Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2008 with funding from Microsoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/annalsofbathcounOOmort 1 ANNALS of BATH COUNTY VIRGINIA By OREN F. MORTON, B. Lit. Author of Under the Cottonwoods, " Winning or Losing?" Land of the Laurel," "The Story of Daniel Boone," "A Practical History of Music," "History of Pendle- ton County, W. Va. ," "History of Preston County, W. Va. ," "History of Monroe County, W. Va.," "History of Highland County, Virginia." / Staunton, Virginia The McClure Co., Inc. 19 17 w<> :? « PUBLIC LI 882819 AgTOfl AND TI^DEN FOUNDATIONS R 1919 Copyright, 1918 By The McClure Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved CONTENTS Chapter Page Introduction v 1 . Geography of Bath 1 II. Discovery and Settlement 10 III. The Lewis Land Grant 22 IV. Areas of Settlement 36 V. The Mineral Springs 42 VI. Early Political History 51 VII. Roads and Road Builders 56 VIII. Life in the Pioneer Days 62 IX. Ten years of Indian Wars 79 X. The Point Pleasant Campaign 88 XI. Bath During the Revolution 94 XII. Selim the Algerine 101 XIII. Efforts Toward a New County 104 XIV. Organization of Bath 107 ~ XV. The Surnames of Bath Ill XVI. A List of Early Marriages 127 XVII. Seventy Years of Bath History 134 XVIII. Bath in the War of 1861 143 XIX. The Bath Squadron 146 XX. Roster of Confederate Soldiers 152 XXI. Cloverdale 162 XXII. The Calfpasture Valley 167 XXIII. The Bath of Today 172 XXIV. Alleghany County 176 XXV. The Families of Greater Bath 186 in FOREWORD |ATH has a small number of people, and a considerable share of this small number is a new element. To many individuals of the latter class a history of the county will appeal very little. And since the circulation of such a book must necessarily be small, the price of a full and comprehensive history would unavoidably be so high as to be prohibitive to persons of small means. The choice before us was whether to bring out a very small edition of a very high priced book, or a larger edition of a comparatively low priced book. If the second choice were taken, only a small volume was possible. And if the volume were to be small, it was clearly out of the question to cover as much ground as is attempted in a local history of comprehensive scope. For the above reasons we confine ourselves to a presentation of the more striking and important features in the story of this county. But while this was the only course possible, we have sought to treat these features with all the fullness the limits of the book would per- mit. And since the present volume is a county history in a somewhat abbreviated form, we entitle it "The Annals of Bath," rather than "A History of Bath." Owing to the necessary limitation in space, it has been impossible to give genealogic records of the old families of the county. A partial account is all the size of the book will permit. Yet this account would cover more pages, if there had been a more general response to our requests for information. What was not furnished to us we could not put in, and we disclaim all responsibility for its non-appearance. But if, in a commercial sense, this county seemed only a moderate- ly promising field for a local history, it remains very true that Bath is one of the best known counties of the Old Dominion. It is one of the older counties in the Alleghany belt, and it lies on a natural high- way of travel and commerce. The story of its evolution is one of much interest. The present work was begun in the fall of 1912. Joseph T. Mc- Allister, of Hot Springs, had for a long while been collecting material for a history of the county. But his favorable opinion of the author's History of Highland County led him to invite the undersigned to his home, so as to use his collection and write the history himself. The original manuscript was completed the next July at the house of George W. Wallace on the Cowpasture. Publication being much delayed, and the author coming into possession of new and valuable information, a new and enlarged manuscript has been prepared. The question of writing a history of Alleghany County was dis- cussed with several friends, and was decided to be unpromising in a commercial aspect. But with a view of supplying the lack in a par- tial way, a special chapter has been added to the new manuscript. Illustrations were repeatedly solicited, and would have added to the interest and attractiveness of the book. But as only one was offered, it has been decided to issue the book without any. This will explain the non-appearance of the cut spoken of on page 