John Littlejohn

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Historical Markers #871 and #2275, both in Logan County, commemorate the life and burial site of John Littlejohn, the "Guardian of the Declaration of Independence" during the War of 1812.

Born in England in 1756, Littlejohn immigrated to America in 1767. At age 20, he became a Methodist preacher and rode circuits in Virginia and Maryland. During the War of 1812, Littlejohn was a sheriff and collector of internal revenue in Loudon County, Virginia. When the British advanced on Washington, DC, in August 1814, President James Madison ordered that that the national archives be sent thirty-five miles away, to Loudon County. There, Littlejohn helped hide these archives. Although much of Washington was burned, the documents were kept safe.

Littlejohn moved to Kentucky in 1818 and lived in Louisville and Warren County before settling in Logan County. He died in 1836 and is buried in Russellville.