Bulltown, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Bulltown is a former settlement in Braxton County, West Virginia
, United States
.
Valley watershed
. Bulltown Historical District contains the Burnsville Lake
Wildlife Management Area in which Bulltown sets. The district is a site of the American Civil War
battle with seven Confederate graves and Union trenches with a Historic Center. The Weston-Gauley Bridge Turnpike Trail and the Bulltown public camping area sides this state lake in the park. The namesake is from the Delaware
Native American
'Chief Bull'.
, King of the Delawares, at Wyoming, Pennsylvania
was burned around him by white settlers on April 19, 1763. His son Captain Bull with a band of retaliating Delaware numbered about 135, some from the upper Ohio Valley of the earlier 1740s migration. They marauded through Pennsylvania
and New York
killing about 50 settlers. In 1763, Chief Bull was caught and jailed. The band was given an option that Chief Bull be hanged or the band move from the region. Bull was released to lead his people away. A monument to Chief Teedyuscung stands in Fairmont Park, Philadelphia. Chief Bull was known as 'Capt. Bull' also 'Honest John' and 'Brother Gideon'.
In 1753, this band arrived at Frederick Ice's settlement on Cheat River
(Morgantown, West Virginia
) Chief Bull and about 50 kindred had come from prison in the New York colony. They camped a few weeks there and then went up the Monongahela River
into a temporary camp at now Fairmont, West Virginia
. The following Spring they moved again, this time settling near present Bulltown, WVa along this watershed of Little Kanawha River
. There they erected 20 cabins and a council house
on the site now called Chief Bull's old camp. There they lived in peace with the pioneer settlers around the New River area until 1772 when a massacre legend becomes popular folklore. However, the following quote is historic documented, "The Delawares had a town on the little Kanawha, which Simon Kenton
often visited. They went to the White River
, 18 miles from the Wabash
, & when Gen. Hamiliton was taken, they broke off & went to the Mississippi
." Of these and colonial assimilation, there are still some descendants living in West Virginia.
, a visitor center with exhibits about the town and the battle, and several 19th century log homes and other structures. Most of the buildings were moved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the site when Burnsville Lake
was created.
The Cunningham House and Outbuildings
and Union Civil War Fortification
were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1984.
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Geography
Bulltown is located at 38°47′19"N 80°33′59"W (38.788710 -80.566480). It is a part of the Little Kanawha RiverLittle Kanawha River
The Little Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, 169 mi long, in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Ohio, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 2,320 mi² on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau...
Valley watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
. Bulltown Historical District contains the Burnsville Lake
Burnsville Lake
Burnsville Lake is both a recreational and flood control reservoir on Little Kanawha River located southeast of Burnsville in Braxton County, West Virginia. Burnsville Lake was authorized by the U.S. Congress in the Flood Control Act of 1938....
Wildlife Management Area in which Bulltown sets. The district is a site of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
battle with seven Confederate graves and Union trenches with a Historic Center. The Weston-Gauley Bridge Turnpike Trail and the Bulltown public camping area sides this state lake in the park. The namesake is from the Delaware
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
'Chief Bull'.
Namesake
The house of TeedyuscungTeedyuscung
Teedyuscung was known as King of the Delawares. He worked to establish a permanent Lenape home in eastern Pennsylvania in the Lehigh, Susquehanna and Delaware River valleys. Teedyuscung participated in the Treaty of Easton which resulted in the loss of any Lenape claims to all lands in Pennsylvania...
, King of the Delawares, at Wyoming, Pennsylvania
Wyoming, Pennsylvania
Wyoming is a borough in the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States five miles north of Wilkes Barre, on the Susquehanna River. Formerly, coal mining was the chief industry. In 1900, 1,909 people resided in Wyoming. There were 3,010 residents in 1910...
was burned around him by white settlers on April 19, 1763. His son Captain Bull with a band of retaliating Delaware numbered about 135, some from the upper Ohio Valley of the earlier 1740s migration. They marauded through Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
killing about 50 settlers. In 1763, Chief Bull was caught and jailed. The band was given an option that Chief Bull be hanged or the band move from the region. Bull was released to lead his people away. A monument to Chief Teedyuscung stands in Fairmont Park, Philadelphia. Chief Bull was known as 'Capt. Bull' also 'Honest John' and 'Brother Gideon'.
In 1753, this band arrived at Frederick Ice's settlement on Cheat River
Cheat River
The Cheat River is a tributary of the Monongahela River in eastern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Via the Monongahela and Ohio rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed, ultimately draining into the Gulf of Mexico.-Geography:The Cheat is formed at...
(Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
) Chief Bull and about 50 kindred had come from prison in the New York colony. They camped a few weeks there and then went up the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
into a temporary camp at now Fairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont, West Virginia
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Nicknamed "The Friendly City". The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census...
. The following Spring they moved again, this time settling near present Bulltown, WVa along this watershed of Little Kanawha River
Little Kanawha River
The Little Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, 169 mi long, in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Ohio, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 2,320 mi² on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau...
. There they erected 20 cabins and a council house
Council house
A council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
on the site now called Chief Bull's old camp. There they lived in peace with the pioneer settlers around the New River area until 1772 when a massacre legend becomes popular folklore. However, the following quote is historic documented, "The Delawares had a town on the little Kanawha, which Simon Kenton
Simon Kenton
Simon Kenton was a famous United States frontiersman and friend of Daniel Boone, Simon Girty, Spencer Records and Isaac Shelby.-Family and early life:Simon Kenton was alive even before Ohio was a state...
often visited. They went to the White River
White River (Indiana)
The White River is a two-forked river that flows through central and southern Indiana and is the main tributary to the Wabash River. Via the west fork, considered to be the main stem of the river by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, the White River is long.-West Fork:The West Fork, long, is...
, 18 miles from the Wabash
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
, & when Gen. Hamiliton was taken, they broke off & went to the Mississippi
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
." Of these and colonial assimilation, there are still some descendants living in West Virginia.
Bulltown Historic Area
The Bulltown Historic Area includes the 1863 battlefield of the Battle of BulltownBattle of Bulltown
The Battle of Bulltown was a small skirmish fought during the American Civil War near Bulltown in Braxton County, West Virginia on October 13, 1863.-Background:In the fall of 1863, William L...
, a visitor center with exhibits about the town and the battle, and several 19th century log homes and other structures. Most of the buildings were moved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the site when Burnsville Lake
Burnsville Lake
Burnsville Lake is both a recreational and flood control reservoir on Little Kanawha River located southeast of Burnsville in Braxton County, West Virginia. Burnsville Lake was authorized by the U.S. Congress in the Flood Control Act of 1938....
was created.
The Cunningham House and Outbuildings
Cunningham House and Outbuildings
Cunningham House and Outbuildings, also known as Cunningham Farm, is a historic home located near Napier, Braxton County, West Virginia. The house dates to the 1830s, and is a two story, log structure sided with white clapboards. Also located on the property is a food cellar and granary...
and Union Civil War Fortification
Union Civil War Fortification
Union Civil War Fortification, also known as Bulltown Civil War Site, is a historic archaeological site located near Napier, Braxton County, West Virginia. The site relates to the American Civil War Battle of Bulltown, that took place on October 13, 1863. During test excavations in the 1970s,...
were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1984.
External links
- Bulltown Historic Area - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers information and photos
- Bulltown Historic Area - West Virginia in the Civil War, includes a site map and house descriptions