The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-12-18

Concerning the early history OF Point
Pleasant, the centennial OF whose incor-
poration occurs on Wednesday also,
Hon. Virgil A. LAWS writea ms follows
in the Point Pleasant Gazette:
o. the 18th OF December, 1894. the
grand assembly of Virginia enacted:
Two hundred acres OF land, the prop
erty OF Thomas Lewis, at the mouth Of
the Kanawha river, in the county Of
hanRwha, as they are already LAID of
into lots and streets, shall be established
a town by the name OF Point Pleasant,
and Leonard Cooper, John VanBibber,
Isaac Taylor, William Owens, William
Allyn, Allen Prior, John Reynolds,
George Clendeneu and William Morris,
gentlemen" were appointed trustees.
The town which then began its legal
existence 10 the site Of the oldest Eng
fish settlement on the Ohio river south
OF Pittsburg. Where the town now
stands white men have dwelt ever since
that autumn evening, October 10, IVA.
when the Virginia army rested
upon the most fercely contested field
ever fought with the Indians in Vir-
ginia, II not on the continent. That
day many "sons of noble sires and sires
OF noble sons" yielded up their lives in
an effort to plant civilization in the
place OF barbarism on the banks OF the
Ohio.
Point Pleasant and Mason county are
filed with the descendants Of men and
women who played an honored part in
the early history OF the old town. What
OF the men who constituted the "trus.
tee" government OF tho village CEN
fury ago? All OF them have long since
passed from among the living. One Of
them, Major Leonard Cooper, held 4
commission in the military establish
ment OF Maryland, and when he heard
OF the westward march OF Gen. Andrew
Lewis in IVA, he hastened to Staunton
and Joined the expedition. After the
battle OF Point Pleasant he served
throughout the revolution in Mary
land regiment. Returning to the ka-
nawha valley in 1875, he brought his
family 10 Point Pleasant four years
later. In 1891 his son Leonard was
born, he being the first white child born
a: Point Pleasant. In 1904 he erected
Cooper's blockhouse, which was stu
ated on lands now ownad by Hon.
George w. Pullir, on tho kanawha,
nine miles from its mouth.
Another was John Van Bibber. who
witnessed the murder and scalping
OF his daughter Rhoda by the Indians,
at the ferry landing on the Ohio side,
opposite Point Pleasant, in 1871.
Still another was Isaac Tyler, whose
daughters were captured by the Indi-
dams on the high point overlooking the
X. & NJ. depot Mt Point Pleasant. and
carried into captivity, from which one
never returned.
Still another was William Owens,
who, at tho time OF the organization Of
Mason county in 1904, was the first to
be granted license to celebrate the rite
Of marriage. He was the great-grand-
father OF Mr.. Morgan J. Banks, who
was recently elected to the office of
county superintendent OF free schools,
receiving the largest maj GRITTY Of votes
ever cast for any man on any political
ticket in Mason county.
Among these trustees was Col. George
Cleudennen, the fonder OF Charleston
and the founder and defender of Fort
Lee at that place. Among his descen-
dents arc some OF the McCulloohs,
Millers and others Of Point Pleasant