About Morgan County
Morgan County, nestled in the foothills of the Cumberland Mountain Range in eastern Kentucky, is aptly nicknamed the "Bluegrass County of the Mountains". With its rolling hills, verdant valleys, and unique blend of bluegrass and hill country, it truly is an eastern Kentucky jewel. The landscape comes alive in spring with the vibrant blossoms of redbud and dogwood trees, and in the autumn, maples, sumac, gum, oak, and hickory trees set the hills aflame with hues of red, orange, and brown.
Morgan County was formed on December 7, 1822, carved out from Floyd and Bath Counties. Subsequently, four other counties - Wolfe, Rowan, Menifee, and Elliot - were created from its territory, both before and after the Civil War. The county is named in honor of General Daniel Morgan, a renowned figure from the American Revolutionary War.
Originally part of Virginia, Kentucky was frequently explored by surveyors assessing its suitability for habitation. Attracted by the fertile valleys abundant with wildlife and rich timber resources, settlers quickly followed. The valleys, ideal for grazing, earned Morgan County the nickname "the Bluegrass County of the Mountains." In no time, a community emerged with cattle rearing, tobacco cultivation, and lumber milling as the dominant industries.
It's believed that Baptist minister Daniel Williams, the uncle of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, constructed the first log cabin in West Liberty. He journeyed from North Carolina to Kentucky with Daniel Boone in 1775, got married in Boonesborough, and founded a church near Mt. Sterling - the first of numerous churches in the mountainous region. Remarkably, around 60% of Morgan County's residents can trace their lineage back to the Williams family.
During the Civil War, West Liberty witnessed three skirmishes and suffered significant damage, including the burning of its courthouse, which was later rebuilt. The town's residents had mixed loyalties, with a majority favoring the Union but a significant minority sympathizing with the South. Prominent local Confederate leaders included Captain John T. Williams and Major William Mynheir. The major hostilities, apart from a minor clash at McClanahan Hill, took place in West Liberty, including an early pivotal battle in eastern Kentucky in 1861.
By 1816, a small settlement known as Wells Mill was established, named after mill operator Edmund Wells. When Morgan County was formed, this became its seat and was renamed "West Liberty" to possibly align with the anticipated "Liberty" of Pike County. However, in 1881, Pike County named its seat "Pikeville" after explorer Zebulon Pike, leaving West Liberty without an eastern counterpart. Interestingly, West Liberty is 100 miles east of Liberty, Kentucky.
