Tu-Endi-Wie State Park is a four acre plot of land at the
junction of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers set aside to commemorate the Battle of
Point Pleasant. The battle took place on October 10, 1774. A group of 1,100
Virginia militiamen under the leadership of Colonel Andrew Lewis defeated a
large force of Shawnee Native Americans lead by the famous Chief Cornstalk. The
natives called the land where the battle took place (and where the park sits
today) tu-endi-wie which means “the point between two waters”. 230 Native
Americans lost their lives along with 50 militiamen. The victory played a
significant role in paving the way for westward expansion. 135 years after the battle, in 1909, the Point Pleasant Battlefield
Monument was erected. It is an 84-foot-tall granite obelisk that honors the
Virginia militiamen who lost their lives during the battle. While the obelisk
remains the focal point of the park, today the park is dotted with other
smaller monuments. One memorial is dedicated the Native American Chief Cornstalk.
Another is dedicated to “Mad” Anne Bailey. There is also a marker noting the site where French
explorer Celoron de Blainville buried a lead plate in 1749 claiming the Ohio
River for France and a marker noting the location of the Magazine where the militiamen
who were killed during the battle were buried. 



Another notable feature of the park is the Mansion House.
The small log structure was build in 1796 by Walter Newman and functioned as a
tavern and inn. It is the oldest known hewn log house in the Kanawha Valley.
Today it functions as a visitor center and museum. The various rooms of the
house are furnished with 18th century furniture and artifacts, while&nbsp;the
attic has been converted to&nbsp;display various prehistoric Native American artifacts
that have been found in the surrounding area. The park also features a large
boulder which was found upstream from the park that has a prehistoric Native American
petroglyph or rock caving known as a water panther.

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Official website of Tu-Endie-Wie State Park

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Tu-Endie-Wei State Park is a four-acre park located in Point Pleasant, West Virginia made as a commemoration to those who died at the Battle of Point Pleasant. At the park you can find several historical pieces related to the Battle of Point Pleasant. Another great attraction at the park is the Mansion House.

Tu-Endie-Wei

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This walking tour starts at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park and its many monuments and historical markers and concludes with a monument to the victims of the Silver Bridge collapse and two historical markers. The tour moves mostly north along the river and main streets of town, with stops at the local history museum and the Mothman Museum.

An early settler named
Walter Newman journeyed to the Point Pleasant area sometime around 1796. His
wife did not join him at first; according to legend, she said she would only
follow if he built her a mansion. In order to entice her to come, Newman built a
large log home for the family. It consisted of two stories, a basement, an
attic, and several rooms. It is believed to be the first hand hewn log house
built in Mason County and the Kanawha Valley. While waiting for his wife to
arrive, Newman began operating the house as a tavern for travelers; supposedly
he charged fifty cents a night. 

The Mansion House, as
it later became known, survived for the next century, with additions and
upgrades being made over the years. At the start of the twentieth century, efforts
began being made to preserve the Point Pleasant battlefield on which the house
stood. These efforts, spearheaded by newspaper editor Livia Poffenbarger,
controversially centered on trying to have Point Pleasant designated as the
first battle of the American Revolution. In 1901 Poffenbarger organized the
Colonel Charles Lewis chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and
launched a project to restore the Mansion House to its original condition. That
same year the West Virginia state legislature passed a bill establishing
Tu-Endie-Wei State Park; one provision designated the Colonel Charles Lewis
Chapter to be the custodians of the house. Sometime around 1911 overhangs were added to the house for protection. In 1985 it was included with
the Point Pleasant Battleground when it was added to the National Register of
Historic Places.

Today the Mansion House
is open to the public on a regular basis as part of Tu-Endie-Wei State Park.
One portion of the home contains a visitor’s center and gift shop for the park.
Other rooms have been furnished with colonial and early American pieces,
including what is believed to be one of the oldest clocks to cross the
Appalachian Mountains. Also on display are Native American artifacts and other
items relevant to the area’s local history. The local Daughters of the American
Revolution chapter continue to hold their meetings here as well.

Walter Newman constructed this log structure as a home and operated a tavern with extra rooms for weary travelers. The oldest log-hewn structure in the region, the Mansion House is now operated as a  museum by the Colonel Charles Lewis Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This local history organization continues to meet in the former parlor of the home which includes many rooms filled with historic artifacts. The log home and museum is part of Tu-Endie-Wei State Park and is open to the public from May through October. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Point Pleasant Battleground in 1985.

