Paw Paw**

This old canal and railroad town is located alongside the Potomac River
, B&O Railroad and the C&O Canal. Paw Paw serves as the western-most
entry to the Washington Heritage Trail. The village of Paw Paw is named
for the paw paw, a wild fruit which formerly grew in abundance there. In
1846, a post office was established at Paw Paw, Morgan County. It served
as an important concentration point of the Union Army from 1861 to 1865.
As many as 16,000 Federal troops were encamped here at one time. From
the Catholic Diocesan history it is noted that the St. Charles Mission
in Paw Paw was established in 1876. The town currently has a population
of approximately 500 people.

[]{#sites .anchor}**Historical Sites and Points of Interest in Morgan
County**

***Berkeley Springs Park***

Berkeley Springs State Park is located in the center of Berkeley
Springs, West Virginia. The Bathhouse first opened in 1930.  Since then,
thousands have enjoyed the variety of baths and treatments in the warm
mineral waters that flow from the springs at a constant temperature of
74.3 degrees Fahrenheit.   The springs discharge from five principle
sources and numerous lesser ones, all within a hundred yards,
approximately 2,000 gallons of clear, sparkling water per minute.  
Bathing in the springs has been popular since before the days of George
Washington.

<http://www.berkeleyspringssp.com/history.html>

***Berkeley Castle***

Berkeley Castle is located in Berkeley Springs. It was built by Colonel
Samuel Taylor Suit in 1885 and is now a National and West Virginia
registered historical landmark. It is the only English Norman castle in
America.

![](media/image5.jpeg){width="2.1875in" height="1.7013888888888888in"}

***Cacapon Resort State Park***

Cacapon Resort Park received its name from being located in the shadows
of the wide expanse of Cacapon Mountain.  This mountain is the highest
peak in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia reaching an elevation of
2,300 feet.  The Cacapon River parallels the mountain in a meandering
route beneath the mountains western slope.

Cacapon (pronounced CaCApon) is a derivative of a Shawnee Indian word
meaning \"medicine waters\".  It refers to the areas renowned medicinal
waters, which have been acclaimed throughout history for their healing
powers. These waters come to the surface approximately ten miles from
Cacapon at the nearby Berkeley Springs State Park.

<http://www.cacaponresort.com/>

***Coolfont***

In 1965, Sam Ashelman bought the Coolfont estate and began practicing
eco-tourism long before it was popular. It is situated on 1300 acres
with a manmade lake and beach area, outdoor and indoor activities and
full service spa. The manor house that came with the land turned out to
be the former home of writer Herbert Quick, who was a founder of the
Farm Home Administration. The house is located near a cool spring (or
'font'), which is how it got its name. Along with construction of
Treetop House and various accommodations, family recreation facilities
were added over the years, including a campground, stables, many miles
of hiking and riding trails, and a range of fitness and 'spa' facilities
for the health-minded visitors that Berkeley Springs and Coolfont have
attracted in increasing numbers. See
[**http://www.coolfont.com/home.cfm**](http://www.coolfont.com/home.cfm)

***Paw Paw Tunnel***

Before there were highways, railways, and subways, there were canals.
Engineers built hundreds of canals in the United States between 1790 and
1855, the Canal Age, because they were the cheapest and most reliable
form of transportation at the time. Canal construction inspired some of
America\'s first tunnels, long before the invention of drills and
explosives. The Paw Paw Tunnel, on the Maryland-West Virginia border,
remains one of the longest canal tunnels from this
era.![](media/image6.jpeg){width="1.0409722222222222in"
height="1.667361111111111in"}

In 1836, Lee Montgomery, an engineer on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Project, estimated that construction of a 3,118-foot tunnel through the
Paw Paw Ridge of the Allegheny Mountains would shorten the waterway by
six miles. He also said it would take only two years to build. He was
wrong. Armed only with
[dynamite](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/glossary.html#dynamite),
shovels, and picks, workers chiseled through the mountain at a painfully
slow pace \-- only 12 feet per week! Historic records of the ordeal are
filled with stories of frequent cave-ins, bouts of unpaid wages,
cholera, violence, and even murder!

Finally, in 1850, 14 years after he began, Montgomery broke through the
other side of the mountain at the price of his own bankruptcy. Countless
tons of coal, farm products, and manufactured goods were carried back
and forth by mules and canal boats through the tunnel until 1924, when
railways and highways became a more efficient mode of transportation.

