Duncan Falls is named for an early hunter and trapper by the name of Major Duncan, who emigrated from Virginia and settled near a falls on the Muskingum River, approximately nine miles south of present-day Zanesville, in the 1790s. He reportedly skirmished with the local Shawnee over his traps, and according to legend was killed by the Shawnee while attempting to cross the river at the falls.
Duncan Falls is named after Major Duncan, an early hunter and trapper from Virginia who established a residence near a waterfall on the Muskingum River, approximately nine miles south of present-day Zanesville in the 1790s. He reportedly had conflicts with local Shawnee over his traps and was said to have been killed by them while crossing the river at the falls.