Oldtown in Greenup County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

Grave of Lucy Virgin Downs

1769–1847

— 1,000 Feet West —

Grave of Lucy Virgin Downs Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 29, 2018

1. Grave of Lucy Virgin Downs Marker

Inscription. The first white child born of American parents west of the Allegheny Mountains—Mrs. Lucy Virgin Downs—was a resident of Oldtown, Greenup County, from 1807 until her death in 1847. She was the daughter of Jeremiah and Lucy Virgin, born September 17, 1769, in what is now Fayette County, Pennsylvania, near Uniontown, which was then called Beesontown. In 1790, with her parents and brother, Brice, she came to Limestone, now Maysville, Kentucky. In 1792 she and her brother moved to Cincinnati. She was married there to John Downs September 20, 1800, under a marriage license issued by General Arthur St. Clair as Governor of the Northwest Territory. In June, 1845, at a family gathering, she related that General George Washington visited her father and neighbor in 1773, when he was surveying a tract in Pennsylvania that was afterwards called Washington Bottoms. Many of her descendants are still living in this part of Kentucky.

This marker was erected under the terms of the will of the late Jennie Scott Osenton, great-granddaughter of Lucy Virgin Downs.

Erected 1963 by the Kentucky Historical Highway Program.

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(Marker Number 574.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers • Women. In addition, it is included in the Kentucky Historical Society series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 17, 1769.

Location. 38° 26.44′ N, 82° 53.89′ W. Marker is in Oldtown, Kentucky, in Greenup County. It is at the intersection of Kentucky Route 1 and Laurel Road, on the left when traveling north on Kentucky Route 1. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Greenup KY 41144, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Kyova Tri-State Region.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Ohio River Valley,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern 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

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as

Grave of Lucy Virgin Downs and Laurel Furnace Markers image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 29, 2018

2. Grave of Lucy Virgin Downs and Laurel Furnace Markers

the crow flies: Laurel Furnace / Iron Made In Kentucky (a few steps from this marker); Oldtown Covered Bridge (approx. 0.6 miles away); Hopewell Furnace / Iron Made in Kentucky (approx. 1.8 miles away); a different marker also named Grave of Lucy Virgin Downs (approx. 1.8 miles away); Buffalo Furnace / Iron Made in Kentucky (approx. 2.8 miles away); Greenup County's Crowning Jewel (approx. 2.8 miles away); Greenbo Lake State Resort Park (approx. 2.8 miles away); E. K. Railway – Hunnewell (approx. 3.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oldtown.

Grave of Lucy Virgin Downs image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Doda, January 7, 2021

3. Grave of Lucy Virgin Downs

Up Laurel Furnace Road next to the gazebo on the Oldtown Church in the Graveyard.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 14, 2018, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 3,512 times since then and 175 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 14, 2018, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 3. submitted on January 9, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.