Historic Blennerhassett Island - Parkersburg WV
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 39° 15.758 W 081° 34.176
17S E 450860 N 4346076
One and one-half miles below the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers lies historic Blennerhassett Island, home of the Irish aristocrat Harman Blennerhassett and his wife Margaret from 1798 to 1806.
Waymark Code: WM131X0
Location: West Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 08/28/2020
Views: 0
Historic Blennerhassett Island-One and one-half miles below the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers lies historic Blennerhassett Island, home of the Irish aristocrat Harman Blennerhassett and his wife Margaret from 1798 to 1806. Blennerhassett is known for his participation in the mysterious Aaron Burr military enterprise of 1806-07; the island was the staging ground for boats, supplies, and volunteers who departed in December 1806 for the wilderness of the lower Mississippi River. The Blennerhassetts occupied an elegant Palladian-style mansion that was rebuilt on its original site, 1984-1991.
Blennerhassett Island has been almost continuously inhabited for 13,000 years, for most of the time by prehistoric Indians. The famous Indian guide and trailblazer Nemocolin lived there in the 1760s. Other illustrious visitors to the island included George Rogers Clark, Johnny Appleseed, Henry Clay, Walt Whitman, and “Gentleman Jim” Corbet.
During the Civil War, in July 1863, members of the 15th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Col. William Wallace, guarded the Blennerhassett Island ford at the lower end of the island during the famous raid into Ohio by Confederate forces under John Hunt Morgan. An anticipated crossing at the ford did not materialize.
Group that erected the marker: Wood County Historical Society
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
Fort Boreman Drive
Fort Boreman Park
Parkersburg , WV USA
26101
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.