Salyersville, Kentucky
Regarded as the birthplace of the Licking River, Salyersville, Kentucky is the county seat of Magoffin County.
The first attempted settlement was in 1794 by Archibald Prater, John Williams, Ebenezer Hanna, Clayton Cook and several others along the banks of the Licking River, although they were driven out by Indian raids. They returned in 1800 and settled Licking Station on a hill in a horseshoe bend of the river, which was a natural defense against the Indians.(1)
Salyersville was originally named Adamsville after one of the town founders, Bill Adams. Adams owned a hotel, gristmill, tannery and blacksmith shop in the community. In 1860, Magoffin County was formed from parts of Floyd, Johnson and Morgan Counties, and was named for Governor Beriah Magoffin who was governor from 1859-62.(1) On February 22, Adamsville became known as Salyersville for the legislator, Samuel Salyer, who sponsored the creation of Magoffin County.
In 1871, Billy Adams donated land in Salyersville to construct a courthouse. The first courthouse in the county was completed in 1890. It would last until 1957, when the courthouse was consumed in a fire. It was replaced by concrete and steel structure that resembled a supermarket in 1960.
In 1963, the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway was completed from Interstate 63 to Salyersville.
The courthouse was replaced in spring 2006 with a new Justice Center.
Sources
1. Historical markers