The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-11-07

along Cochran's line n. Sc w. IS
poles to large black oak by path /;
5. 35 w. 6S poles to black oak near
said path; S. SO w. 81 poles to a
black oak; 5. so w. AS poles TO a
spanish oak and sugar tree on the
river bank thence crossing the river
S. 571 w. 164 poles to a w. o.; 5. .
w. 80 poles to hickory and sassa-
fras; S. 50 f. 26 poles to two elms
on the river; thence down it n. 31l
E. l36 poles; S. SO Z. crossing the
river to large sycamore on the
bank of the river. on the lower side
of the mouth of Deckers creek !;
thence up the same ia poles to the
mouth of branch falling down a
steep rock on the northeast side of
the creek below the said earns new
mill house, and corner to Michael
earns and running thence with his
lines n. Is f. Is poles to a w. o. on
a point; S. IS E. 30 poles to w. O. !;
N. 80 E. ITO poles to black oak on
the south side of a hill, the begin
ming" Thus it seems that Isaac
Lemasters settled ON the site of Nor
gantown in 1772, four years prior to
the Declaration of Independence by
the United States. That Zackquill
Morgan was here before the date of
his survey aforesaid, is certain for it
appears from the records of the com
missioners for adjusting claims to
unpatented lands that he was before
them ON the 4th day of May 1880;
and their certificate Of that date, re-
cites the fact that he was then the
assignee of Lemasters. How long
he had been such assignee, does not
appear-probably several years.
Nor is it at all improbable, that by
virtue of this assignment, he came
into the actual possession of the
premises shortly after 1872, and,
thenceforth, continued in the occu-
pancy thereof. For Michael earns
(Kerns) who made his settlement on
contiguous lands in 1872, and who
had never left them, and had built a
mill thereon, and made other i'm
provements, never procured survey
of his lands, until the 2Sth day of
April, 1881. The fact is, these sur
veys were made at the same time,
the boundaries of each calling for
the boundaries of the other Why
were surveys not sooner made? The
answer is obvious. The war of the
Revolution was raging. The public
affairs were in disorder These, and
other similar claimants had to await
the enactment of the necessary laws,
and the appointment and presence
of proper officers and agents to adj
just and perfect the titles.
In May 1888, an act of the Legis-
lature of Virginia was passed, au-
thorizing the justices of Monongalia
county, to hold the courts of said
county, at the house of BLACKWELL
Morgan. This act does not state
where this house was-whether in
the foregoing, or some other tract of
land The surveyors books show
that on the 29th day of April 1871,
the same date of Morgan's survey
there was surveyed for James Coch-
ran assignee of blackwell Morgan
assignee of James Stockwell 151
acres of land ON the Monongahela
River, Immediately below and ad-
joining said Morgan's, Decker's
creek tract, and bounded by it, all
around on the north of it to the
lands of Michael earns (Kerns). 1t
is possible but not very probable
that 1.-THE house of blackwell Morgan
was on this land. 1t is reasonably
certain, however, that it stood some
where within the present boundaries
of the borough of Morgantown.
This original county seat" was of
humble dimensions; but it's jurisdic-
ton was wide enough; for Mononga-
liza county then embraced fully one
fifth of the entire territory of West
Virginia.
And now we come to the Centen-
NAL act of the Legislature of West
Virginia, establishing Morgans
Town. 1t was passed in October
1885; but ON what day of the month
has not been ascertained. This act
vested fifty acres of land, the prop
erty of blackwell Morgan, lying in
Monongalia county, without boun-
diaries, or other designation of local
ity, in Samuel Hanway, John Evans,
David Scott, Michael Kerns, and
James Daugherty trustees. l shall
not detain you with a recital Of it's
various provisions. One of them,
however may be mentioned, as show
ing the ideas of village architecture
prevailing 100 years ago. Each
purchaser of lot was required to
erect upon it, within four years, a
house, at least Is feet square, with a
stone or brick chimney. But it
seems that the lot holders were not
able to build even such houses as
these within the time prescribed; for,
in 1889 the time was extended three
years, in consequence of "Indian
hostilities," and again in 1892, ''from
the difficulty of procuring mater
ial." We have the authority of the
late J. W. Thompson, that as late as
1890, there were only four houses
built in Morgantown.
If the art Of photography had
then been discovered, and Morgan
town, as it then was had been mag
ed by the unerring sunbeams, what
an interesting picture we should
have. We may not be able to say,
exactly, how it would appear; but
we may pretty well imagine its APP
pearance. We should see less than
a half dozen of log cabins. We
should see narrow, zig gag road or
path passing through it, north and
south, with lateral connections,
crossing the river to the West, and
leading up Decker's creek to the
East. No streets, no alleys. The
unfelled trees still standing around
the borders; and the stumps of trees
yet remaining in the fields and gar
dens. The hills, all around, covered
with forests almost unbroken. The
startled wild deer, on the distant
height. peering through the brush