Blennerhasset Island

Earlier in the summer, we took the kids for a day at Blennerhasset Island, right outside of Parkersburg, WV. The last time Tim and I had been to Blennerhasset was before we had any children. It was a great history lesson for the 5 of us to visit it again.

What was the funniest part of the trip? When the captain told us to bring the kids inside the pilot's house and let them steer the sternwheeler to the island on the Ohio River. What a hoot! Anna could have cared less about steering the ship: she just wanted the captain's hat that he let her wear...

Below: The Blennerhasset mansion was built during the 1700's. The Blennerhassets were friends with Aaron Burr. The Blennerhasset mansion was at the time considered to be the largest residence in "the West," which is what the area of West Virginia was considered at the time. It's hard to believe that the area west of this had hardly even been settled.

Blennerhasset Island is very similar to a tour Mt. Vernon, where you are surrounded by period furniture and decorations and costumed tourguides.

(Below) One of my favorite pieces of furniture in the mansion was this original sugar chest. People of that time period had to keep their sugar under lock and key - even securing it from their wait staff - because sugar was so difficult to attain and expensive to buy.

We sprung the extra money to take the kids on a covered wagon ride around the island, which was several miles long. They loved it!!!