Fayette County was formed in 1831 from Nicholas, Greenbrier, Kanawha, and Logan and was named for General Lafayette. On New River in 1671, Batts and Fallam officially claimed the Mississippi Valley for Great Britain in opposition to the claim of France. Summers County was formed in 1871 from Monroe, Fayette, Greenbrier, and Mercer and was named for the distinguished jurist of Kanawha, George W. Summers. Dr. Thomas Walker and companions explored the Greenbrier Valley in 1750 for the Greenbrier Company.