Kanawha County History
Kanawha County's formation was authorized by the Virginia General Assembly on November 14, 1788 from parts of
Greenbrier and Montgomery counties. It
was actually formed on October 5, 1789. According to the national census of 1800, Kanawha County had 3,239 residents,
the 11th largest population of the 13
counties then in existence within the present state of West Virginia. Berkeley County had the largest population
then (22,006) and Wood County had the smallest
population (1,217).
Kanawha County was named in honor of the Great Kanawha River that runs through the county. The River was named
for the Indian tribe that once lived in the
area. The spelling of the Indian tribe varied at the time from Conoys to Conois to Kanawha. The latter spelling
was used and has gained acceptance over time.
The First Settlers
The first native settlers in central West Virginia were the Mound Builders, also known as the Adena people. Remnants
of the Mound Builder's civilization have been found throughout West Virginia, with a high concentration of artifacts
located at Moundsville, West Virginia, in Marshall County.
According to missionary reports, several thousand Huron Indians occupied present-day West Virginia during the late
1500s and early 1600s. The powerful Iroquois Confederacy (consisting of the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida and
Seneca tribes, and joined later by the Tuscaroras tribe) drove the Hurons from the state during the 1600s. The
Iroquois Confederacy was headquartered in New York and was not interested in occupying present-day West Virginia.
Instead, they used it as a hunting ground during the spring and summer months.
During the early 1700s, central West Virginia, including present-day Kanawha County, was used as a hunting ground
by the Mingo, who lived in both the Tygart Valley and along the Ohio River in West Virginia's northern panhandle
region, the Delaware, who lived in present-day eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, but had several
autonomous settlements as far south as present-day Braxton County, and by other members of the Iroquois Confederacy,
especially the Seneca.
The Mingo were not actually an Indian tribe, but a multi-cultural group of Indians that established several communities
within present-day West Virginia. They lacked a central government and, like all other Indians within the region
at that time, were subject to the control of the Iroquois Confederacy. The Mingo originally lived closer to the
Atlantic Coast, but European settlement pushed them into western Virginia and eastern Ohio.
The Seneca was one of the largest and most powerful members of the Iroquois Confederacy. Headquartered in western
New York, the Seneca were the closest member of the Confederacy to West Virginia, and took great interest in the
state. In 1744, the Seneca boasted to Virginia officials that they had conquered the several nations living on
the back of the great mountains of Virginia. Among the conquered nations were the last of the Canawese or Conoy
people who became incorporated into some of the Iroquois communities in New York. The Conoy continue to be remembered
today through the naming of two of West Virginia's largest rivers after them, the Little Kanawha and the Great
Kanawha.
The Seneca, and other members of the Iroquois Confederacy, often traveled through the state to protect its claim
to southern West Virginia from the Cherokee. The Cherokee were headquartered in western North Carolina and eastern
Tennessee and rivaled the Iroquois nation in both size and influence. The Cherokee claimed present-day southern
West Virginia as their own, setting the stage for conflict with the Iroquois Confederacy.
In 1744, Virginia officials purchased the Iroquois title of ownership to West Virginia in the Treaty of Lancaster.
The treaty reduced the Iroquois Confederacy's
presence in the state.
During the mid-1700s, the English had made it clear to the various Indian tribes that they intended to settle the
frontier. The French, on the other hand, were more
interested in trade. This influenced the Mingo to side with the French during the French and Indian War (1755-1763).
Although the Iroquois Confederacy officially
remained neutral, many in the Iroquois Confederacy also allied with the French. Unfortunately for them, the French
lost the war and ceded the all of its North
American possessions to the British. Following the war, the Mingo retreated to their homes along the banks of the
Ohio River and were rarely seen in southern West Virginia.
Although the war was officially over, many Indians, especially the Shawnee who resided in Ohio, continued to see
the British as a threat to their sovereignty and
continued to fight them. In the summer of 1763, Pontiac, an Ottawa chief, led raids on key British forts. Shawnee
chief Keigh-tugh-qua, or Cornstalk, led similar
attacks on western Virginia settlements in present-day Greenbrier County. By the end of July, Indians had captured
all British forts west of the Alleghenies except
Detroit, Fort Pitt, and Fort Niagara. Then, on August 6, 1763, British forces under the command of Colonel Henry
Bouquet retaliated and destroyed Delaware and Shawnee forces at Bushy Run in western Pennsylvania, ending the hostilities.
