Finding Princess Aracoma

By Dwight Williamson

Dwight Williamson, Logan County MagistrateAt one time or another, most Logan Countians have walked right by a piece of history that was placed in downtown Logan to forever honor perhaps the county’s most historical figure—Princess Aracoma. The memorial, which stands on the northeast corner of the Logan County courthouse across the street from McCormick’s Department store, was placed there in 1936 by a local organization that no longer even exists in the county. Ironically, the department store also began that same year as a leased 20 feet by 40 feet storefront on the corner of Washington and Stratton streets; the locally owned family business now encompasses the entire block.

The Daughters of the American Revolution, which is a women’s organization founded in 1890 for the purposes of promoting history, preservation and education, as well as patriotism, disappeared in Logan County at an undisclosed date, but did exist as late as the 1960’s. Local women of that organization left a lasting mark in tribute of the famous Indian leader who was buried in downtown Logan following her death in 1780. The memorial, which resembles a tombstone, was placed at a specific location that actually has some unique history of its own.

According to old Logan Banner newspaper accounts, in 1915 during the growing period of the town of Logan, an extraordinary grave was uncovered at the 100 block of Stratton Street in Logan. The grave was an unusual eight feet deep and contained the skeletal remains of a female Indian who had buckhorn beads around her neck. Other items found at the gravesite led the construction workers and the rest of the townspeople to believe it to be the final resting place of the Indian princess, who fought and died after her settlement was ambushed at what is currently the site of Logan Senior High School. Since all six of Aracoma’s children died from the plaque in 1776, it is highly likely that those offspring were earlier buried close by.

Old newspaper accounts from various time periods consistently relate the uncovering of what must have been a large burial ground for the local Indian tribe. In fact, it would be suffice to say that nearly all of downtown Logan—ironically named after an Indian chief, and once named after her (Aracoma)—has been built over top of Indian remains. Even the courthouse site itself was once a burial ground.

In a 1920’s Logan Banner story concerning the first brick courthouse constructed in Logan in 1870, it told of the uncovering of Indian bones during the building of the two story structure that replaced the wooden courthouse which was burned in 1864 by Union forces during the Civil War. Stories regarding the building of the Aracoma Hotel (1916) also related the finding of Indian skeletal remains. At the time, there were no regulations in regard to construction at cemeteries, especially an Indian cemetery. However, in 2011 during the beginning stages of the construction of the State Building where the Pioneer Hotel once stood, more human bones were found and construction work was held up for numerous weeks, while archaeologists uncovered remains that later were determined to belong to native Indians.

The Princess Aracoma Memorial was unveiled October 22, 1936 at the courthouse site, and in reporting this event, the Logan Banner added some history which needs retold. According to the report, placement of the marker in recognition of Aracoma brought back many memories for some local residents, including the County Clerk at the time, J. Green McNeely. The clerk said the site of the memorial was once the location of a well that was dug in 1920 by W.F. Farley, a former County Court member.

According to McNeely, the well was dug to provide cooler drinking water than that found in the courthouse fountains. The well didn’t live up to expectations, Farley said, “and the pump was never used extensively because a vein of salt was struck when the well was dug.”

There have been six courthouses built during Logan’s history. The first courthouse was a four room structure located where the Pebbles store operates today. All other courthouses have stood where today’s courthouse is now located. Following the burning of the wooden courthouse during the Civil War, a red brick courthouse lasted until 1904 when the first stone structure was built. A large fire that started on Main Street across from the courthouse in 1912 destroyed that courthouse and a magnificent stone building was constructed in its place until 1964 when the present day courthouse was built following the election of President John F. Kennedy, who previously had campaigned from the former courthouse’s steps.

In the 1936 newspaper account concerning the Aracoma Memorial, McNeely spoke about the 1912 fire. The coldest winter in the history of the county was the setting, according to McNeely. “That was the time of the “big freeze” and the fire plugs were frozen so solid that no water could be had to put out the blaze,” McNeely was quoted as saying. ‘The river was frozen from bank to bank and snow was knee deep in the streets that year.”

Over the years, the surroundings of the courthouse have changed dramatically. There are stories about an old elm tree that stood for over 60 years next to one of the courthouses, while nearer the entrance to the courthouse was an old locust tree, which was said to be the site of a least one hanging; that of accused murder, Charlie Williams, who was taken from the jail by a mob of indignant citizens. Not long after the hanging, the old locust died.

