Morgan Morgan's settlement and significance The monument memorializes Morgan Morgan (1688–1766), an American pioneer of Welsh descent who was among the earliest Europeans to settle permanently within the boundaries of the present-day U.S. state of West Virginia. The Mill Creek watershed and the land upon which the Morgan Morgan Monument is located were originally part of the
Northern Neck Proprietary, a
land grant that the exiled
Charles II, King of England, awarded to seven of his supporters in 1649 during the
English Interregnum. Following the
Restoration in 1660, CharlesII finally ascended to the English throne. CharlesII renewed the Northern Neck Proprietary grant in 1662, revised it in 1669, and again renewed the original grant favoring original grantee
Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper, and
Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington, in 1672. In 1681 Bennet sold his share to Lord Colepeper, who received a new charter for the entire land grant from
James II, King of England, in 1688. Following the deaths of Lord Colepeper, his wife Margaret, and his daughter Katherine, the Northern Neck Proprietary passed to Katherine's son
Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, in 1719. Morgan Morgan arrived in the Bunker Hill area circa 1731 when it was still a part of
Spotsylvania County, and he was given a land grant of the Northern Neck Proprietary's land on December12, 1735. Morgan was believed to have been the first European to permanently settle in present-day West Virginia; however, German settlers may have inhabited
Shepherdstown as early as 1727.
Orange County was created from Spotsylvania in late 1734, and Morgan continued on as a justice of the peace for the new county. Morgan also served as a
vestryman of the Frederick Parish of the
Anglican Church. The church was originally built as a log structure known as Morgan's Chapel, and after its reconstruction in 1851, it became known as Christ Episcopal Church. Morgan's original
log cabin was constructed between 1731 and 1734. This structure was rebuilt and restored with many of its original logs in 1976 as a West Virginia and Berkeley County Bicentennial Project. The bill was approved by
West Virginia Governor Ephraim F. Morgan, a direct descendant of Morgan. The bill stated that Morgan Morgan was "a man of high character who, by his efforts and example, was largely useful in the community of which he was the founder". The commission purchased a lot for $420 for the construction of the monument in Bunker Hill. It was unveiled and dedicated during a ceremony held on September13, 1924, and arranged by the Colonel Morgan Morgan Chapter of the
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) of
Clarksburg, two local DAR chapters, and several Virginia DAR chapters.
Park development and maintenance In 1925 the Legislature established the State Forest, Park and Conservation Commission to study and investigate the opportunities and needs for forests, parks, game preserves, and recreational areas in West Virginia. In 1927 the Commission provided its recommendations to the Legislature, which included a recommendation for a State Monument System. The NPS noted that the small park lacked water recreation, overnight accommodations, and eating accommodations. Between July 1, 1963, and June 30, 1964, the West Virginia Conservation Commission's Division of State Parks recorded the attendance of 1,500 visitors to the Morgan Morgan Monument, the lowest figure in the state park system. A 1964 NPS survey of West Virginia state park facilities noted that the Morgan Morgan Monument was a "day and weekend use" park whose only significant feature was its historical relevance. In early 1970 the ownership and operation of the monument and park were transferred to the West Virginia State Road Commission, which later became known as the West Virginia Division of Highways under the
West Virginia Department of Transportation. == Monument description ==