March 7, 1869
Preston County Courthouse is destroyed by fire
Fire destroyed the Preston County courthouse in Kingwood in the early morning of March 7, 1869. Nearly all courthouse records accumulated since the county's formation in 1818 were lost; the County Clerk reports that a few books survived. The destruction left lasting gaps in the records of land, estates, and families. The subsequent arson indictment against Elihu Gregg also described occupied living quarters in the courthouse basement, where Peter Voltz and his family resided. Court proceedings moved to Preston Academy while the county replaced the courthouse. Gregg's trials and appeal later that year are covered in a separate entry.
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Where this entry comes from
Preston County Clerk: About Us — courthouse fire and surviving records
Research notes
What the evidence establishes
The County Clerk says a few books survived; this entry therefore does not describe every county record as destroyed. The indictment's allegations and the later court judgments are distinguished in the linked Gregg trial entry.
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