*Fast Facts:*

-   Workers removed 82,000 cubic yards of shale to build the tunnel.

-   The 24-foot-high tunnel is lined with six million bricks.

-   The tunnel took its name from the paw paw, an exotic fruit that
    grows on nearby ridges.

-   The completed tunnel was wide enough for only a single boat to pass
    through at a time. When a boat arrived at a tunnel entrance, a child
    would be sent to place a lantern at the other end to signal to
    oncoming boats that the tunnel was already occupied.

-   Today, the Paw Paw Tunnel is maintained by the National Park
    Service. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal no longer runs through the
    tunnel, so it is possible to investigate the tunnel by foot or
    bicycle.

***Prospect Peak***

There\'s a single rock outcropping that offers a spectacular panorama of
the two rivers that wind their way through Morgan County. That point is
the famed Prospect Peak, an overlook just 3 miles west of Berkeley
Springs on Rt. 9. A favorite from colonial times to the present, the
view includes forested mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland
and Pennsylvania as well as the joining of two rivers \-- the stately
Potomac and the primitive Cacapon.

***War Memorial Hospital***

Attracted by the therapeutic properties of the local mineral springs,
the West Virginia Foundation for Crippled Children opened a treatment
center for post-paralysis care in 1934 on a hilltop above Berkeley
Springs. This treatment center became better known as "The Pines," the
name by which it was recognized when it was the home of Morgan County
Judge Josiah Dent and his wife, Anna. Pine trees had completely
surrounded the home of the crippled judge.

With the expansion of crippled children facilities across the country
and the decline in polio cases, \"The Pines" experienced difficulties
near the end of World War II. Recognizing a need for a local hospital
and looking for a way to honor local soldiers returning home from war,
the ideas intertwined and laid the foundation for the creation of the
War Memorial Hospital.\
\
On July 1, 1947, the West Virginia Foundation for Crippled Children
conveyed the title of the land, buildings, and equipment to the Morgan
County Court for a hospital. The County Court through an Act of the West
Virginia Legislature organized Morgan County War Memorial Hospital.
Sixty three percent of the votes cast at the general election favored
the petition for the County Court's action. Through the years, our board
members, hospital medical staff and employees, and businesses and
citizens of Morgan County and the surrounding area have helped make vast
improvements to the facility and services.\
\
Today, Morgan County War Memorial Hospital operates as a county-owned,
non-profit facility providing healthcare services to a population of
about 18,000 in Morgan County and surrounding areas. Licensed by the
State of West Virginia as a Critical Access Hospital (CAH), War Memorial
has 25 swing beds, which can be utilized for acute or skilled care, in
addition to a 16-bed long term care unit. War Memorial also offers
24-hour emergency services along with a variety of ancillary and
outpatient services that you might not expect from a small, rural
facility.

***West Virginian Sandstone - Glass Sand***

In order to be used for high-grade glass manufacturing, sandstone must
have at least 98 percent silica. West Virginia is fortunate to have a
sandstone of this high quality, the Oriskany sandstone. This sandstone
forms the summit of Warm Springs Ridge in Morgan County. The Hancock
White Sand Company first quarried this ridge during the Civil War, and
by approximately 1906 there were 7 quarries located along the ridge, all
extracting Oriskany sandstone. Also quarried in Morgan County is the
Tuscarora sandstone, another excellent glass sand. In 1904, the Great
Cacapon Silica Sand Company opened a quarry in this sandstone, on the
west slope of Cacapon Mountain, just west of Berkeley Springs.

In 1929, the Pennsylvania Glass Sand Corporation took over Oriskany
sandstone quarry operations along Warm Springs Ridge, and is today the
only major glass sand company in operation in West Virginia. Presently,
this company is the largest melting sand producer in the world, with the
Berkeley Springs operation alone producing about 1.5 million tons per
year.

West Virginia\'s Oriskany sandstone has been used not only in West
Virginia but all over the eastern U. S. for the manufacture of the
highest grade of glassware.

