In 1796, James Young and Samuel Pearman established the town of West Point on land owned by Young. It received its name because it was the westernmost
English-speaking settlement downstream from the Falls of the Ohio River (Louisville). Over time the town prospered due to access to the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
Reverse Description:
James Young (1767-1849)- While residing in West Point and operating Young’s Inn, James Young promoted and helped finance the Louisville-Nashville Turnpike that later evolved into Dixie Highway. By 1797, Young was operating a
ferry from the mouth of the Salt River across the Ohio River, to what was the Northwest Territory (present day Indiana).