In 1801, Retired Revolutionary War Captain William Merritt applied to the County Court for an acre of ground on which to build a water grist mill, near a dam he had already built at the mouth of the Mud. Merritt later purchased 500 acres from Jeremiah Ward, & the location of the current Village of Barboursville came to be known by the early settlers as “Merritt’s Mill.” By 1809, the area was a center of trade & political activity for the new Cabell County, until the town of Barboursville was established by an Act of the Virginia General Assembly on January 14, 1813 (named for James Barbour, 1812-1814 Governor of Virginia). In 1899—Merritts Mill was washed out by high water, nearly the entire town turned out and watched the large structure float away.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 16:24:52 +0000
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