The Mansion House Museum

&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Ann Hennis Trotter Bailey was born in Liverpool, England in 1742. She arrived in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia at about the age of 19 after the death of both her parents in England. Ann married Richard Trotter, a local settler, in 1765. Richard Trotter enlisted in the militia to fight the Indians of the western border in 1774. Richard Trotter was killed on Oct. 10, 1774 at the battle of Point Pleasant against the forces of Shawnee leader Cornstalk. The Battle of Point Pleasant is known by some as the first battle of the American Revolution. &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; After learning of her husbands death, Ann left her 7 year old son, William, with a close neighbor , Mrs Moses Mann, and joined the militia. Ann wore buckskins while carrying rifles and similar equipment needed for scouting and courier work. &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; On one of her many rides as courier between Fort Savannah, near Lewisburg, Va, and Fort Randolph, near present day Point Pleasant, WV, Ann was being chased by a group of of Shawnee Indians. As she was about to be caught, she jumped off her horse and hid in a log. The Indians looked everywhere for her and even stopped to rest on the log she was hiding in, they could not find her anywhere. The Indians took her horse and during the night Ann snuck into the Indians camp and stole her horse back. When she was far enough away she began to scream at the top of her lungs and the Indians thought she was possessed. After that event the Indians feared her and only watched her from afar. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; John Bailey married Ann in 1785 even though she had the name "Mad Ann" and acted different than the women of the time.&nbsp; In 1788 John and Ann moved to the Clendenin's Settlement in the Great Kanawha Valley, near present day Charleston, WV. as John was a "Ranger", one of the most legendary groups of frontier scouts. Ann worked for the settlers as well and rode around warning them of impeding Indian raids. In 1791 the Indians were planning an attack on Fort Lee and the militia didn't have enough powder to successfully fight the Indians. Ann made her famous ride from Fort Lee to Fort Savannah and back delivering the much needed gun powder. The ride was over 100 miles on way and very dangerous, which she made both ways without stopping. &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; After John Bailey died in 1802, Ann continued to messenger supplies for settlers all over. In 1818 she reluctantly moved with her son to Gallia County, Ohio. &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Ann died on November 22, 1825 and was buried in Gallia County, however her remains later were moved to Point Pleasant, WV to the Tu-Endie-Wei State Park. The museum there shows several of her memorabilia. A stainless steel statue is alongside a mural of her life is depicted on the Point Pleasant flood wall, which is next to the Tu-Endie-Wei State Park.

"Mad" Ann Bailey (1742-Nov. 22,1825) was a famous frontier scout and messenger during the American Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War. The name "Mad Ann" was given her for her acts of bravery and heroism that were considered somewhat eccentric for a woman. Mad Anne Bailey was most known for her 100 mile ride from Fort Lee, near present day Charleston, WV, to Fort Savannah, near Lewisburg, Va, and brought back much needed gun powder and is credited for saving Fort Lee.

Mad Ann Bailey's Gravesite

Although the original magazine of Point Pleasant, WV is no longer standing, one must look no further than other similar structures throughout West Virginia and Virginia in order to understand the importance of it during early American history. The Magazine would have been used to store items that needed to remain dry such as gunpowder, grain, and flour. Locations like The Magazine would have been points of confrontation between colonial Americans and their English leaders due to the value of the items stored within them.

A structure in Williamsburg, Virginia was built in 1715 as a result of various individual’s powder kegs igniting from small sparks produced at random in their environment. After nearly sixty years of these incidents, Lt. Governor Spotswood mandated the construction of the Magazine. The structure reduced the rate at which children hurt/killed themselves/others with firearms as a result of their limited access to dangerous weapons. All-in-all the Magazine became an important staple to small settlements even after the Revolutionary War, often being repurposed as churches, community storage space, and even horse stables.

The Point Pleasant Magazine remains as a large monument dedicated to the resting place of Colonel Charles Lewis alongside twenty-seven named men as well as unknown soldiers buried around the area. Col. Charles Lewis is known for leading a militia of one hundred and fifty men into The Battle of Point Pleasant against Chief Cornstalk and his forces. Lewis was injured and died on October 10, 1774. Lewis’ brother, Andrew Lewis, would later become a general in the Continental Army.

During the early period of colonial and American history, underground storage magazines such as this one were used to store gunpowder and other materials that needed to stay dry. Prior to abandoning this magazine, colonial soldiers removed gunpowder and other supplies and used the space as a place to bury soldiers who were killed in the Battle of Point Pleasant which occurred on October 11, 1774. Although the original storage structure is no longer at the site in Point Pleasant, similarly fortified storage units were created throughout West Virginia and Virginia. Colonel Charles Lewis is buried at this location alongside some of the soldiers he commanded. 

