Historical Marker
County Named, 1823
For Maj. Benjamin Franklin Graves. Born Va., 1771, came Ky., 1791. A farmer, settled in Fayette Co. Elected to the General Assembly, 1801, 1804. Enlisted at beginning War of 1812, commissioned Aug. 7. Presumed killed by Indians after being wounded and captured, battle of River Raisin, Mich., Jan. 22, 1813. County, part of Jackson Purchase, formed from Hickman.
The first successful gold rush in the United States occurred in 1806 in Kentucky. The gold was found in the sand and gravel of the Ohio River and its tributaries.