MENU
 

EARLY HISTORY OF WELLSBURG,
WEST VIRGINIA

            In 1669, while traveling through our area, the French saw the beauty of the Ohio River and called it “La Bele Riviere” (the beautiful river).  History does not tell us, but surely these early visitors also saw the beauty of the hills and surrounding county.

            In 1747, a company of Virginian gentlemen conceived the idea of securing from the King of England 500,000 acres of land in the Ohio River basin.  As soon as news of this petition leaked out, the governor of Canada ordered a group of men to set out to re-establish their claim.  Thus, the contention for this fertile basin was not really determined until the end of the Revolutionary War in 1781.

            In 1773, Virginia claimed title to the territory around the headwaters of Ohio as being Augusta County by a charter under James I in 1606.  Pennsylvania claimed title under a charter issued by Charles II in 1861.

            About 1770 or 1772 Jonathan, Israel and Friend Cox arrived in what is now Wellsburg.  They built a cabin and spent the winter here.  The brothers staked a “Tomahawk right”, which entitled a settler to 400 acres.  Thus the total for the Cox brothers would have been 1,200 acres.

            The first land entries in our area were made in 1771 for lands situated between Bethany and West Liberty.  The first court was held in Black’s cabin at West Liberty on January 16, 1777.  West Liberty was the county seat for the northern panhandle district.  The Revolutionary War halted the further arrival of settlers, but immediately following the war, they started the long trek over the mountains to our area.

            As early as 1778, there was a small settlement here with stores, mills and people trading and selling goods.  Early settlers heading into the “Ohio Territory” stopped here to replenish their supplies before resuming their travels.

            Among the earliest settlers was Charles Prather, who purchased 481 acres of land from John Cox on March 6, 1788.  Around 1790 he had the ground surveyed, a plat made and at the January term of court in 1791, in Ohio County, the town of Charlestown, Virginia was incorporated.

            In 1797, we became a separate county and were named in honor of Robert Brooks of Virginia.  On December 27, 1816, the legislature of the State of Virginia passed an act changing the name from Charlestown to Wellsburg.  It was named for Charles Wells, who married Elizabeth, the only daughter of Charles Prather.

            Between 1791 and 1794, craftsmen such as tailors, carpenters, tanners, shoemakers, and even a hatter settled here.  The first teacher was recorded in 1791.  Even in those days our forefathers wanted to assure their children an education.

            Travel was by boat or on foot.  Supplies were transported over the mountains by packhorse or floated down the river on flatboats.  As far back as 1780, these boats stopped here and picked up goods to take the southern markets.

            Industries were many and varied.  We had boat yards and warehouses located along our riverbanks. The glass industry was started in 1815.  Mills of all kinds were located along Cross Creek and Buffalo Creek, as well as in Wellsburg.  We had excellent cabinetmakers in our area at a very early time and examples of the work of these men may be seen in many of the homes in our area

Wellsburg Court House

18th Century Military Strategy and Brooke County

Brooke County was in no small way a result of the French and Indian
War which in today's terminology could be called "global Strategy of
the Great Powers."
Virginia, as one of the British Colonies, had obtained a sea to sea
grant from the British crown.
The French, in their attempt to claim a sizable portion of the New
World, claimed not only Canada but also the Louisianan territory with
settlements at New Orleans and further up the Mississippi Valley at
St. Louis. A quick glance at a map of North America will indicate
the strategy undertaken by the French. An advance southward from the
Great Lakes region along the watersheds of the Ohio River and the
upper Mississippi, which could be effectively linked with settlements
in the lower Mississippi Valley, would keep the British hemmed in
along the eastern seaboard, certainly not beyond the eastern slope of
the Allegheny Mountains.
The expedition commanded by Captain Celoron de Bienville in 1749
proceeded down the Allegheny River into the Ohio planting, lead
plates along the way which were aimed to take possession "of the said
river Ohio, and of all those which empty into it, and of all the
lands on both sides as far as the sources of said rivers." The
earlier explorations of La Salle had shown the way to linking up
Canada with the mouth of the great Mississippi.
When these efforts by the French were impeding the movement of
British colonists and land speculators conflict became inevitable.
During this conflict, the young George Washington made several
expeditions into the area, and in his diary noted the Indian
campfires opposite Mingo Bottom, the present site of Follansbee.
The Peace of Paris in 1763 removed the French claims to the western
lands along the Ohio River and signaled the beginning of the larger
movement of people into western Virginia.
The British by proclamation, endeavored to prohibit the western
movement of settlers by forbidding patents for lands beyond the
sources of the rivers which flowed into the Atlantic Ocean, outlawing
private purchases of land from the Indians and placing trade with the
Indians under royal control.
In spite of these British attempts to regulate the westward movement,
pioneers of every description were filtering into the broad rich
bottom lands of the Ohio River Valley and the numerous creeks which
flowed into the river.
During the decade from 1770-1780, the first permanent settlements were
made in what is now Brooke County. Following the valleys of Harmon
Creek, Cross Creek, and Buffalo Creek, these settlements were made in
the vicinity of Hollidays Cove, Follansbee and Wellsburg.

This historical page was done by Brooke County Historical Review in
October 1974.

 

     Copyright © 2008 Wellsburg  Chamber of Commerce  -