[]{#brigadier .anchor} **Brigadier General Daniel Morgan**

# By V.G. Fowler, Park Ranger

![](media/image7.png){width="2.6354166666666665in" height="3.125in"}

Charles Wilson Peale portrait of Daniel Morgan courtesy of Independence
National Historical Park

Daniel Morgan was born of Welsh parents in 1736. Because he rarely spoke
of his early life, much of it remains a mystery. Therefore, his
contemporaries assumed that his younger years must have been painful.
Most authorities agree that Morgan was born in Hunterdon County, New
Jersey. After having an argument with his father when he was about
seventeen years old, he left home without his parents' knowledge or
permission and moved to Virginia.

When Morgan arrived in Virginia, he could barely read and write. His
manners were rude, and he enjoyed fist fighting. He eventually became
adept at card games and enjoyed strong drink. His first job was to
prepare land for planting. Young Daniel was a hard worker and soon moved
to another position as superintendent of a sawmill. After that he became
a wagoner, a person who drove a wagonload of supplies across the
mountains to the settlers.

He served as a wagoner for the British Army during the French and Indian
War. It was during this period that he got his nickname, \"The Old
Wagoner.\" In the spring of 1756, as Morgan was taking a load of
supplies to Fort Chiswell, he somehow irritated a British Lieutenant who
struck Morgan with the flat of his sword. Morgan characteristically
knocked out the officer with a single blow of his fist. As a result, he
was court-martialed and sentenced to 500 lashes. In later years, Morgan
delighted in telling that the drummer who was counting the lashes
miscounted, and he only received 499. Morgan always maintained that the
British owed him one more lash. In 1757, Morgan joined the British army,
and several influential men recommended to the governor that Morgan be
made a captain, but the only rank available was that of ensign. Morgan
accepted the commission. As Ensign Morgan and two escorts were taking a
dispatch to the commanding officer at Winchester, Virginia, Indians
ambushed them at Hanging Rock. They killed the escorts and seriously
wounded Morgan. The bullet, which struck him in the back of his neck,
knocked out the teeth on his left jaw, and exited his cheek. Morgan
carried the scar the rest of his life.

In 1759 Morgan bought a two-story house (which he named Soldier's Rest)
in Winchester, and by 1763 he had set up housekeeping with Abigail
Curry. They were officially married in 1773. In the meantime, she had a
positive influence on his manners and morals. Daniel and Abigail Morgan
had two daughters. (One, Nancy, married Presley Neville, a Revolutionary
War veteran. Their other daughter, Betsy, married James Heard, also a
Revolutionary War veteran.) In addition, Morgan had an illegitimate son,
Willoughby,\* who grew up in South Carolina.

Having no love lost for the British, Daniel Morgan joined the American
army and accepted a commission of captain of a rifle company when the
Revolutionary War began. The British captured Morgan and his riflemen
along with Benedict Arnold at Quebec in December 1775. They paroled them
eight months later on the promise that the parolees would not fight
against the British until they were exchanged for British prisoners.
Morgan distinguished himself at both Battles of Saratoga in 1777, and
many historians believe that he did not get the credit that he deserved
for his actions.

In 1779, having been passed over for promotion to Brigadier General,
Morgan resigned from the Army. In June 1780, Congress offered Morgan
command of the Southern Theatre of the war. Since Congress had not
offered him a promotion to go with the new command, Morgan declined and
remained a civilian. After Gates' disastrous defeat at Camden, SC,
Morgan put aside his personal feelings for the good of the country and
rejoined the army in the Southern Campaign. In October of 1780, Congress
finally gave him a promotion to Brigadier General.

Perhaps Morgan's most memorable moment came on January 17, 1781. It was
at the Cow Pens, a well-known pasturing area for cattle in the upcountry
of South Carolina, that Morgan with his experienced, but untrained,
militia and 300 Continentals defeated the better-trained British army
under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton. Morgan knew his men and his
opponent, knew how they would react in certain situations, and used this
knowledge and the terrain to his advantage. The Americans camped on the
battlefield the night before the battle. Morgan went amongst the men:
encouraging them, telling them what he expected of them, and showing
them his back, complete with the scars from his flogging.

On the morning of January 17, Morgan deployed his men in three main
lines of defense. He knew that the militia had a tendency to run.
Therefore he divided them into two groups and placed his sharpshooters
on the top of a gentle rise and ordered them to fire twice and then
retreat behind the second line. The second line of militia were
positioned just behind the crest of the hill and were to fire twice and
then retreat behind the Continentals who were about 150 yards behind
them. Morgan knew he could count on the Continentals to take the hardest
part of the fighting and that they would not run. He prepared them for
the militia's retreat. He placed his reserves, Washington's cavalry, in
a swale that hid them from the British view. He knew that Tarleton's
aggressive nature would lead him to drive straight into the Americans.

