Potts Creek facts for kids
Potts Creek is a stream about 46 miles (74 kilometers) long in western Virginia. It's like a smaller river that flows into the Jackson River. From there, its water eventually joins the James River and travels all the way to the Chesapeake Bay.
Potts Creek starts in Monroe County, West Virginia, near a place called Waiteville. It then flows northeast through Craig County and Alleghany County in Virginia. Finally, it meets the Jackson River in the city of Covington.
The Story Behind the Name
Potts Creek wasn't always called that! Long ago, it was known as Carpenter's Creek.
Early Maps and Records
You can see the name Carpenter's Creek on old maps. For example, a map made by Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson (who was Thomas Jefferson's father!) in 1751 showed it as Carpenter's Creek. This map was printed in 1755. Thomas Jefferson also mentioned it by this name in his writings from the 1780s.
Other maps from the 1770s, like one by John Ballendine and another by Thomas Hutchins, also used the name Carpenter's Creek. You can even see an old map here: File:Kitfry-1-.jpg.
How the Name Changed
The creek got its current name, Potts Creek, from a settler who lived near its source on Potts Mountain. Even though the name Potts Creek started to be used, the old name, Carpenter's Creek, stuck around for a while. It was still sometimes used as late as 1793. However, by the late 1790s, most people were calling it Potts Creek.
Who Was Carpenter?
Carpenter's Creek was named after a person named Joseph Carpenter. On June 1, 1750, he received a special land grant from the British Crown. This grant gave him about 782 acres (3.16 square kilometers) of land. This land was located where Potts Creek flows into the Jackson River, which is now the city of Covington.