Also, no longer present at the courthouse is the World War I Doughboy Memorial which was moved to Midelburg Island, where it still stands today in honor of all Logan County members of the military services, who died in the line of duty.

So it is, that time changes everything. Once the most important location for all of its citizens as a gathering place, the Logan County Courthouse now no longer even features benches for citizens to sit upon. While it may be the only courthouse in the state which does not have some sort of outside seating arrangements, Loganites can take heed to the fact that it likely is also the only one of its kind statewide to be built over an Indian burial site.

And—thanks to a group of caring women—it also features an 80-year-old memorial to an Indian Princess, who played a very interesting role in the history of the area.

Dwight Williamson is a contributing writer and a former reporter for The Logan Banner. He currently serves as a Logan County Magistrate.

*Published with the author’s permission and our special thanks.

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12 thoughts on “Finding Princess Aracoma”

  1. Aracoma and Bolin Baker had 7 children, not 6. Bolling Baker Jr survived, grew up, married, and had children. I’m a direct descendant of Bolin’s brother, Rev. Andrew B. Baker and continue to search for info on Aracoma and Bolling Jr.’s family lines. Here’s a website with good info on the Aracoma bloodline.

  2. Michael D Taylor

    Like your story, I learned in abt 2000 that some of my mother’s Taylor ancestors were unearthed in West Chester, PA. Genealogy researchers had determined that this was supposed to have been the location of where my mother’s people had lived. Laws in place at that time required the location to be excavated and DNA tests were done on the bones. A researcher I met, Dr Richard Taylor of Kailua, Hawaii informed us of the DNA testing on the bones and myself, my brother, and more than a dozen other male Taylors were invited to do a Y-DNA test to compare our Genealogical research results to the DNA of the bones.
    In my brother’s and my case, we had a problem. The Y-DNA would have been fine, except that in our case it was male all the way down the line to my maternal grandfather, and then since mother was a female, the test wouldn’t work for us. However, my father was a Taylor so we were invited to test with the group because the researchers though that since mother’s Taylors and dad’s Taylors were from the same area in VA, Tazewell and Smythe Co, that dad might have been related to mother’s somewhere along the line. Long story short, the test correctly matched more than a dozen of the Taylors involved, and it kicked out three of us, another man, my brother, and myself, proving at least on our part that my mother was not related to my father and that my brother Ron is really my brother, LOL!
    So, one of the cousins we knew personally, Troy Taylor, of Bristol, TN who was a confirmed match to Mother’s kin allowed me to share his Y-DNA results with other for comparison. Since that time and with other research, I can identify at least three distinct Taylor lines from WShington, Smythe, and Tazewell Co, VA that are not related. One of these Taylors was the late Don Taylor, of Gilbert whose son is a local Mingo Co, teacher, coach, and referee. I believe his line is tied to the Taylor who married the daughter of the man Williamson, WV was named after.
    My dad’s line included some of the Taylors who worked for Island Creek Coal Co, including my dad Curtis L Taylor, his father Charles Marcus Taylor, and his father Robert T Taylor all of whom at one time were in the Monaville Census together. Other cousins included Theodore “Dode” Taylor, Luther Taylor, and Ronnie Taylor of Holden, and Elmer and Edgar Taylor, of Red Jacket!

    1. Back in the 1940s there was a Taylor’s Rooming House
      located at 105 Pike St. in Williamson,WV.
      It was owned by Dave & Priscillia Taylor.
      Dave also worked in the coal mines.

    2. Ready your story about your DNA on your dad and mom being related my mom and dad both were cold my mom’s family were from Wyoming co and my dad’s being from Boone co now as far as I can find without adna test they were like third cousins and from what I’ve been told by a genealogist it was common for marriages in the early 1900 by third cousins.

  3. The ‘Doughboy Memorial’ also spent a time as an ugly reminder of what people who lack respect for their history and their community will do. In the very early 1980s, after fund raising efforts were made by at least Logan Grade School children (though likely other schools were involved ), the memorial which had been the victim of severe vandalism was brought back to it’s original condition.

  4. Charlotte Browning

    When I was little I remember the princess Aracoma statue bein at the corner of the bank that is closed (avais,waton&wildlin is there now) Can’t spell

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