The British arrived about dawn, and Tarleton sent them into battle
before they were fully deployed. The militia fired as ordered and
retreated. The British pressed on valiantly, engaging the Continentals
and fighting hard. Tarleton ordered the 71^st^ Highlanders to advance.
They threatened the American right side, and Lieutenant Colonel John
Eager Howard ordered the men on the right to turn to face the new
threat. The order was mistaken, and the entire line began an orderly
retreat. Morgan used the mistaken order to his advantage. He ordered the
3^rd^ line to retreat to a place which he chose and then to fire.
Meanwhile, thinking that they had won the battle, the British broke
ranks and charged forward. The Patriots surrounded the British. The
Americans won.

Because he had sciatica so bad that it was too painful for him to sit on
a horse, Morgan retired to his home in Virginia after the Battle of
Cowpens. He later built another house which he named Saratoga for the
famous battles in New York at which he had distinguished himself. On
March 25, 1790 he finally received a gold medal which Congress had
struck to honor him for his victory at Cowpens. During his retirement
after the war, he was a frequent visitor to Bath (Berkeley Springs) in
hopes that the warm waters would provide some relief for his gout. He
was called out of retirement in 1794 and put in command of the Virginia
military during the Whiskey Rebellion that was suppressed later that
year. In 1797 he was elected and served one term in the House of
Representatives. He died in Winchester on July 6, 1802.

Daniel Morgan is a prime example of what one can accomplish with one's
life if one works hard and plans well. As his biographer James Graham
stated, \"His strength and spirit, his frank and manly bearing, his
intelligence and good-humor, set off by a rich fund of natural wit,
which he kept in constant exercise, rendered him a favorite among the
people, and contributed to give him a great influence over his
associates.\"

**\***See *Daniel Morgan: Revolutionary Rifleman* by Don Higginbotham.

<http://www.nps.gov/cowp/dmorgan.htm>

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  **Take the time to read about Patty Norton, RN, of Morgan County at -**
  <http://www.lindapages.com/nurses/rn-norton.htm>

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

[]{#register .anchor}**National Register of Historic Places**

**West Virginia** - **Morgan County**

<http://www.historicdistricts.com/WV/Morgan/state.html>

**Ambrose Chapel** (added 1998 - **Building** - #98001470)\
Winchester Grade Rd., Stotlers Crossroads

**Berkeley Springs State Park** \*\*\* (added 1976 - **District** -
#76001943)\
Also known as **Warm Springs;Frederick Springs**\
S. Washington and Fairfax Sts., Berkeley Springs

**Berkeley Springs Train Depot** (added 2001 - **Building** -
#00001313)\
504 N. Washington St., Berkeley Springs

**Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park** \*\*\* (added
1966 - **District** - #66000036) Also known as **Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal**\
Bordering the Potomac River from Georgetown, D.C. to Cumberland,
Maryland, Paw Paw

**Dawson, T. H. B., House** (added 1983 - **Building** - #83003247)\
300 S. Green St., Berkeley Springs

**Hovermale, Clarence, House** (added 2003 - **Building** - #03000350)\
Also known as **Mendenhall, Allen, House**\
167 Wilkes St., Berkeley Springs

**Quick, John Herbert, House** \*\*\* (added 1984 - **Building** -
#84003639)\
Also known as **Coolfont**\
Off US 522, Berkeley Springs

**Sloat-Horn-Rossell House** (added 1984 - **Building** - #84003643)\
Also known as **The Manor**\
415 Fairfax St., Berkeley Springs

**Suit, Samuel Taylor, Cottage** \*\* (added 1980 - **Building** -
#80004035)\
Also known as **Berkeley Castle**\
WV 9, Berkeley Springs

**Western Maryland Railroad Right-of-Way, Milepost 126 to Milepost 160**
(added 1981 - **Structure** - #81000078)\
Milepost 126 to Milepost 160, Jerome

**Wright, Judge John W., Cottage** (added 1986 - **Building** -
#86000896)\
Also known as **Wisteria Cottage**\
305 S. Green St., Berkeley Springs