72. The most sincere thanks of the author are extended to all persons who have in any way contributed to the success of this enterprise. In particular, he makes warm and grateful acknowledgment to Joseph T. McAllister, George W. Wallace, and Houston H. Byrd for their very substantial assistance, and to Boutwell Dunlap, of San Francis- co, for valuable data relating to several of the early families. Mr. Dunlap is not only a historian of repute, but is a descendant of Cap- tain Alexander Dunlap, the earliest settler on the Calfpasture. Oren F. Morton. Staunton, Va., August 22, 1917. ANNALS OF BATH COUNTY GEOGRAPHY OF BATH N ALL the states of the American Union there are but two counties named Bath. One is in Virginia and the other is in the daughter state of Kentucky. The older of these came into actual existence May 1, 1791. It was then larger than any present county in either of the Virginias. It is still larger than the average of the 155 counties in the two states. Until West Virginia became a fact, Bath lay near the center of the Old Dominion. It now lies against the western border of the parent state. Near its southwestern angle it is crossed by the thirty- eighth parallel of north latitude and also by the third meridian west from Washington. In outline the county is a fairly regular quadran- gle, the four corners pointing very nearly north, east, south, and west. Between the northern and southern corners the diagonal distance is 27 miles, and between the eastern and western corners the distance is 30 miles. The area is placed at 548 square miles, or 352,720 acres. The airline distance from the county seat to the state capital is 135 miles, the direction being a little south of east. The city of Washing- ton is 160 miles away, the direction being northeast. The western boundary of Bath is the central ridge of the Appa- lachians, sometimes called the Alleghany Front. It divides the wa- ters coursing toward the Atlantic from those running toward the Mississippi. This massive uplft is a natural boundary. On the eastern side of the county, Walker's Mountain, Sideling Hill, and Mill Mountain take turns in forming the border line. These three elevations run almost precisely in the same direction. From the top of Walter's Mountain the line leaps squarely across a very narrow- valley to the top of Sideling Hill. Four miles southward it passes with equal abruptness across a still narrower valley to the summit of Mill Mountain. And yet this complex eastern border opens to the base line only at the one point where Panther Gap provides an easy passage for a railroad and an outlet for the waters of Mill Creek. I ANNALS OF BATH COUNTY On the other hand the northern and southern county lines are entirely artificial. Bath is simply a cross-section of the great valley which extends nearly all the way from New River to the Potomac. The bordering counties are Highland, Augusta, Rockbridge, Alleghany, Greenbrier, and Pocahontas, the last two lying in West Virginia. The Alleghany Front is lofty throughout, reaching in Paddy Knob at the northern corner of Bath an altitude of 4500 feet. With- in the county the most distinctive uplift is the divide running length- wise through the center, separating Bath into two principal divisions. For more than half the way this divide is Warm Springs Mountain, which enters from the south and terminates near Burnsville. Jack Mountain enters from the north and runs a little past the other ridge, the distance from crest to crest being one mile. From Duncan's Knob, Jack Mountain drops quite suddenly into the lower continuation known as Wilson's Mountain. From the same knob a saddle reaches across to Warm Springs Mountain and thus preserves a continuity of watershed in the central divide. Near the center of the county Warm Springs Mountain forks, the western and lower arm, known as Val- ley Mountain, running nearly parallel with the eastern, at a distance from summit to summit of two miles, and passing into Alleghany county. The portion lying in Bath is pierced by no fewer than six water-gaps. Midway between the Alleghany Front and the central divide is a very conspicuous elevation, which to the north of the place where it opens to give passage to Back Creek, is styled Back Creek Moun- tain. Southward, it is known as Bollar Mountain. Westward of this ridge is Little Mountain, separating the valley of Little Back Creek from that of Back Creek proper. Eastward are Rocky Ridge, Warwick's Mountain, and Callison Ridge. A little east of Warm Springs Mountain is Tower Hill, a continuation of the Bullpasture Mountain of Highland.