Preston County Through Time

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Ephrata Cloister — The Eckerlin Brothers

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Circa 1754 · Dunkard Bottom / Camp Dawson

Eckerlin Brothers Establish a Settlement at Dunkard Bottom

Brothers Samuel, Israel, and Gabriel Eckerlin—German-speaking religious dissenters formerly associated with Pennsylvania’s Ephrata Cloister—established a settlement at Dunkard Bottom on the Cheat River near present-day Camp Dawson. They are considered among the earliest recorded European settlers in what became Preston County. Sources disagree on whether they arrived in 1753, 1754, or 1756. Older Preston County accounts and the roadside marker call the leading brother Thomas Eckarly or Echarlin; modern research identifies him as Samuel Eckerlin.

Research status: Verified to source

Citation / research lead
Ephrata Cloister, “The Eckerlin Brothers”
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Fall 1757 · Dunkard Bottom / Camp Dawson

Dunkard Bottom Is Attacked and Two Eckerlin Brothers Are Captured

During the French and Indian War, a Native war party allied with French forces attacked the Eckerlin settlement at Dunkard Bottom and captured Israel and Gabriel Eckerlin. They were delivered to the French, taken from North America, and later died in captivity. Samuel survived because he was away; after returning with a Virginia militia party, he did not reestablish the settlement. Older local accounts and the roadside marker say the brothers were killed at Dunkard Bottom, but later research documents their capture.

Research status: Verified to source

Citation / research lead
Ephrata Cloister, “The Eckerlin Brothers”
No direct online link recorded for this citation.

Read full entry and research notes →