**Morgan County**

**Historical Highway Markers**

[[]{#markers-1
.anchor}http://www.wvculture.org/history/markers.html](http://www.wvculture.org/history/markers.html)

*A statewide highway marker program was implemented in 1937 to encourage
tourism and identify sites of historic significance. The site, property,
district, or community honored with a marker must possess some degree of
significance in state or local prehistory (archaeology), history,
natural history, architecture, or cultural life.*

**Marker ID:** EG-68\*/EG-53\*

**Title:** Hampshire County/Morgan County

**County:**
Hampshire/[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.14#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** Oldest county; established by the Virginia Assembly,
1754. Formed from Frederick and Augusta. Lord Fairfax, owner, named it
for the English shire of the same name. Ice Mountain and Hanging Rocks
are among its natural wonders.

Formed, 1820, from Berkeley and Hampshire. Named for Gen. Daniel Morgan
of the Revolutionary Army. Many of his renowned \"Riflemen\" were from
the Eastern Panhandle, where he once lived. Famed Berkeley Springs here.

**Location:** WV 9 West (MISSING)

**Marker ID:** WV-10/EG-54

**Title:** West Virginia (Morgan County)/Maryland

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.15#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** \"The Mountain State\"\--western part of the
Commonwealth of Virginia until June 20, 1863. Settled by the Germans and
Scotch-Irish. It became a line of defense between the English and French
during the French and Indian War, 1754-1763.

**Location:** US 522, at state line

**Marker ID:** EG-55

**Title:** Coolfont Manor House

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.19#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** Directional Marker: Approach to Coolfont Manor House,
once the home of Herbert Quick, internationally famous novelist,
agronomist and friend of U. S. Presidents. Now home of the non-profit
Coolfont Foundation, for the promotion of the arts.

**Location:** WV 9, near Berkeley Springs

**Marker ID:** EG-56

**Title:** \"Stonewall\" Jackson Hill

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.9#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** From this point, \"Stonewall\" Jackson shelled Hancock,
Md., Jan. 5, 1862. After destroying supplies, the B&O track and the
bridge over the Great Cacapon, Jackson marched his army of 8,500 men to
Romney and captured it, January 14.

**Location:** US 522, at Maryland/West Virginia border

**Marker ID:** EG-57

**Title:** Oriskany Sand

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.11#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** The pure massive sandstone forming Warm Springs Ridge
is the Oriskany of the driller and geologist. The \"Oriskany Sand\", an
important gas sand, has produced in excess of a trillion cubic feet of
gas in West Virginia.

**Location:** US 522, north of Berkeley Springs (MISSING)

**Marker ID:** EG-58

**Title:** Lovers\' Leap

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.18#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** Beautiful panorama of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and
Maryland. It overlooks the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal which was started
by George Washington and associates in order to improve communication
with the West.

**Location:** US 522, north of Berkeley Springs (MISSING)

**Marker ID:** EG-59A/EG-59B

**Title:** Berkeley Springs/James Rumsey

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.4#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** Washington first came here, 1748. Fairfax gave the
springs to the public. Established as town, 1776. Virginia treated her
sick soldiers here. Gen. Washington, Gen. Buchanan, Gen. Gates, Charles
Carroll, and others bought lots, 1777.

Here, 1782-1785, lived James Rumsey, miller, innkeeper, and inventor of
the steamboat. He demonstrated a model of his boat before Washington,
1784. He continued his experiments here and elsewhere until his public
demonstration of 1787.

**Location:** US 522 (S. Washington Street), at junction with Fairfax
Street, Berkeley Springs

**Marker ID:** EG-60

**Title:** Berkeley Springs Sanitarium

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.1#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** These healing springs, visited by Washington, 1748,
were given to Virginia by Lord Fairfax. Helpful in treating infantile
paralysis, rheumatism, diabetes, and other diseases. Temperature of
water is always 74 degrees.

**Location:** Inside the Berkeley Springs State Park museum, Berkeley
Springs

**Marker ID:** EG-61

**Title:** Centennial Time Capsule

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.5#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** This official West Virginia Centennial Time Capsule was
dedicated October 12, 1963 as Morgan County\'s contribution to the
State\'s Centennial celebration. It contains historical documents,
personal messages to be distributed in 2063.

