Cool Spring Farm (Gerrardstown, West Virginia)
Encyclopedia
Cool Spring Farm, also known as Rockdale Spring Farm and Torytown, was built by Colonel Morgan Morgan
, reputedly the first permanent European settler in what would become West Virginia
. Morgan was granted 1000 acres (4 km²) in 1735, but he is believed to have first settled there in 1731. Recent research indicates that Morgan's settlement was not the first, but was preceded by a German settlement.
Morgan Morgan's fifth son, Zackquill Morgan
, built the house in 1761, but sold the farm in 1765 and moved west to Marion County, Virginia
, now West Virginia, to establish Morgantown
in 1781.
After changing hands several times, the property was purchased by John McKown, Jr. in 1827. His son Edmund renamed the farm "Rockdale Spring Farm". The sons of John McKown owned considerable lands in the area of Gerrardstown during the late 19th century.
Morgan Morgan
Colonel Morgan Morgan is traditionally believed to have founded the first permanent white settlement in present day West Virginia at Cool Spring Farm, and he is credited with founding the first church in what is now West Virginia.-Early life:Little direct evidence of Morgan's early life and...
, reputedly the first permanent European settler in what would become West Virginia
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...
. Morgan was granted 1000 acres (4 km²) in 1735, but he is believed to have first settled there in 1731. Recent research indicates that Morgan's settlement was not the first, but was preceded by a German settlement.
Morgan Morgan's fifth son, Zackquill Morgan
Zackquill Morgan
Colonel Zackquill Morgan was a son of Welsh-born Colonel Morgan Morgan, the first known white settler in what would become the U.S. state of West Virginia, and his wife, Catherine Garretson. Zackquill Morgan's very unusual Christian name is spelled many different ways in old records...
, built the house in 1761, but sold the farm in 1765 and moved west to Marion County, Virginia
Marion County, West Virginia
| style="float:right;"|As of the census of 2000, there were 56,598 people, 23,652 households, and 15,515 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 26,660 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile...
, now West Virginia, to establish Morgantown
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...
in 1781.
After changing hands several times, the property was purchased by John McKown, Jr. in 1827. His son Edmund renamed the farm "Rockdale Spring Farm". The sons of John McKown owned considerable lands in the area of Gerrardstown during the late 19th century.