76 Acres

The town lands of Danville began as 76 acres purchased the18th day of June 1784.  This "Indenture" was entered into by John Crow of the County of Lincoln (VA) and Walker Daniel of the same county.  The figure below is my attempt to sketch the survey of this land as recorded from the deed book which can be found in Lincoln Co., Deeds A & B, 1781 - 1795, pp. 12-13.

The sketch is as follows:

The survey reads:

"....all that tract or parcel of land included within the following boundaries to wit..."

A. as shown on drawing above..."Beginning at a Sugar Tree near the spring known by the name of the Town Spring & North Eastward by the same running thence..."

The "Town Spring" begins the survey.  North eastward from the spring begins the plot.

B. "...West Thirty seven poles to a Huckberry..."

Going directly west 37 poles to a distinctive tree.  A pole is one square rod, and a rod is 16.5 feet.
Thus from the Sugar Tree near the spring due west 610.5 feet.

C. "...thence South six poles to pointers..."

Turning due south six poles (99 feet) to "pointers".  This must have been some kind of recognized landmark, often a stack of stone place in a distinct way.

D. "...thence West seventy one poles near to a large Cherry tree stump to pointers..."

Again, due west 71 poles (1171.5 feet) to a large Cherry tree stump.  Remember that there are 5,280 feet in one mile.  Thus this would be west from the spring approximately .2 of a mile.

E. "...thence South eighty eight poles to an elm & Water Beech in Jas Browns settlement line..."

From point D, we go due south 88 poles (roughly 1/4 of a mile) to another tree [Water Beech] which is located in the settlement line of James Brown.

F. "...thence East along his Line one hundred & sixty poles to the spring Branch..."

Thus, the southern boundary of the town lands of Danville followed the settlement line of James Brown.  It was 2640 feet along this line until it ran again into the flow of the town springs.  This would be a southern boundary of around 1/2 mile in length.

G. "...thence up the Branch on the East side thereof to the Beginning containing 76 acres & is part of the said Johns settlement whereon he now lives & is commonly known by the name of the Town Lands of Danville...".

Other documents show that Thomas Harrods land was west of this survey which was "lying on sinking springs". [Still located on the campus of Centre College.]  The flow of the town branch is now covered over but can be followed after it runs under ground past the present Post Office.

The deed also list that John Crow was to maintain access to half of the water below the Tannery where it then stood to the lower line.

Other landmarks and individuals that had land surveys around these 76 acres are also shown on the drawing.

Well here it is...the first 76 acres of Danville!

Documentation can be found in my book "KEN-TAH-THE" The Life and Times of Walker Daniel, Founder of the Town Lands of Danville, Kentucky, 18th Day of June 1784, published 2009.

Some Safe Place

At the first "Supreme Court" meeting (1783) of this new District of Kentucky, the court instructed the Attorney General (Walker Daniel) and the Clerk (John May) to fix on some safe place near Crow's station for holding the court.  They were likewise authorized to contract for building a jail of hewed or sawed logs, at least nine inches thick.   This arrangement ultimately gave rise to the town of Danville.

In case the said Daniel and May at their own expense to be built a log house large enough for a courtroom in one end, and two jury rooms in the other on the same floor, together with a jail, "...they would adjourn to the place so to be fixed on, and promised a conditional re-imbursement, in case they removed to any other place, either out of the funds allowed for the support of the court, if sufficient, if not, by using their influence with the legislature to have them paid."

What a deal.  You built it and they will come.

Abstracted from : Valley of the Ohio, by Mann Butler, Published by Kentucky Historical Society, 1971, p. 191.

The District of Kentucky

In March 1783, an improvement of the judiciary in this distant (western) part of Virginia was directed by the  legislature (of Virginia).  This legislature united the three counties (Jefferson, Fayette, and Lincoln) into one judicial district.  This was to be called the District of Kentucky.  This new judiciary was to contain a court of common law and chancery jurisdiction coextensive with its limits.  It was also to have criminal jurisdiction.  The court first meet at Harrodsburg, March 3, 1783 as the new, improved court. (A county court had been meeting for Lincoln county at Harrodsburg since January, 16, 1781.)  Apparently there was no house at Harrodsburg that could conveniently accommodate the court; and it was adjourned to a meeting house near the Dutch station, six miles from its initial place of meeting.  John May was was appointed the first clerk, and Walker Daniel was appointed by the Governor of Virginia Attorney General for the District of Kentucky.

A Talk To Be Given

The Boyle Co. Library will host a talk...by me!  This display is on their doors.  August 7, 6 pm is the date.  The Community Room at the library is the place.  The naming of Danville is the subject.  Come and join the fun.

Danville 1784

The first representation of the city of Danville can be found on the map printed in Philadelphia 1784 for John Filson.  An enlargement of this area is shown below.

In the explanation section on the map it explains the symbols which have been drawn to show "Danville".  There are six "Dwelling-houfes & Mills" forming a c-shaped area around a "Stations or Forts". [Would be Crow's Station, but not listed so on this map.]  One single road is shown coming from "Clark's" station.   The road then heads NW to "Low Dutch" station which has six roads radiating out of center.

A little wider view is shown next.

Clark's Run is the dark line running just below the town.

Hum...six dwelling houses and a station in 1784 is shown on this map.  There was much more to come.

Brothers

It was the summer of 1779 that the "Illinois Campaign" had help neutralize the British forces north of the Ohio River.  A fellow who had been involved in this campaign was named Walker Daniel.  Along with his younger brother Thomas, he explored and surveyed land on the south side of the Ohio.  On May 20, 1780 he files a land entry for 960 acres on "Holders Creek", and for an additional 960 acres on May 25, 1780 on "Holders Creek". [To become Jefferson Co.]   His younger brother explored further south recording 400 acres on "Stoners Fork" and 2000 acres on "Green River".  This was the beginning of the Walker's family involvement in this new land that was to contain the city of Danville.

The records can be found in "Land Entry Book No. A", Cook, M.I., Cook, B.A., Fincastle & Kentucky County VA - KY, Records and History, Vol. I, p. 141, Cook Publications, EvansvilIe, IN, 1987.

The whole story can be found in the book (cover shown below):

Three New Counties

The years between 1776 and 1780 were very difficult for those gathered in the three forts outlined in the last post.  George Rogers Clark had made things a little more stable after his military activity into the  "North West Territory", and by 1780 the legislature of the "Commonwealth of Virginia" past a law creating three new counties in this part of Virginia called "Kentucky County".

On June 30, 1780;  Jefferson, Fayette, and Lincoln counties were formed.  Jefferson County was named after Thomas Jefferson, who happened to write the Declaration of Independence.  Fayette County was named after a 23 year old Frenchman who was helping the cause of American independence.  Lincoln County was named after General Benjamin Lincoln who was one George Washington's chief lieutenants. 

Louisville became the county seat of Jefferson.  Lexington became the center of the new Fayette County.  St. Asaph (Stanford) was the county seat of Lincoln.  It was out of the county of Lincoln that the city of Danville would be formed.