**Location:** US 522 (S. Washington Street), at junction with Bath
Street, Berkeley Springs

**Marker ID:** EG-62

**Title:** \"Porte Crayon\"

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.8#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** Home of Gen. David Hunter Strother, soldier, writer,
traveler, and artist. He used the pen name, \"Porte Crayon.\" Washington
Irving, his friend, wrote much of his \"Life of Washington\" in the
Strother study.

**Location:** US 522, just north of junction with WV 9, north end of
Berkeley Springs

**Marker ID:** EG-63

**Title:** Prospect Peak

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.6#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** This headland overlooks the Potomac and Great Cacapon
Valleys and the three states - West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and
Maryland. The National Geographic Magazine rates this scene among
America\'s outstanding beauty spots.

**Location:** WV 9, 3 miles west of Berkeley Springs

**Marker ID:** EG-64

**Title:** Sir John\'s Run

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.12#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** Sir John\'s Run was named for Sir John Sinclair, the
quartermaster for General Braddock on expedition in 1755 against the
French at Fort Duquesne. James Rumsey demonstrated his steamboat here in
1785.

**Location:** WV 9, west of Berkeley Springs (MISSING)

**Marker ID:** EG-65

**Title:** Tuscarora (Clinton) Sand

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.7#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** The massive resistant Tuscarora Sandstone is steeply
inclined here and forms Fluted Rocks. The \"Tuscarora (Clinton) Sand\"
of the driller produces some gas although it is largely untested in West
Virginia.

**Location:** WV 9, 3 miles west of Berkeley Springs

**Marker ID:** EG-66

**Title:** Oriskany Sand

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.3#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** The pure massive sandstone quarried for glass
manufacture on Warm Springs Ridge is the Oriskany of the driller and
geologist. The \"Oriskany Sand\", an important gas Sand, has produced in
excess of a trillion cubic feet of gas in West Virginia.

**Location:** Off US 522, on road to lodge, Cacapon State Park

**Marker ID:** EG-67

**Title:** Paw Paw

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.2#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** Important concentration point of the Union Army from
1861 to 1865. As many as 16,000 Federal troops were encamped here at one
time. A blockhouse stood along tracks of the B&O Railroad at this point.

**Location:** WV 9, Paw Paw

**Marker ID:** WV-11/EG-69\*

**Title:** West Virginia (Morgan County)/Virginia

**County:**
[Morgan](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/bin/gate.exe?f=doc&state=oatui5.3.13#h2%23h2)

**Inscription:** \"The Mountain State\"\--western part of the
Commonwealth of Virginia until June 20, 1863. Settled by the Germans and
Scotch-Irish. It became a line of defense between the English and French
during the French and Indian War, 1754-1763.

Named for Queen Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen of England. Site of the
first permanent English settlement, 1607, in America. One of the 13
original colonies. Virginia is the birthplace of eight Presidents of the
United States.

**Location:** US 522, at state line (MISSING)

[]{#references .anchor}**References**

**Morgan County:**

Cartmell, Thomas Kemp. 1909. Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their
Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia. Winchester, VA:
The Eddy Corporation.

Fowler, Virginia G. 2002. "Brigadier General Daniel Morgan," Washington,
D.C.: National Park Service. Available on-line at:
<http://www.nps.gov/cowp/dmorgan.htm>

Morgan County Historical and Genealogical Society. 1981.

Morgan County, West Virginia and Its People. Berkeley Springs: Morgan
County Historical and Genealogical Society.

Newbraugh, Frederick T. 1967. Warm Springs Echoes: About Berkeley
Springs and Morgan County. Part 1: To 1860. Hagerstown, MD: Automated
Systems Corporation.

<http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/htsearch>

Berkeley Springs State Park
<http://www.berkeleyspringssp.com/history.html>

Morgan County Chamber of Commerce
<http://www.berkeleyspringschamber.com/about.html>

Morgan County Picture Tour Web Site
<http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/wv/Morgan/morctour.html>

National Register of Historic Places
<http://www.historicdistricts.com/WV/Morgan/state.html>

Washington Heritage Trail <http://www.onomaa.com/whtweb/history.asp>

WV Historical Highway Markers
<http://www.wvculture.org/history/markers.html>

West Virginia Veterans Memorial
<http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/wvvetmem.html>

West Virginia Memory Project
[**http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/index.htm**](http://wvmemory.wvculture.org/index.htm)