On January 14, 2012, The Marion County Historical Society, Inc.  will be having cake and coffee at 12:30, at the Marion County Museum located byside the Marion County Court House. Fairmont's Landmark commission Chair, JoAnn Lough, will be be there to answer questions.  There is a display on the founding of both the City & County.  Tours will also be available and free to the public.  Come and learn about our heritage.

The story of how Marion County was formed is quite an interesting one.  According to the book written by Historian Glen Lough, Now and Long Ago, Boaz Fleming the Founder of Fairmont travelled to this area from Delaware in in 1787 at the age of 29 with his wife and one year old daughter.  Encouraged by David Morgan, Boaz led a party of 43 persons from the ages of new-born to 80 years of age. He purchased 254 acres on which he lived and farmed near town now known as Rivesville.

At that time Boaz's land was partly in Monongalia County  and partly in Harrison County which meant he had to play taxes in two counties.  He went to visit his cousin in Clarksburg. Dolly Madison was also visiting there at the same time.  Boaz began complaining about having to pay taxes in two different counties.  As the story goes, Dolly replied something to the effect "if you don't like it, form your own county".  Boaz proceeded to do so.

Boaz contacted existing settlements to be the new county seat.  None were interested including Rivesville that was given first choice.  If no existing place was interested, then Boaz set about to form his own county seat.  In 1817 he laid out his town by donating 40 acres of his own property to form a town.  He had 80 1/2 acre plots.  (look for next week installment for the completion of the town).  He tried from 1819 to his death in 1830 accomplish his mission without success though he started the process.

On January 14, 1842, Marion County was established by an Act of the General Assemble of Virginia. Delegate William S. Morgan, grandson of David Morgan, with much assistance by Senator William J. Willey, introduced House Bill 69 to create a new county from parts of Monongalia and Harrison Counties which had been created from the West Augusta District.    The new county was named by Thomas Conaway for the Revolutionary War hero General Francis Marion of South Carolina.  Middletown, now known as Fairmont, was named the County Seat.