The Person:
Major Benjamin Franklin Graves (1771–1813) was a political and military figure in early Kentucky history. He led Kentucky volunteer militia to the Michigan Territory as part of a force to capture Detroit. He was wounded and captured, and presumed killed, after the Battle of River Raisin in Michigan Territory. Graves death, as well as many more at the River Raisin Battle, left a deep void in early Kentucky politics.
From the Wikipedia page for Benjamin Franklin Graves:
Benjamin Franklin Graves Wikipedia Entry
"Benjamin Franklin Graves (1771–1813) was a politician and military leader in early 19th-century Kentucky. During the War of 1812, Graves served as a Major in the 2nd Battalion, 5th Kentucky Volunteer regiment. Together with other officers, he commanded relatively inexperienced Kentucky troops in the Battle of Frenchtown (also known as the Battle of the River Raisin) on January 22, 1813 in Michigan Territory. This was part of an effort by Americans to take the British-controlled fort at Detroit. This battle had the highest number of American fatalities in the war: of 1000 American troops, nearly 400 were killed in the conflict, and 547 were taken prisoner. The next day an estimated 30-100 Americans were killed by Native Americans after having surrendered.
Graves was among Americans known to be taken by the Potawatomi on a forced march to the British fort at Detroit, Michigan. He is believed to have died on the way, as he disappeared from the historic record. Because so many men of the Kentucky elite were lost in this battle, it has been commemorated in the state. Graves is included among the officers memorialized on Kentucky's Military Monument to All Wars in the state capital of Frankfort. In 2009, the Michigan area was commemorated as the River Raisin National Battlefield Park, the only such park to mark a War of 1812 site, although others are noted as national or state historic sites."
Text of Historical Marker:
"(picture of Seal of Commonwealth of Kentucky)
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.
1965 Kentucky Historical Society Kentucky Department of Highways 869"
The Place:
Graves County is located in the western part of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the county seat is located at Mayfield. The county features a courthouse built in 1866 and is still in use.
From Graves County, Kentucky Wikipedia page:
Graves County Wikipedia Entry
"Graves County is a county located on the southwest border of the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,121. Its county seat is Mayfield. The county was formed in 1824 and was named for Major Benjamin Franklin Graves, a politician and fallen soldier in the War of 1812.
Graves County comprises the Mayfield, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Paducah-Mayfield, KY-IL Combined Statistical Area.
Graves County is a "limited" dry county, meaning that sale of alcohol in the county is prohibited except for wine and beer in restaurants. In 2016, the county voted to become a "wet" county but that attempt failed. Later in the year, a ballot measure was proposed and passed within the city limits of Mayfield (the county seat) to allow alcohol sales in stores and gas stations."