Fearing more tension between Native Americans and settlers, England's King George III issued the Proclamation of
1763, prohibiting settlement west of the
Allegheny Mountains. However, many land speculators, including George Washington, violated the proclamation by
claiming vast acreage in western Virginia. In
1768, the Iroquois Confederacy (often called the Six Nations) and the Cherokee signed the Treaty of Hard Labour
and the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, relinquishing
their claims on the territory between the Ohio River and the Alleghenies to the British. With the frontier now
open, settlers, once again, began to enter into
present-day West Virginia.
In 1772, a series of incidents between settlers and Indians in West Virginia ended what had been nearly eight years
of peace. During the spring of that year, several
Indians were murdered on the South Branch of the Potomac River by Nicholas Harpold and his companions. About the
same time, Bald Eagle, an Indian chief of
some notoriety, was murdered while on a hunting trip on the Monongahela River. In the meantime, Captain Bull, a
Delaware Indian Chief and five other Indian
families were living in Braxton County in an area known as Bulltown, near the falls of the Little Kanawha River,
about fourteen miles from present day Sutton.
Captain Bull was regarded by most of the settlers in the region as friendly. But some settlers suspected him of
providing information to and harboring unfriendly
Indians. While away from home in June 1772, the family of a German immigrant named Peter Stroud was murdered, presumably
by Indians. The trail left by the
murderers led in the general direction of Bulltown. Peter's brother, Adam Stroud, had a cabin nearby and seeing
smoke rising into the sky, raced to his brother's
cabin. He gathered up what was left of the bodies and buried them. He then headed for Hacker's Creek where he met
with several other settlers who agreed to join him in an attack on Bulltown. They killed all of the Indians in
the village, including Captain Bull, and threw their bodies into a nearby river. News of Captain Bull's
murder quickly spread across the western frontier.
Following what the Indians referred to as the Bulltown massacre, Shawnee Chief Cornstalk, who had led numerous
raids against West Virginia settlers in the past,
began to organize the Indians in a concerted effort to drive the whites from their territory.
In 1773, land speculator Michael Cresap led a group of volunteers from Fort Fincastle (later renamed Fort Henry)
at present-day Wheeling, murdering several
Shawnee at Captain Creek. Among other atrocities, on April 30, 1774, colonists murdered the family of Mingo chieftain
Tah-gah-jute, who had been baptized under the English name of Logan. Although Logan had previously lived peacefully
with whites, he killed at least thirteen settlers that summer in revenge.
Virginia Governor John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, worried about the escalating violence in western Virginia, decided
to end the conflict by force. He formed two
armies, one marching from the North, consisting of 1,700 men led by himself and the other marching from the South,
comprised of 800 troops led by western
Virginia resident and land speculator Captain Andrew Lewis. Shawnee chieftain Keigh-tugh-qua, or Cornstalk, along
with approximately 1,200 Shawnee, Delaware, Mingo, Wyandotte and Cayuga warriors, decided to attack the southern
regiment before they had a chance to unite with Lord Dunmore's forces. On October 10,
1774, the Indians attacked Lewis' forces at the confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, at present-day Point
Pleasant, in Mason County. During the battle, both sides suffered significant losses.
Although nearly half of Lewis' commissioned officers were killed during the battle, including his brother, Colonel
Charles Lewis, and seventy-five of his
non-commissioned officers, the Indians were finally forced to retreat back to their settlements in Ohio's Scioto
Valley, with Lewis' men in pursuit. In the meanwhile,
Lord Dunmore arrived and joined forces with Lewis. Seeing that they were now outnumbered, Cornstalk sued for peace.
Although western Virginia's settlers continued to experience isolated Indian attacks for several years, Cornstalk's
defeat at Point Pleasant was the beginning of the
end of the Indian presence in western Virginia. The Indians agreed to give up all of their white prisoners, restore
all captured horses and other property, and not to
hunt south of the Ohio River. Also, they were to allow boats on the Ohio River and promised not to harass them.
