Feature
London / Laurel County celebrate 200 years with resilience and progress
By Nita Johnson Correspondent
As the ball dropped and fireworks burst into the air, the arrival of 2026 brought multiple celebrations on both the national and local front. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence that freed America from the British rule.
Locally, it marked the 200th year of London and Laurel County, with Laurel County being designated by legislators on December 13, 1825 and London being established on March 7, 1826 and being the county seat.
Frontiersman Daniel Boone walked through the unsettled wilderness in 1776, marking the Wilderness Road Trail. Much of that area is now part of the Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Park. Laurel County at that time was largely occupied by Cherokees.
London and Laurel County’ s history is documented in several books, and the land settled by John Jackson and his family. Jackson and his wife Mary are credited
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Photo by Nita Johnson
The memorial for John and Mary Jackson, who are credited as the“ Founders of London,” was dedicated by the City of London in 1940. The monument is located in the A. R. Dyche Memorial Park on South Main Street. John and his son Jarvis Jackson rallied legislators to establish Laurel County in December 1825, and donated land for the City of London in April 1826.