Hello Everyone,
There is nothing like stepping back in time and taking in America's past. Nestled on an island in the middle of the Ohio River is the Blennerhassett Mansion. Near Parkersburg, West Virginia this estate displays a timeless house that gives us a glimpse into America's frontier. Although the island has a beautiful and placid atmosphere, its past is shrouded with mystery and a turbulent past.
Built by Harman Blennerhassett and his wife Margaret, they settled on the island in 1798. Harman was a wealthy Irish Aristricrat who was trained as a lawyer and liked to tangle himself in political affairs. Accused of a military enterprise with Aaron Burr in 1806, President Thomas Jefferson accused both men of treason and imprisoned them in the Virginia State Penitentiary. Although both men were aquitted, there lives wer largely ruined.
The esquisite mansion burned down in 1811 leaving the outlines of a once beautiful but lost past. However, modern archaeologist rediscovered its foundations in 1973. The Blennerhasset mansion was carefully rebuilt to display the architectural history in the 1990's.
Any historical charm and environment can make tea and a picnic quite inviting. Watching tour guides dressed in time period costumes gives the imagination quite a stir when invisioning how many picnics and tea parties might have been cherished on that landscape in times past. We wanted not only the pleasure of learning a slice of history, but to feel engaged also. We packed up a few tea and picnic items and placed them into a backpack. Next, we were able to select some wonderful tea flavors and food items from our breakfast at our hotel. Finally, we stopped and purchased some sandwhich items and chips that would complete a picnic and tea combination. After touring the Blennerhassett Mansion, riding a horse drawn wagon, and renting bikes to tour the island, we laid out our tea and picnic display right in front of the mansion and enjoyed a delightful lunch. I can't even tell you how wonderful it was to indulge in the quite treat. When it was time to leave, we walked back to the river boat, the Island Belle, and enjoyed the lovely river tour back to Parkersburg. This trip was an all around wonderful experience and I hope it has inspired you to do the same.
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