This opened up present-day West Virginia and
Kentucky for settlement. Cornstalk was later killed at Fort Randolph near Point Pleasant in 1777 in retaliation
for the death of a militiaman who was killed by an
Indian.
During the American Revolution (1776-1783), the Mingo and Shawnee, headquartered at Chillicothe, Ohio, allied themselves
with the British. In 1777, a party of
350 Wyandots, Shawnees, and Mingos, armed by the British, attacked Fort Henry, near present-day Wheeling. Nearly
half of the Americans manning the fort were
killed in the three-day assault. The Indians then left the Fort celebrating their victory. For the remainder of
the war, smaller raiding parties of Mingo, Shawnee, and
other Indian tribes terrorized settlers throughout West Virginia. As a result, European settlement in the state
came to a virtual standstill until the war's conclusion.
Following the war, the Mingo and Shawnee, once again allied with the losing side, returned to their homes. However,
as the number of settlers in the region began to grow, and with their numbers depleted by the war, both the Mingo
and the Shawnee moved further inland.
European Pioneers and Settlers
Simon Kenton and two companions whose names were not recorded built a cabin at the mouth of the Elk River in 1771,
making them the first Englishmen to call
present day Kanawha County their home. A roving band of Indians discovered them, and considering them trespassers
on their hunting grounds, attacked them. One of Kenton's companions was killed in the attack. After making their
escape, Simon Kenton and his remaining companion decided to leave the county for good.
In 1773, Colonel Thomas Bullitt and several others explored the Kanawha Valley to survey the land in anticipation
of being granted large tracts of the land in return
for their military service.
In 1774, Walter Kelly, of North Carolina, attempted the first, permanent settlement in the county. He built a cabin
along a stream, known as Kelly's Creek, about 20 miles north of the current location of Charleston. He was killed
by Indians later that year.
It is likely that Mary Ingles and Betty Draper were the first English women to pass through present-day Kanawha
County. Indians captured them at Drapper Meadows, Virginia (now Blacksburg) on July 8, 1755. They were taken through
the county as they made their way to Shawnee Village at Chillicothe, Ohio. Mary Ingles' escape four months later
and her return through the wilderness to Virginia was an inspiration to all pioneers on the frontier.
Daniel Boone (1734-1820), the famous frontiersmen and founder of Kentucky, resided with his family in Kanawha County
for seven years (1788-1795), in a two-room log cabin in the Kanawha City section of Charleston. He was appointed
a Lieutenant Colonel in the Kanawha County militia and served under the command of Colonel George Clendenin. He
and Colonel Clendenin represented Kanawha County in the General Assembly in 1791 (see Boone County history).
Important Events of the 1700s
In the autumn of 1788, George Clendenin traveled to Richmond and asked the Virginia General Assembly to form Kanawha
County out of Greenbrier and Montgomery Counties. At that time, Virginia had lost a great deal of land, yielding
its rights to the northwest territory (including the present-day states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and part of
Minnesota). Concerned that it was also going to lose Kentucky County to statehood, the Virginia General Assembly
approved Clendenin's request on October 14, 1788, hoping to solidify its holdings in the western part of the state.
Important Events of the 1800s
Kanawha County's loyalties were divided during the Civil War. The county contributed five companies to both the
north and the south, with the Kanawha Riflemen, led by a group of prominent Kanawha County citizens, fighting for
the south. In 1861, a confederate force consisting of over 2,500 men camped at Tackett's Creek just below Saint
Albans. A series of military actions ensued as the north and south fought for control of the Kanawha Valley. The
most important of these battles was the Battle of Carnifex Ferry on September 10, 1861. Union troops led by Brigadier
General William S. Rosecrans engaged the Confederate Army and forced them to retreat to the Henry Patterson Farm,
overlooking Carnifex Ferry. The Confederate commander, Brigadier General John B. Floyd retreated across the ferry
to the south side of the Gauley River and on eastward to Meadow Bluff near Lewisburg. The battle effectively ended
the struggle for the Kanawha valley.
