By 1774 · Brandonville area / Cheat River
By 1774, settlers in the future Preston County relied on two small stockade refuges during periods of frontier violence. Fort Morris stood on Richard Morris's land near present-day Brandonville, while Fort Butler stood at the mouth of Roaring Creek on the Cheat River. Samuel T. Wiley's 1882 county history says both were mentioned in 1774 and were likely erected that year; a state historical marker describes Fort Morris as having been built before 1774.
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Read full entry and research notes →1922 · Kingwood
Kingwood High School was constructed in 1922 in the Neo-Colonial Revival style. Morgantown architect Francis J. Simmons designed the building, which later housed Central Preston Senior High School and Central Preston Middle School.
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Read full entry and research notes →October 13–15, 1938 · Kingwood
From October 13 through 15, 1938, Kingwood hosted the first Preston County Buckwheat Festival, an end-of-harvest homecoming organized by the Kingwood Volunteer Fire Department with local civic groups. Activities on the courthouse’s east lawn included crop exhibits, horse trading, a farmers’ auction, community contests, and the crowning of the festival’s first king and queen.
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Read full entry and research notes →1990–1991 · Morgantown / Reedsville
The last train reportedly ran over the western Morgantown–Reedsville portion of the former M&K in 1990. With no traffic remaining in 1991, CSX abandoned the section; its rails were removed in the early 1990s, leaving the corridor that would become the Deckers Creek Rail-Trail.
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Read full entry and research notes →2003 · Rowlesburg / Albright
After the last coal mines served by the eastern portion closed, CSX filed in 2003 to abandon the final 14.3-mile remnant of the former M&K between M&K Junction near Rowlesburg and Albright. The track was subsequently removed, bringing railroad use of the original M&K route to an end.
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