Rowan County War

[1] The war has its roots in the Underwood-Holbrook feud (1877–1879), which resulted in all male Underwoods dying in the conflict which claimed 20 lives.

John Martin was a lesser member of the Underwood side, had worked as a clerk for Rowan county, and owned a store in Morehead.

In 1877, his gambling caused him to lose his store, and charges of falsifying county records cost him his clerk job in an election in 1878.

[2] Feud violence continued for three years, concluding in the summer of 1887 when a faction led by Hiram and Logan Pigman surrounded and shot Craig Tolliver.

At one point, a state report by General Sam Hill recommended to the governor of Kentucky that Rowan County be dissolved due to the violence.

Years later, the school closed in the spring of 1922 when the Kentucky General Assembly established Morehead State University.