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CHAPTER
VII
VIRGINIA
COURT HOUSE IN THE LOST COUNTY OF YOHOGANIA
It
is most fortunate that the records of the court proceedings in
the time when Virginia claimed and exercised authority over
Southwestern Pennsylvania. were preserved. They are transcribed
in the Annals of Carnegie Museum at Pittsburgh.
In
Chapter VI, Part 1, court was first held for Yohogania County at
Fort Dunmore (Pittsburgh), then at Washington for a short time
and then later at its final location in the present Floreffe.
On
December 8, 1776, a group of distinguished men, representing the
state of Virginia, met at the home of Andrew Heath to determine
the permanent location of the court house. Unfortunately, no
record of that meeting seems to have been preserved. (Because of
that, no one of our present generation, knows exactly the
location of the building.) Wouldn’t it be great if some one
could locate it.)
On
August 26, 1777, it was ordered that Isaac Cox, Oliver Miller
and Benjamin Kirkendahl to build a goal and courthouse for the
county. The said building to be erected on the plantation of
Andrew Heath, at such convenient place, as the said Isaac Cox,
Oliver Miller and Benjamin Kirkendahl, gentlemen, or any two of
them think proper. The first session of the new court was held
October 27, 1777.
Isaac
Cox had his home at the present Gastonville. Oliver Miller’s
home was at the present South Park. Benjamin Kirkendall lived at
the mouth of Peters Creek.
According
to specifications given to these three gentlemen, the old log
courthouse was built. Here it stood in all it’s glory on the
hill, surrounded with deep forests, a few hundred feet west of
the pure flowing waters of the Monongahela River. Here also
stood in the courtyard, the pillory and the whipping post used
for the purpose of punishing offenders of the law.
Waving
proudly over the Court of Justice, for the state of Virginia,
under the Royal Crown of Great Britain, was the Union Jack, a
narrow lane leading from the courthouse to the river, where
Andrew Heath operated his ferry, conveying people coming and
going to the courthouse, or travelers who might be going west.
Scattered
here and there, were a few log cabins of early settlers. Only a
few acres of land had been, cleared. It was indeed, a
wilderness. After serving the purpose for which it was erected
and used, the Yohogania Court of Justice, was closed on August
28, 1780 by agreement of the Assembly of Pennsylvania’ and
Virginia. Yohogania County was a lost county, but soon
afterwards, a new county, Washington County, Pennsylvania, was
born to take its place in the year 1781.
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