Family - Friends - Blennerhassett

We left Charleston and headed to Ohio to spend some time with family and friends. Our first stop was Marietta to see Nanc's sister Judy, along with Judy's daughter Betsy and her family. Next we moved fifty miles up I-77 to Seneca Lake to see our friends Jim and Darlene. While there we had a personal mail delivery from Georgie.

We got to spend some time with Emma, Besty, Lou and Jackie. The girls have really grown up since the last time we were here.

Lou and Betsy have a lot on the Muskingum River where we enjoyed an afternoon getting caught up while soaking up the warm sun.

We went with Judy to Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park near Parkersburg, WV. Access to the island requires a trip aboard the Island Belle, a real stern wheeler.

Nanc and Judy soaking up the sun on the Ohio River.

The river was up with all the recent rain, but there was still plenty of barge traffic. The current was so strong the boat in the foreground turned around and backed up so it could get into the Little Kanawha River. 

The island was the site of a plantation owned by Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett. The house was built in 1798 and was the center of social life in what was then the edge of the wilderness. The original house burned down in 1811 and was rebuilt in the 1980's.

Margaret and Harman. Harman was born into a wealthy family in England in 1765 and in 1794 he married Margaret. He was a member of the secret Society of United Irishmen, a group that planned to rebel against the British crown. Because of that threat, he fled to the United States and built their home on the island.

We opted to take a ride in the covered wagon to see more of the island. 

There are other houses on the island. This is the Putnam-Houser House that was built on the mainland in the 1800's. It was moved to the island on a barge in 1986. There is also an 1860's log house that is the home of the island caretaker.

The Neal House was built on the island in 1833 and was occupied until the 1930's. This house was visited by poet Walt Whitman.

The new house was reconstructed on the original stone foundation. The right wing is a den and and wine cellar. On the left is the kitchen.

Harman's desk in the den. Some of the furnishings were owned by the family while others are from that time period.

The dining room was the social center. Among the visitors were Henry Clay, Johnny Appleseed and Vice President Aaron Burr, who visited three times. Burr and Harman were later charged with treason. Burr thought the US would go to war with Spain so he put together a small band of 80 farmers who he planned to use to capture and claim land for himself. They were both acquitted, but they lost their wealth which they never reclaimed. Harman and his family moved back to Europe in 1824 and he died there in 1831.

The game room on the second floor. It is easy to see Harman and Margaret entertaining the many people who stopped on their way down the Ohio River.

The kitchen had many period items that would have been common in homes of the period. To me the Blennerhassett House is unique as it was such a grand home located on the edge of civilization. 

Margaret died in poverty in New York in 1846 and was buried in the Sisters of Charity cemetery in New York. In 1996 the bodies of her and her son, Harman Jr., were reburied on Blennerhassett Island.  

Looking down the Ohio River at Blennerhassett Island. When they lived there the water would get so low people could walk to the island.

The headquarters of the park, where you buy tickets to tour the island, is in Parkersburg. There is a museum that traces the history of the area from the first native inhabitants through the steamboat period. They have an excellent collection of arrowheads.

Old gas pumps and three old Fords; a Model A, Model T and a truck.

There is a extensive collection of steamboat models, pictures and artifacts of that period. The island, house and museum give an interesting look at history along the Ohio River that played such a huge role in the opening of the west.

On our last day in Marietta we had dinner with Judy, Emma, Jackie, Lou, and Betsy, along with Betsy's daughter and son-in law, Morgan and Matt. It was great seeing them all and checking out some new things in the area.

Our next stop was only fifty miles up the road in Senecaville where Jim and Darlene live. We even had a personal mail delivery by Georgie (middle) who drove out from WashPA. 

We had a fun time visiting with them. Here is master griller Joe, Jim and Darlene's son, cooking some salmon and steaks for all of us. I did fail to get a picture of Steve and Kristin, Jim and Darlene's daughter and son-in-law.

Nanc and Georgie getting caught up while playing games. Here they are playing Upwards where Georgie ruled the day. It was great having her as a guest.

We even celebrated Georgie's birthday. Unfortunately, Darlene was not feeling well and missed the dinner. It has been a great trip north getting to see so many friends and family along the way.

We are now settled in for our three month stay at Pine Cove near WashPA. We do have two or three more posts about our stops after we left Senecaville on the way to WashPA.