Near Pentress in Monongalia County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)

Border Heroine

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 15, 2007

1. Border Heroine Marker

Inscription. Frontier narratives record many hostilities between settlers and Native Americans. One account states Mrs. Bozarth, in a hand-to-hand fight, armed with axe only, killed three men during a 1779 attack on her cabin at the Dunkard Creek settlement.

Erected 2004 by West Virginia Celebration 2000 and the West Virginia Division of Archives and History.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the West Virginia Archives and History series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1779.

Location. 39° 42.774′ N, 80° 7.062′ W. Marker is near Pentress, West Virginia, in Monongalia County. It is at the intersection of Mason-Dixon Highway (West Virginia Route 7) and Buckeye Road (County Route 39) on Mason-Dixon Highway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Morgantown WV 26501, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Central West Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture.

Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Walking in the Footsteps of History (approx. 0.2 miles away); History of the Mason-Dixon Survey and Historical Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Shanks Mill (approx. ¼ mile away); Aerial View - Dunkard Creek, Mason-Dixon Historical Park, and Monongahela Village Site

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(approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Catawba War Path (approx. 0.7 miles away).

Another marker is no longer nearby. Catawba War Path (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been confirmed missing).

Regarding Border Heroine. “During these bloody wars, also, exploits were performed by females worthy of a record upon the pages of the world’s history. One occurred at Dunkard’s creek, about the same time as the former. Two or three families had fled for safety to the house of a Mr. Bozarth. The Indians came upon it when it contained only Mrs. Bozarth and two other men. Warned by the children, who were playing outside, that the ‘ugly red men’ had come, one of the men ran to the door. He received a shot and fell. The Indian, who had shot him, sprang in after him, and grappling with the other white man was thrown down. Having no weapon, he called upon Mrs. Bozarth for a knife. Not finding a knife, she seized an ax, and with a single blow cleft the head of the savage. At that moment another Indian shot the white man dead. Mrs. Bozarth, by a well-directed blow, leveled the savage with her ax. Others were crowding in behind; the first received a blow on the head. As the others drew back, she succeeded in closing and fastening the door. The two white men, though both severely

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 15, 2007

2. Border Heroine Marker

wounded, aided the heroine in maintaining the defense, till a detachment from a neighboring settlement came up for their relief. All the children in the yard were butchered by the incarnate fiends. The whole transaction lasted hardly three minutes; and yet, considering the numbers and circumstances, it was a severe and bloody affair.” —paragraph from the 1857 book Life Among the Indians; or, Personal Reminiscences and Historical Incidents Illustrative of Indian Life and Character by Rev. James B. Finley and edited by Rev. D. W. Clark, D.D.

The Rev. Finley, a Methodist minister, adds in the same chapter, titled “Indian Cruelties”: “But it must be confessed that these acts of savage cruelty were not all on the side of the Indians. Indeed, had the acts of the pioneers toward the Indians always been characterized by kind treatment and fair dealing, it is doubtful whether the savage cruelties inflicted on them would ever have occurred.”

Robert C. "Bob" Beach Memorial Bridge image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 15, 2007

3. Robert C. "Bob" Beach Memorial Bridge

This 2004 wooden arch bridge over Dunkard Creek is on Buckeye Road, in sight of this marker. The buildings in Mason Dixon Park can be seen beyond the bridge.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 14, 2019. It was originally submitted on May 19, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 3,236 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 19, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.