"In 1669 Chevaler de Salle, with a party of French and Indian guides, came from Canada to discover the Alleghany and Ohio Rivers, and in 1749 another expedition of about 250 French Soldiers came south to Point Pleasant to formally take possession of the claimed territory for France. Some time near 1780 a man by the name of Edward Dulin settled on the site of New Martinsville. In 1785 he obtained 3 tracts of land, 400 acres of bottom land bordering on the Ohio River on the north side of Fishing Creek, 800 acres of mostly hillside east of the 400 acres, and 200 acres along the river to the north of the 400 and 800 acre plots. Two years later these tracts were granted to Dulin by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The present town of New Martinsville, except the part known as Brooklyn, is located on the Dulin tracts of land. The part known as Brooklyn is located on a tract of 700 acres patented by Robert Woods in 1786. On the northeastern part of his 400 acre tract, Dulin made a small clearing and built two log cabins, one as a home for himself, his wife, and small daughter, and the other for his slave. The site of these cabins was at or near the residence of what is now the Iams Funeral Home on the east side of Third St."
"There is no record of how long Dulin lived at this location, but it was not many years, because about 1785 or 1787 a roving band of Indians visited his unprotected home. The Indians first came at night and took his slave into captivity, not daring to attack the main cabin without knowing how well it was protected. Returning stealthily the next morning at daybreak, the Indians found Dulin in his front yard and shot and scalped him before he was aware of their presence."
"Mrs. Dulin and her small daughter were spared or escaped, the accounts of which are conflicting. One account states that Dulin's wife was in bed with a newly born baby and that the savages spared her, intending to return for her in a few days when she would be sufficiently recovered to travel and to take her for a squaw for one of their chiefs. Another account is that the wife and child were a short distance from the cabin and concealed themselves until the Indians departed."
"At that time, a block house known as Martin's Station, stood near the river bank where the former residence of Charles W. Barrick stood. Its lone occupant was a man named Martin. History does not give his first name, but he was probably Presley Martin, who afterwards became the founder of New Martinsville."
Martin began investigating the sound of the shots when he found Dulin's body lying on the front yard and his wife and child unharmed. He took the wife and child to his fort without delay for fear that the Indians would return. Later Martin would return with other men who interred Dulin's body a short distance north of his cabin. The site of Dulin's grave is on the east side of Third Street, north of what is now Iams Funeral Home. The grave is still owned by the Dulin heirs. It appears in a deed given by Sarah Dulin Boone to Joseph and John Witten.
"Later, Mrs. Dulin and Sarah moved to Maysville, Kentucky, where they seemed to remain the rest of their lives. Sarah Dulin married Levi Boone, who is reported to have been a member of the famous Daniel Boone Family. After his death, she married Richard Dickerson."
"As Sarah Boone and Sarah Dickerson, Dulin's daughter sold all the land inherited from her father in and adjoining New Martinsville. Four hundred acres went to Andrew Bealle; 300 acres to Robert McEldowney in 1807; 200 acres went to Joseph and John Witten in 1813; 200 acres to the Witten's in 1815; 100 acres each to Presley Martin and William Springer in 1826."
"The name Dulin has been perpetuated in the vicinity of New Martinsville by the name of Run which empties into Fishing Creek, but the spelling has been changed to Doolin, instead of Dulin. We also have Doolin Security Bank."
"No record can be found of the first name of the man named "Martin" who built Martin station, but tradition is that it was Presley Martin, the same Presley Martin who later owned the land on which the first part of New Martinsville was laid out and for whom our town was named."
"The town of New Martinsville was incorporated by a special act of the general assembly of Virginia passed on March 28, 1838. The act provided that not exceeding 50 acres of land, the property of Presley Martin, lying at the mouth of Fishing Creek in the county of Tyler, as soon as the same should be laid out into lots, streets, and alleys, should be established as a town by the name of "Martinsville."
"Just when and how the name of the town was changed to New Martinsville is not clear. By statute, it didn't seem to be changed until the year 1871. New Martinsville was established as the county seat. The earliest deed calling the town New Martinsville was dated May 1st, 1846. Record of the first term of court in Wetzel County was May 5th, 1846. Court was held in the schoolhouse in the "new town of Martinsville." So, it would seem that the change took place in 1846, although the official name on the new charter was dated 1871.
*History taken from the "Sesquicentennial Celebration Booklet"
*History for that book written by Jennie Winer Hoofner
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