Lewis County was formed from Harrison in 1816 and was named for Colonel Charles Lewis, who was killed in 1774 at the Battle of Point Pleasant. It was the home of frontier scout Jesse Hughes and the boyhood home of General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Braxton County was formed in 1836 from Lewis, Kanawha, and Nicholas and was named for Carter Braxton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Washington planned to establish an important point in a project for western communication in this county.