Lexington named

That battle had been fought at Lexington, Massachusetts, on April 19.

The party, led by William McConnell, was surveying land along the forks of Elkhorn Creek in what is now Fayette County. Their camp was near a "sinking spring" on a branch of the creek, a spot known today as McConnell Springs. They hoped a town would one day grow there.

The Shawnee and their allies resisted Anglo-American claims to lands they used as hunting grounds, and once the Revolution began, many allied with the British. Their raids made the area dangerous, and permanent settlement waited four years. In 1779, Col. Robert Patterson and about 25 companions came from Fort Harrod and built a blockhouse near today's Main and Mill streets.

Cabins and a stockade followed. The Virginia General Assembly established the town of Lexington on May 6, 1782. McConnell Springs is now a city park, marked by state historical marker 554.

Sources: Kentucky Historical Society, Marker 554: Lexington Named (opens in a new tab); Friends of McConnell Springs, Lexington & McConnell Springs History (opens in a new tab); ExploreKYHistory, Marker 1637: Original Fort Harrod Site (opens in a new tab); McConnell Springs in Historical Perspective (opens in a new tab)