Pioneering the Wilderness

Pioneering the Wilderness. . , The First Settlers, When Daniel Harrison and wife Margaret settled here about 1745, they were among the earliest wave of pioneers west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Their home, along the banks of Cook's Creek, became a center of frontier life., Designated as Fort Harrison during the French and Indian War (1754-1763), it was a gathering point for area families seeking protection from marauding Indians. The Vestry of Augusta authorized a Chapel of Ease at "Daniel Harrison's Plantation," with Anglican services held at the home or a nearby structure. The Harrison family also built and operated a grist mill, distillery, and general store., Daniel Harrison, his brothers and descendants, were men of prominence in both Augusta and Rockingham County. The city of Harrisonburg was named for Thomas Harrison, a brother. Benjamin Harrison, a son of Daniel and Margaret, commanded a company of Augusta County soldiers at the Battle of Point Pleasant during Dunmore's War in 1774 and later led Rockingham County troops during the American Revolution., Rifesville or Dayton?, Dayton's early name was Rifesville, after Daniel Rife, the "proprietor" of the village. Rife migrated from northern Rockingham County to the southwestern area of the county in the later 1700s. He laid out about 25 lots and began selling them, and he was active as a frontier merchant, In January 1832, village citizens petitioned the Virginia legislature to establish the town and name it Dayton. A day or two later, the same citizens issued another petition requesting that it be called instead by its old name Rifesville. Finally, the town petitioned again on February 19, 1833 and requested again that it be named Dayton. This time, the assembly seems to have acted quickly, and the town was finally chartered as Dayton on March 6, 1833. Why the name Dayton was chosen remains a mystery, although other towns used Jonathan Dayton of New Jersey as their namesake. A signer of the U.S. Constitution, Jonathan Dayton also explored regions west of the original thirteen colonies., Warm Springs Turnpike, Dayton thrived as a community, and the construction of the Warm Springs Turnpike (which you are standing next to) in 1833, brought even more new faces and fashions to the small town by Cook's Creek. Twice-daily stagecoaches heading north and south, brought easy access to more distant locations., Daniel Harrison House, The original circa 1749 house was built of limestone with two-foot thick walls. It contained four rooms and center hall with end chimneys providing fireplaces in each room. The brick extension to the north was constructed in the early 1800s and contains six rooms and four fireplaces.