Muhlenberg County / Gen. Peter Muhlenberg
Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Muhlenberg County. Formed 1798 out of parts of Logan and Christian counties. Named for Gen. Peter Muhlenberg, 1746-1807, of Pa. Ordained minister, 1768. "A time to preach and a time to fight." Entered Revolutionary Army as Col., Eighth Va. (German) Regt. Active from 1776 to surrender of Yorktown. U.S. Congress, Senate. Collector of Customs, Phila. Many from his regiment pioneered here.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Muhlenberg County, formed in 1798, takes its name from Peter Muhlenberg, the Pennsylvania clergyman who famously declared there was "a time to preach and a time to fight"—and shed his pastor's robes to raise the 8th Virginia Regiment. He served from 1776 through the victory at Yorktown, then entered Congress and the Senate. Many veterans of his regiment became pioneers in this corner of Kentucky.
Why it matters
The soldier-settlers of the Revolution carried their service westward, converting military land grants into the farms and communities of a new state.
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Related people
- · Peter Muhlenberg
Themes & tags
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