Brooke County Timeline
This information is from the 200th Birthday edition of the BROOKE SCENE newspaper. (Brooke County, WV)
1749 French started trading with the Mingo Indians along the Ohio River Valley. The Mingo Indians held what was known as "Old Mingo Bottom", where Follansbee is now, with English settlers in the Valley
1758 French and Indian War rages, forcing English out of the valley back into Pennsylvania
1768 Indians move out of "Old Mingo Bottoms" (Now WV side of the river) to Mingo Junction (Now Ohio)
1772 Jonathan, Israel and Friend Cox in September start on expedition for the "Big River". They found it when they came to the hill overlooking the present site of Wellsburg. There they built a log cabin on the site of the town of Wellsburg. It stood about 200 yards above the mouth of Buffalo Creek
1775 John Decker gets land from Isaac Cox builds a fort to protect his family. The fort is what is now Broad Street in Follansbee. Richard Wells located a tract of 400 acres near Harman's Creek and later returned to his native Maryland to induce others to come to Brooke County. In 1775 Charles Wells settled on Buffalo Creek
1777 Brooke Academy, the first education institution on the Ohio River, south of Pittsburgh and west of the Alleghenies. Authentic writers on early educational institution west of the Alleghenies rate Brooke Academy high. All records show that Greek and Latin were taught at the academy.
1780 Alexander Wells received a patent from Thomas Jefferson then governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, for 200 acres, in "Old Mingo Bottom". After his death, Wells sues Decker's heirs for his land and wins.
1788 Charles Prather bought from John Cox, heir of Friend Cox and William McMahon, attorney for John and Joseph Cox, 481 acres for 600 pounds. The purchase included all land lying south of the southern boundaries of what has been known as Lazearville to the waters of Buffalo Creek and along the river bank.
1790 "The Old Starr Tavern" is built by Richard Starr. The building housed and fed weary travelers. It is now a bed and breakfast of Drover's Inn.
1792 Charles Prather, on Dec 26, 1792, obtained a charter from the Virginia legislature to operate a ferry across the river at Wellsburg.
1793 August...Almost two years after Wellsburg was incorporated, occurred the last conflict in the Upper Ohio Valley between th settlers and the Indians.
The first Episcopal church, Olde St John's Episcopal Church, west of the Allegheny Mountains in Virginia, what is now West Virginia, is built at Follansbee-Eldersville Road.
1797 Brooke County was created in 1797 from part of Ohio County and named in honor of Robert Brooke, governor of Virginia from 1794 to 1796 Wellsburg became the county seat when Brooke county was created from Ohio County in 1797.
At the first court held in Brooke County, May 23, 1797, Philip Doddridge was admitted to practice as an attorney in this court.
1749 French started trading with the Mingo Indians along the Ohio River Valley. The Mingo Indians held what was known as "Old Mingo Bottom", where Follansbee is now, with English settlers in the Valley
1758 French and Indian War rages, forcing English out of the valley back into Pennsylvania
1768 Indians move out of "Old Mingo Bottoms" (Now WV side of the river) to Mingo Junction (Now Ohio)
1772 Jonathan, Israel and Friend Cox in September start on expedition for the "Big River". They found it when they came to the hill overlooking the present site of Wellsburg. There they built a log cabin on the site of the town of Wellsburg. It stood about 200 yards above the mouth of Buffalo Creek
1775 John Decker gets land from Isaac Cox builds a fort to protect his family. The fort is what is now Broad Street in Follansbee. Richard Wells located a tract of 400 acres near Harman's Creek and later returned to his native Maryland to induce others to come to Brooke County. In 1775 Charles Wells settled on Buffalo Creek
1777 Brooke Academy, the first education institution on the Ohio River, south of Pittsburgh and west of the Alleghenies. Authentic writers on early educational institution west of the Alleghenies rate Brooke Academy high. All records show that Greek and Latin were taught at the academy.
1780 Alexander Wells received a patent from Thomas Jefferson then governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, for 200 acres, in "Old Mingo Bottom". After his death, Wells sues Decker's heirs for his land and wins.
1788 Charles Prather bought from John Cox, heir of Friend Cox and William McMahon, attorney for John and Joseph Cox, 481 acres for 600 pounds. The purchase included all land lying south of the southern boundaries of what has been known as Lazearville to the waters of Buffalo Creek and along the river bank.
1790 "The Old Starr Tavern" is built by Richard Starr. The building housed and fed weary travelers. It is now a bed and breakfast of Drover's Inn.
1792 Charles Prather, on Dec 26, 1792, obtained a charter from the Virginia legislature to operate a ferry across the river at Wellsburg.
1793 August...Almost two years after Wellsburg was incorporated, occurred the last conflict in the Upper Ohio Valley between th settlers and the Indians.
The first Episcopal church, Olde St John's Episcopal Church, west of the Allegheny Mountains in Virginia, what is now West Virginia, is built at Follansbee-Eldersville Road.
1797 Brooke County was created in 1797 from part of Ohio County and named in honor of Robert Brooke, governor of Virginia from 1794 to 1796 Wellsburg became the county seat when Brooke county was created from Ohio County in 1797.
At the first court held in Brooke County, May 23, 1797, Philip Doddridge was admitted to practice as an attorney in this court.