Historical Marker

County Named, 1870


For Gen. Robert E. Lee, 1807-70. ". . . he was fearless among men. As a soldier, he had no superior and few equal." West Point graduate, 1829. Declined command U.S. Army and resigned, 1861. Named military adviser to CSA Pres. Davis, 1861. Commander Army Northern Va., 1862. Highest ranking CSA officer, 1865. President, Washington College, now Washington and Lee Univ., 1865-70.

The largest non-nuclear explosion in US history occurred in 1958 in Fleming County, Kentucky, when a natural gas storage cavern exploded, killing several people and destroying nearby homes.