blennerhassett museum

radman143

My wife and to show up at the museum to get our tickets for the Blennerhassett Island tour and while we were at the museum we felt we should go through and check it out. There were plenty of artifacts and information from many years ago. If in this area of West Virgina I highly recommend you go through the museum and see some of the old cars, dresses & guns. Very interesting.

MJS504

Our trip to Blennerhassett island started at the museum especially since that is where you get the ferry tickets.. the museum holds a lot of information not just on the island but on Parkersburg history and history makers. If you have time..this is a good warmup to the island trip

414dee

So much history, regarding the area, & the Historical island. All is beautiful ,All services are great, and a lot of interesting history!!

lifeartist59

While we did visit the museum and found some things of interest, the woman who was at the desk was not very friendly nor helpful. She actual told people behind us to "listen up" so she did not have to repeat herself to the next set of paying visitors. She did not listen to the question we asked and also told me the website was wrong, there was no combo ticket. That was fine, but since the website is their responsibility, she should not have been curt about the issue.

carola867

Several different varieties of items to see. Short film on Blennerhassett Island, arrowheads, jewelry, old wedding gowns,furniture,etc.

reebee2727

I choose a museum over a mall any day! And for a town such as Parkersburg, in combination of the history of Blennerhassett Island, this little museum has quite a collection. The bottom floor has a fantastic assortment of Native American artifacts ranging from arrowheads to toys. The 1st floor (the one you walk into) has family headstones, original portraits, Model Ts, and images of the area's history and folk. The 2nd floor is a nice spread of rustic and back-then everyday living pieces (clothing, bathing, furniture, etc). The collection is well-cherished and happily shared by locals and relatives. In conclusion: although there aren't any high-tech engaging devices, this places offers quite a bit of insight into the past and offers rare pieces to look upon.

RLane_11

Like many small-town museums, this one has a somewhat idiosyncratic collection, but that's part of the charm, in my opinion. If there are items that don't interest you, speed past them. If you have only a short time, watch the video in the lower level, and browse the exhibits on the upper level to see various domestic artifacts showing "how they lived back then." If you're interested in the history of Ohio River riverboats [I'm not, really], there's what seems to be a fairly extensive collection of memorabilia. Doll collectors might enjoy the antique dolls. Likewise the prehistoric Native American artifacts [mildly interesting] in the lower level seem to be quite a comprehensive collection [the result of one man's obsession in the early 1900s]. I enjoyed the portraits of local notables.

Souerpow

Some of museum likability is certainly personal taste. We found this one to be a disjointed hodgepodge of various things.Not sure why anyone wants to see the remaining stones that were part of the gate at the original mansion on the island. Just one example that created our overall reaction of "so what".There is a 15 minute orientation film of the Blennerhassetts and their island/home in the basement which is useful and should be done before going to the island. There is a large collection of arrowheads too, although many have been lost/removed/sold.We visit a lot of historical museums and this one can be skipped (other than the orientation film) in our view. Also, read the sad story about the evolution of the family across from the elevator on the first floor. Wow.If this review is useful then please indicate so below.

RosemaryW553

Pretty cool little place...incredible artifacts from Indian & pioneer era, etc & nice video on history of the area..friendly staff as well! Really nice little gift shop also with cute treasures.

Cory_Driver

While passing through, i decided to stop at this museum of the Blennerhassett family as well as the Parkersburg history. I am so glad I did. The Blennerhassett family is very important to the area, and their mansion looks to have been incredible (there is no ferry service in the winter so I couldn't visit). For me, the best part of the museum was the section on paddle-wheel boats on the 2nd floor. There was an antique skiff which was surrounded by models of and artifacts from scores of riverboats that plied the Ohio to New Orleans route. What an unexpected surprise!This museum has many historical portraits as well as (replicas?) pistols used in the duel between Alexandre Hamilton and local Aaron Burr, whose treachery brought down the Blennerhassett family. Truly a great museum!

LouisePennsylvania

I don't typically like museums, but this one surprisingly held my attention. The video about the life of the family was entertaining and informative, especially considering we couldn't visit the island because it was closed for the season. I also enjoyed the Christmas tree display featuring decorations from countries across the world. My husband enjoyed the old toilets and TVs. I wish the lady at the front desk would have provided us with some directions or additional information.

CHMRSWY

If time allows, try to visit the museum prior to visiting Blennerhassett Island. It includes a featured video as well as prehistoric Indian artifacts.

agmom98

Right downtown, easy walking distance. The collection of personal effects, photos, books are excellent. I enjoyed the film detailing the family's history in Parkersburg

F6805JXdavidh

Great place for school kids to run around and hide. Especially liked the missing display items in the basement; apparently, someone removed (cut the bindings?) from the arrowheads/etc. from the cabinets.

sueellenw519

Lots of artifacts from the Civil War era, and the Blennerhassett family. Beautiful displays at Christmas time.