Potts Creek (watercourse)
Encyclopedia
Potts Creek is a 46 miles (74 km) tributary of the Jackson River
in western Virginia. Via the Jackson River, it is part of the James River
watershed, flowing to Chesapeake Bay
. The creek rises in Monroe County, West Virginia
and flows northeast through Craig County
and Alleghany County
in Virginia, joining the Jackson River at Covington
.
and Peter Jefferson
in 1751 and printed in 1755,Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson: A map of the most inhabited part of Virginia containing the whole province of Maryland with part of Pensilvania, New Jersey and North Carolina. Drawn by Joshua Fry & Peter Jefferson in 1751, published by Thos. Jefferys, London, 1755, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kitfry-1-.jpg, retrieved 2009. and so referred to in the text of Thomas Jefferson
's "Notes on the State of Virginia" that he prepared in the 1780s.Thomas Jefferson: Notes on the State of Virginia, first published in 1853 by J. W. Randolph, Richmond, Va., reprinted in revised form in 1861 by H. W. Derby, New York, N.Y., as part of Vol. VIII of The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, H. A. Washington, ed. Carpenter's Creek is also shown as such on John Ballendine's map of the James River published c.1772 and Thomas Hutchins' map of the western regions of Virginia published in 1778.The Library of Congress: West Virginia, The Centennial of Statehood, 1863-1963, An Exhibition of the Library of Congress, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C., 1964, pp. 45-46, 68-69 The creek later acquired the name Potts Creek from a settler who lived further up the valley at the headwaters of the creek on Potts Mountain. The Carpenter name persisted in occasional use through at least 1784, when in a report to George Washington it was confused with Dunlap's Creek,Archer Butler Hulbert: Washington and the West, The Century Co., New York, N.Y., 1905, p. 76. and a grant was identified as located on Carpenter's "River" on July 1, 1793, but the name Potts Creek was in common use by the late 1790s.Larry G. Schuck: Hampshire and Hardy Counties (W) Va. Abstracts, Closson Press, Apollo, Pa., 1996; Oren F. Morton: A Centennial History of Allegheny County, Virginia, J. K. Ruebush Co., Dayton, Va., 1923, p. 88; and Terry L. Carpenter: "Carpenter's Creek, Old Augusta County, Virginia," in The Carpenter Chronicles, Bette Butcher Topp, ed., Vol. 7 (April 1991), pp. 11-12. Carpenter's Creek received its name from Joseph Carpenter, who on June 1, 1750, received a patent from the British Crown for 782 acres (3.2 km²) of land on the south side of the Big Bend of Jackson's River where the creek flows into the river (present-day Covington).Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 30, No. 3 (August 1992), p. 204.
Jackson River (Virginia)
The Jackson River is a major tributary of the James River in the U.S. state of Virginia, flowing . The James River is formed by the confluence of the Jackson River and the Cowpasture River.-Course:...
in western Virginia. Via the Jackson River, it is part of the James River
James River
The James River may refer to:Rivers in the United States and their namesakes* James River * James River , North Dakota, South Dakota* James River * James River * James River...
watershed, flowing to Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. The creek rises in Monroe County, West Virginia
Monroe County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,583 people, 5,447 households, and 3,883 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 7,267 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
and flows northeast through Craig County
Craig County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,091 people, 2,060 households, and 1,507 families residing in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile . There were 2,554 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
and Alleghany County
Alleghany County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,926 people, 5,149 households, and 3,866 families residing in the county. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 5,812 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
in Virginia, joining the Jackson River at Covington
Covington, Virginia
Covington is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia, located at the confluence of Jackson River and Dunlap Creek. It is in Alleghany County where it is also the county seat. The population was 5,961 in 2010. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Covington with Alleghany...
.
Name
The waterway was originally named Carpenter's Creek, as shown on a map of the area (view it here: :File:Kitfry-1-.jpg) drawn by Joshua FryJoshua Fry
Colonel Joshua Fry was a surveyor, adventurer, mapmaker, soldier, and member of the House of Burgesses, the legislature of the colony of Virginia...
and Peter Jefferson
Peter Jefferson
Peter Jefferson was the father of American President Thomas Jefferson . A surveyor and cartographer, his Fry-Jefferson Map of 1751 accurately depicted the Allegheny Mountains for the first time and showed the route of "The Great Road from the Yadkin River thro Virginia to Philadelphia distant 455...
in 1751 and printed in 1755,Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson: A map of the most inhabited part of Virginia containing the whole province of Maryland with part of Pensilvania, New Jersey and North Carolina. Drawn by Joshua Fry & Peter Jefferson in 1751, published by Thos. Jefferys, London, 1755, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kitfry-1-.jpg, retrieved 2009. and so referred to in the text of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
's "Notes on the State of Virginia" that he prepared in the 1780s.Thomas Jefferson: Notes on the State of Virginia, first published in 1853 by J. W. Randolph, Richmond, Va., reprinted in revised form in 1861 by H. W. Derby, New York, N.Y., as part of Vol. VIII of The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, H. A. Washington, ed. Carpenter's Creek is also shown as such on John Ballendine's map of the James River published c.1772 and Thomas Hutchins' map of the western regions of Virginia published in 1778.The Library of Congress: West Virginia, The Centennial of Statehood, 1863-1963, An Exhibition of the Library of Congress, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C., 1964, pp. 45-46, 68-69 The creek later acquired the name Potts Creek from a settler who lived further up the valley at the headwaters of the creek on Potts Mountain. The Carpenter name persisted in occasional use through at least 1784, when in a report to George Washington it was confused with Dunlap's Creek,Archer Butler Hulbert: Washington and the West, The Century Co., New York, N.Y., 1905, p. 76. and a grant was identified as located on Carpenter's "River" on July 1, 1793, but the name Potts Creek was in common use by the late 1790s.Larry G. Schuck: Hampshire and Hardy Counties (W) Va. Abstracts, Closson Press, Apollo, Pa., 1996; Oren F. Morton: A Centennial History of Allegheny County, Virginia, J. K. Ruebush Co., Dayton, Va., 1923, p. 88; and Terry L. Carpenter: "Carpenter's Creek, Old Augusta County, Virginia," in The Carpenter Chronicles, Bette Butcher Topp, ed., Vol. 7 (April 1991), pp. 11-12. Carpenter's Creek received its name from Joseph Carpenter, who on June 1, 1750, received a patent from the British Crown for 782 acres (3.2 km²) of land on the south side of the Big Bend of Jackson's River where the creek flows into the river (present-day Covington).Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 30, No. 3 (August 1992), p. 204.