Ann Bailey
Heroine of the Frontier
Here lies “Mad Ann” Bailey, heroine of the Virginia frontier. Ann Hennis came to Virginia at age 19. She married Richard Trotter who was killed at the Battle of Point Pleasant on October 10, 1774. “Mad Ann” dressed in buckskins and galloped off to avenge her husband’s death. She traveled to the remote settlements carrying messages. Ann later married John Bailey, a member of the garrison at Fort Lee (Charleston) in 1785.
Ann rode two hundred miles roundtrip from Fort Lee to Fort Savannah (Lewisburg) for gunpowder in 1790. This historic ride saved the fort. In honor of her heroism, Ann was presented with the black horse she rode. She named the horse “Liverpool,” after her birthplace in England.
She settled here after the Revolutionary War near her only son, William. “Mad Ann” is credited with bringing the first pair of geese across the mountains. Legend also has it that she brought the first copper still to the valley.
Ann Hennis Trotter Bailey died in Gallia County, Ohio on November 22, 1825. She was interred here by the Colonel Charles Lewis Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution on October 10, 1901.
Marker can be reached from Main Street 0 miles west of 1st Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
