Parkersburg, West Virginia: VP Aaron Burr's Death Mask: Seditionist Island Utopia
Wealthy Irishman Harman Blennerhassett fled to America after marrying his niece, then built a mansion on an island in the Ohio River where he conspired with VP Aaron Burr to overthrow Mexico. Burr's death mask is in the local museum, where you can buy tickets for a boat ride to the island.
Blennerhassett Museum of Regional History
- Address:
- 137 Juliana St., Parkersburg, WV
- Directions:
- Rt. 50 through Parkersburg and follow the brown signs to the Blennerhassett Island at Point Park.
- Hours:
- Tu-F 10-5, Sa-Su 11-6, Closed M. Seasonal hours vary. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
- Phone:
- 304-420-4800
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This is the historic island on the Ohio River where Harmon Blennerhassett and his family built a plantation complete with slaves and a mansion in what was then the Indian dominated wilderness. He was branded a seditionist/terrorist by the British goverment for his part in attempting to free Ireland from British rule. In the early 19th century he was visited by Aaron Burr, who conspired with Blennerhassett to develop and train a militia on his isolated island and then take over the south west. Thomas Jefferson sent soldiers to the island to arrest them for sedition which led to the "trial of the century."
The mansion later burned down and a nice reproduction was built on the original site in the late 1980s. Every summer there are paddle-wheeler boat rides to the island where a costumed tour is given.
[Marcus Barnard, 05/31/2004]
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Nearby Offbeat Places
Oil and Gas Museum, Parkersburg, WV - < 1 mi.
Grave of the Weeping Woman, Parkersburg, WV - < 1 mi.
Muffler Man, Parkersburg, WV - 1 mi.In the region:
Shenandoah Crash Site #3, Sharon, OH - 33 mi.
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