On April 1, 1870, Charleston became the state capital, replacing Wheeling. The legislature approved the move, primarily
becasue Charleston provided $50,000 towards the cost of constructing a new capital building. On February 20, 1875,
the legislature voted to return the capital to Wheeling. Several prominent Charleston businessmen were able to
secure a temporary court injunction against the move. The case went to the West Virginia Supreme Court, but Charleston
lost. However, because of the continuing controversy concerning the capital's location, it was decided in 1877
to hold a statewide referendum to determine where to locate the state capital. The voters choose Charleston over
Martinsburg and Clarksburg. The state capital was moved permanently to Charleston in May, 1885.
Important Events of the 1900s
On January 3, 1921, a fire burned Charleston's second state capitol building to the ground. The building had housed
the state government for thrity-six years. It was assumed that the fire started on the building's top floor where
guns and ammunition were stored. This led to the construction of the current state capitol building. It was completed
in 1932 at a cost of $9,491,180.03.
Salt
Kanawha valley was very rich in brine. Brine is the substance from which salt is made. In some places, geological
abnormalities forced brine all the way to the surface, forming salt licks and active springs. Salt was very important
to the pioneers. Salt production was an important means of earning a living for many Kanawha valley residents,
with production peaking in 1846 at more than three million barrels per year. The salt industry virtually disappeared
from the valley after the Civil War, due to a combination of factors, including increased foreign competition and
over-production that resulted in many of the wells to dry up.
Coal
Coal extraction slowly replaced salt extraction as an important economic activity in the Kanawha valley following
the Civil War. The coal industry in the valley received a big boost in 1873 when the C&O Railway reached the
Kanawha Valley. Coal production soared with the introduction of a more ready access to eastern markets By 1910,
about 6 million tons of coal was mined each year, and during the 1970s coal tonnage passed 9 million per year.
County Seat
Charleston, the county seat and currently the state's most populous city and state capital, was founded on land
that was originally owned by Colonel Thomas Bullitt. In 1774, he was deeded 1,240 acres of land on the Great Kanawha
River by the mouth of the Elk River for his service during the French and Indian Wars (1754-1763). He sold the
land to his brother, Judge Cuthbert Bullitt, President of the Virginia Court of Appeals who, in turn, sold the
land, in 1786, to Colonel George Clendenin, a distinguished frontiersmen and soldier in General Lewis' army at
the decisive Battle of Point Pleasant (1774). It is said that the land on which Charleston currently stands was
sold for 84 cents.
Colonel Clendenin, his father Charles, his brothers and sister, and six other families moved to the mouth of Elk
River, at the present site of Charleston in 1788 and
built the first building within the boundaries of what is now the state capital. The two-story, double log building
was known as being both bullet and arrow proof and
was known as Clendenin's Fort. The first meeting of the county court took place there on October 5, 1789. The Virginia
Assembly chartered the town on December 19, 1794 and named it Charles Town, in honor of Charles Clendenin. The
town's name was shortened to Charleston to avoid confusion with two other towns that were also called Charles Town.
The state capitol was moved from Wheeling to Charleston on April 1, 1870, but a national depression that started
in 1873 caused the city's economy to stagnate
and, as its economy faltered, a movement began to return the state capital to Wheeling because its economy had
not suffered quite as much as Charleston's. In
1875, the state's voters returned the state capital to Wheeling. Once the depression ended, the Kanawha Valley's
economy began to grow and as its population increased a movement began to regain its status as the state capital.
Another statewide referendum was held in 1885, and Charleston won back the honor of being the state's capital.
References
Atkinson, George W. 1876. History of Kanawha County, From. . . 1789 Until the Present Time. Charleston:
West Virginia Journal Office.
Dayton, Ruth Woods. 1947. Pioneers and Their Homes on Upper Kanawha. Charleston: West Virginia Publishing
Company.
Laidley, W. S. 1911. History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia. Chicago: Richmond-Arnold Publishing
Company.
Authors
Dr. Robert Jay Dilger, Director, Institute for Public Affairs and Professor of Political Science, West Virginia
University.
James Marshall, Undergraduate Research Assistant, West Virginia University Institute for Public Affairs.
February 21, 2002.