Blennerhassett Island

Saturday
Today, we visited Blennerhassett Island, near Parkersburg, WV, the fifth largest of the Ohio islands, less than 1/4 mile wide but over 3 1/2 miles long. It is named after Harman Blennerhassett, an Irish aristocrat and his wife who built a house on the island at the very end of the 18th century, at the time, the grandest house west of the Alleghenies. In 1806, however, Harman became involved in a mysterious military enterprise with Aaron Burr. As a result, President Thomas Jefferson accused both men of plotting treason in attempting to establish an empire in the Southwest. Although both men were later acquitted, the lives of both men were ruined. Unfortunately, the mansion burned to the ground in 1811, however, modern archaeologists rediscovered its foundations in 1973, and through continuing careful historical and architectural research, the mansion has been recreated, and through donations or purchase, they have been able to acquire quite a bit of the original furniture, which had been sold at auction. You reach the island on a 20-minute sternwheeler ride from Parkersburg.