Mason County Spy Company
Maysville, Mason County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Mason County Spy Company. Company formed when Simon Kenton proposed to Gen. Charles Scott that a volunteer company of spies (scouts) be selected and trained to protect pioneer settlements. They were called out for short-term duty and became known for their daring successes against Indians. Presented by estate of Col. Paul Warren Bennett, Vandalia, Mo., a great-great-grandson of Archibald Bennett. (Reverse) Mason County Spy Company These scouts served for short-term duty, most from May 4 to Dec. 9, 1792, to protect early settlements. Mercer Beason Archibald Bennett William Bennett Henry Cochran Samuel Davis John Dowden John Dyal Matthew Hart James Ireland Ellis Palmer Isaac Pennington Cornelius Washburn Presented by estate of Col. Paul W. Bennett.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
In 1792 the frontiersman Simon Kenton proposed to General Charles Scott that a company of trained "spies," or scouts, be raised to guard Kentucky's exposed pioneer settlements. The volunteers served short-term duty—most from May to December 1792—ranging ahead of the settlements and earning a reputation for daring against Native raiders during the violent border warfare of the early republic. The marker names the company's members, from Mercer Beason and Archibald Bennett to Cornelius Washburn.
Why it matters
The spy company reflects the improvised militia scouting that defined the contested Ohio Valley frontier in the 1790s, when American expansion and Native resistance collided across Kentucky.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Kentucky Gateway Museum Center0.2 mi away · 215 Sutton Street, Maysville, KY
- National Underground Railroad Museum0.3 mi away
- Aberdeen–Huntington Township Museum0.5 mi away
- Albert Sidney Johnston House3.3 mi away
- Harriet Beecher Stowe Slavery to Freedom Museum3.4 mi away · 2124 Old Main Street, Maysville, KY
- Ohio Tobacco Museum7.3 mi away · 703 South 2nd Street, Ripley, OH
Food & drink
- Crowe Barnearby · 220 Market Street, Maysville, KY
- Delite's0.1 mi away · 222 Market Street, Maysville, KY
- Domino's0.1 mi away · 114 East Second Street, Maysville, KY
- Caproni's on the River0.4 mi away · 320 Rosemary Clooney Street, Maysville, KY
- Dairy Yum Yum0.5 mi away
- Lively Lady0.6 mi away
Places to stay
- McCann’s Motel0.5 mi away
- Sapp’s Motel0.7 mi away
- Browns Motel0.8 mi away
- Days Inn by Wyndham Maysville Kentucky0.9 mi away · 484 Moody Drive, Maysville, KY
- Beverly Hills Inn1.8 mi away
- Quality Inn2.0 mi away · 1428a KY 10
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Related people
- · Simon Kenton
- · Charles Scott
- · Archibald Bennett
Themes & tags
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