Early Settlement

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During the winter of 1787-88, Matthias Harman and others established Harman's Station at the mouth of John's Creek. This is considered to be the first permanent settlement in Eastern Kentucky. The group briefly retreated from the site due to attacks by Native Americans but had returned by early 1790 to provide safety to Jenny Wiley. In 1964, the Kentucky Historical Society erected a marker to commemorate the site: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=170889

On December 14, 1788, Virginia Gov. Beverly Randolph granted 15,000 acres to Charles Vancouver at present-day Louisa. In the spring of 1789, he and his men cleared land, built a fort, and planted a crop. In April of 1790, Indians drove them away. In 1946, Louisa Chapter, DAR erected a historical marker to remember this history. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=218355

In October 1789, a small party of Indians attacked the home of Thomas and Jenny Wiley at Walker's Creek in Bland County, VA. Jenny was held captive for months at present-day Little Mud Lick Creek in Johnson County, suffering numerous cruelties and hardships. After nearly a year, she escaped and reached safety at Harman's Station. About 1800, she returned to live in the Big Sandy Valley. In the early 1950s, Jenny Wiley State Park in Prestonsburg was named for her. In 1964, the Kentucky Historical Society erected a marker to remember her story: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=170887

In 1790, Daniel Boone led William Robert Leslie, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, to a spot on John's Creek where Leslie established the Leslie settlement. This is considered the first permanent settlement in Pike County; it is also said by others to be the first permanent settlement in the Big Sandy Valley. In 1999, the Kentucky Historical Society erected a historical marker for the community: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=146055 Our current museum director is a descendant of William Robert Leslie.

In 1790, Col. John Preston established this settlement at present-day Paintsville. In 1968, the Kentucky Historical Society erected a historical marker to commemorate the site: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=145767

For detailed information about early settlement in the Big Sandy Valley, we recommend William Ely's The Big Sandy Valley (1887) and the recollections of W.T. Burris: https://pikecountykyhistoricalsociety.com/history-of-the-burris-family/