11/12/2017
John Samsell's Column in The Dominion Post on 11/11/17. He mentions George Washington meeting with Zackquill Morgan, founder of Morgantown. He gets the importance of Col. Zackquill Morgan who did much to settle this area we live in today. As did Prof. Callahan also mentioned here. Again, "We need more MORGAN in Morgantown."
The study
of history
begins here
IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN: “The study
of history should begin at
home. ”
T hat’s why I chose Georg e
Washington as my first at-home
selection for this writing.
After all, why not pick the Father
of Our Country who made
at least one major visit to Morgantown,
and who traveled
around much of what is now the
state of West Virginia?
In addition, I remember in
my early days of walking the
streets of our fair city that there
was a sign on someone’s porch
that read: “George Washington
Slept Here.” Whether he did or
not, he did come close enough.
Historians say he met with the
town’s founder, Zackquill Morg
an, to discuss a route from the
C&O Canal to the Ohio River.
He had, for sure, been called
the “surveyor of lands for frontier
settlements along the South
Branch of the Potomac …”
In 1770 he and other soldiers
made a long tour around the
western end of West Virginia.
That trip was made to survey
land acquired from Lord Fairf
ax for those soldiers’ roles in
the French and Indian War.
The trip started from Mount
Vernon and went to Pittsburgh
to connect with the Ohio River.
They followed the river and
made a left turn onto the
Kanawha River at Point Pleasant.
They followed the Kanawha
for another 15 miles eastward
before ending the survey.
That tour was made four
years before the battle at Point
Pleasant. It was on Monday,
Oct. 10, 1774 that the Native
Americans, led by Chief Cornstalk,
from the western side of
the Ohio River and an American
troop from Virginia clashed in
what eventually was known as
Dunmore ’s War, and the beginning
of the Revolutionary War.
The battle at Point Pleasant is
said to have resulted in the two
sides releasing any captives. The
Indians also vowed not to hunt
on the eastern side of the river.
There are many more stories related
to Cornstalk’s role. Today a
hunting area carries his name,
Washington then became occupied
with the formation of a new
country in 1776. Yet, in 1784 he
again was on the road to consider
that east-west canal. He stopped
about three miles from Morgantown
and is said to have asked for
a meeting with Morgan.
My second entry with historic
significance relates to a keeper
of facts about our city.
James Morton Callahan Sr.
wrote “The Making of Morgantown,
” a book of which I have an
autographed copy. The author
didn’t sign it for me since my
copy came from a used book sale.
The book was published for the
city’s 150th anniversary, in 1926
(also the nation’s sesquicentennial).
Callahan also is the author of
the quote about history that appears
at the head of this writing.
He was born Nov. 4, 1864, in
Bedford, Ind. He is said to have
been one of the first persons to
write about West Virginia’s history.
He received degrees from Indiana
University and Johns Hopkins
University. He earned his
Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins in 1897.
From 1898-1902, he was a lecturer
of history at Johns Hopkins
and was director of the Bureau
of Historical Research in
Washington, D.C.
In 1902, Callahan was appointed
chairman of history and political
science at WVU. In 1916, he
became dean of WVU’s College of
Arts and Sciences, a role he kept
until 1929. In addition to the history
of Morgantown, he had numerous
other works published.
He was known on campus for
his white hair, white suit and
white shoes. Callahan Lectures
were established in 1963.
He died on March 16, 1956.
JOHN SAMSELL is a retired copy
editor/special sections editor for
The Dominion Post. His column appears
