Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park is a state park located on

Blennerhassett Island Blennerhassett Island is an island on the Ohio River below the mouth of the Little Kanawha River, near Parkersburg in Wood County, West Virginia, United States. Historically, Blennerhassett Island was occupied by Native Americans. Nemacolin, ...

, a small island in the Ohio River, located in

Wood County, West Virginia Wood County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 84,296, making it West Virginia's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat is Parkersburg. The county was formed in 1798 from the weste ...

, USA. The property was the site of a

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

mansion owned by

Harman Blennerhassett Harman Blennerhassett (8 October 1765 – 2 February 1831) was an Anglo-Irish lawyer, a member of the Society of United Irishmen who emigrated in advance of their rebellion in 1798 to become a socially and politically distinguished plantation ...

, a participant in some of the alleged intrigues of Aaron Burr, and his wife Margaret Agnew.Gibbens, Alvaro F., ''Historic Blennerhassett Island Home'', Global Printing and Binding Co., Parkersburg, WV 1914. While the original mansion burned to the ground in 1811, a detailed replica, which can be toured, was built on its foundations in the 1980s. The Blennerhasset mansion greatly resembled

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

, due to its Palladian style. The park is accessed via sternwheeler

riverboat A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury un ...

from Point Park on 2nd Street in Parkersburg, West Virginia. The riverboat ride takes about 20 minutes each way.

Blennerhasset Museum of Regional History

The Blennerhasset Museum of Regional History operates in conjunction with the state park. The Museum is located two blocks from the riverboat landing at the corner of 2nd and Juliana Streets. Exhibits focus on the regional history of west and central West Virginia, and include household furnishings, art, clothing, and prehistoric Native American tools, jewelry, weapons and items. Admission is separate from the park.

Features

* Horsedrawn carriage rides * Restored 1802 Putnam-Houser House * Gift shop * Picnic shelters * Bicycle rentals * Hiking

Accessibility

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...

assessed the park's accessibility to the disabled in 2005, and rated its facilities as "accessible" by the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.''Guide to Accessible Recreation and Travel in WV'', WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities web site, accessed July 31, 2006

References

External links

Official website for state park

Official website for visitors' info/amenitiesCajoe Phillips, a former slave of the Blennerhassett Island Plantation
{{authority control History of West Virginia Ohio River State parks of West Virginia Protected areas of Wood County, West Virginia Historic house museums in West Virginia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Historic districts in Wood County, West Virginia History museums in West Virginia Blennerhassett Island Museums in Wood County, West Virginia Georgian architecture in West Virginia Palladian Revival architecture in West Virginia Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Wood County, West Virginia Plantation houses in West Virginia Houses in Wood County, West Virginia Rebuilt buildings and structures in West Virginia Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia

Blennerhasset Museum of Regional History

Features

Accessibility

See also

References

External links