The Magazine, Point Pleasant 

Ever since the building was first occupied in 1854, it was used for the people of the river. Referring to the interview with Jack Fowler, who is the Executive Director, he said that the museum “was the dream to several retired rivermen,” meaning those of the surrounding area of Point Pleasant. After meeting and making a small organization, they appointed Al Biggs as the leader. They got together with the Chamber of Commerce and were awarded a Governor’s Partnership grant of $50,000. Following that, John Musgrave, former Director of the Farmer’s Home Association, gave them a $100,000 grant to start the construction of the River Museum.&nbsp;At the same time, the Hartley family owned the present-day building of the museum. After hearing the news of the group acquiring the grants, they donated the building to the city specifically for the museum to be placed. The city and rivermen hired a contractor to put on a new roof, concrete floors, and new windows to get a new blank slate to start with. They were then left with around $20,000 for the museum.&nbsp;The next portion of the project was deciding the name of the museum. The group had a small amount of debate and split up for a short time over it. The mayor of Point Pleasant, at the time, was John Roach and he asked Jack to take over the museum project and begin the reconstruction of the first floor. Jack accepted the job and wrote another grant, which he received from the Federal Highway Transportation Enhancement Fund and started building. From January 2000 to this date, the museum has been a cleanup and rebuild job.&nbsp;One interesting thing Jack mentioned was that the first architect they hired had built the museum into different rooms, which made no sense to him and has no “museum-type” layout.&nbsp;Along with improvements, the museum added two towboat pilot house simulators, which come out to be over $300,000 for the both of them. The simulators were used to train pilots on the river boats, as well as give the public an intel on what being a pilot would be like and collecting more income for the museum. Following the fire on July 1, 2018, the simulators are no longer at the museum.&nbsp;As previously mentioned, the River Museum suffered a fire on July 1, 2018. Thankfully, the attic was the only floor that suffered the effects of the fire, but the basement suffered water damage. Although the ceiling of the second floor did not collapse and the simulators were unaffected, the clean up agency disassembled them for safety. The artifacts are being stored in the River Museum office on 221 Main Street in Point Pleasant, about three blocks from the original location.&nbsp;The museum is now looking for donations of any kind to help rebuild the museum to its former glory. I respect the amount of hard work and dedication that Jack Fowler, Ruth Fout, and others have put into the museum.&nbsp;<div>As Jack's favorite Episcopal Priest said "the&nbsp;phoenix will rise," which is what he uses in the River Museum&nbsp;newsletter and as motivation for the museum.</div>

"Whatever it takes to make the museum grow," as Ruth Fout, the Assistant's Director says as she explains the Point Pleasant River Museum. 

The River Museum and Learning Center provides past and present information of the life and operations on the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, where they meet in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The museum has been opened since May 1, 2003 and has since then been educating people with its fish tanks, pictures, artifacts, and newly added towboat pilot house simulator. Although they suffered a fire on July 1, 2018, they have moved their office to 221 Main Street and remain opened to the public. 

Point Pleasant River Museum

Cornstalk
was born sometime during the 1720s. His native name was Hokolesqua or Keigh-tugh-qua,
which roughly translates to “maize plant” or blade of corn.” Therefore he
became known to the colonists as Cornstalk. He was a member of the Shawnee
tribe, which at the time of his birth lived in Pennsylvania but was later
forced to move to Ohio. Eventually he became chief of the Shawnee tribe and was
well-respected by both other tribes and the colonists. During the French and Indian
War the Shawnees supported the French, and Cornstalk led a series of raids
against British settlements in western Virginia; on one occasion he reportedly
killed ten settlers in 1759. Soon after the end of the war Cornstalk
participated in Pontiac’s Rebellion of 1763. The conflict was bloody but
short-lived, and in 1764 Cornstalk and several other tribal members were taken
prisoner and held hostage at Fort Pitt in order to enforce a peace treaty with
the Shawnees. He escaped a year later according to some reports.

Cornstalk
spent the next several years trying to maintain peace with the colonists.
Increased settlement of the Ohio Valley caused tensions to rise however, and hostilities
began to flare up along the Ohio River. In 1774 Lord Dunmore, the colonial
governor of Virginia, assembled two armies to launch an attack on the Shawnee
tribe. Cornstalk reluctantly rallied a force of around 1,000 fighters to
confront the invasion. In October he crossed the Ohio River and attacked a
colonial army of around the same size at Point Pleasant. The Battle of Point
Pleasant was fought on October 10. Cornstalk, believing that colonial
reinforcements had arrived, ordered a retreat. He signed a peace treaty with
Lord Dunmore a few days later, abandoning Shawnee claims to all land east of
the Ohio River. 

During
the American Revolution, the British tried to recruit the Shawnees to fight
against the Americans. Some of the Shawnees sided with the British, but Cornstalk
was doubtful of victory and sought to keep the peace with the colonists. In
1777 he, his son Elinipsico, and a sub-chief named Red Hawk journeyed to Fort
Randolph in Point Pleasant to warn the American forces there that the British
were turning tribal forces against them. The soldiers immediately imprisoned
Cornstalk and the others, holding them as hostages. On November 10, 1777,
Cornstalk and the other prisoners were murdered by the soldiers in retaliation
for the deaths of two white men who were apparently killed by Native Americans.


After
his death, Cornstalk was buried near Fort Randolph. In 1840, construction
workers building a new road in the area discovered his grave, which was moved
and reburied on the grounds of the Mason County Courthouse. The courthouse was
demolished in 1954 to make way for a larger one. During the process, Cornstalk’s
grave was uncovered again to be moved to Tu-Endie-Wei State Park, the site of
the Battle of Point Pleasant. By this point only three teeth and fifteen bone
fragments remained of his body. They were sealed in an aluminum box and buried
underneath a small, four-ton stone obelisk in the park.

Chief Cornstalk was the leader of the Shawnee forces that confronted Col. Andrew Lewis's colonial army at the Battle of Point Pleasant in October 1774. Born in the 1720s, Cornstalk grew up to become a major leader of his tribe and led a number of raids against colonial settlements during the French and Indian War and Pontiac's Rebellion. After the two conflicts, Cornstalk tried to remain at peace with the colonists, but continued hostilities along the Ohio River compelled him to respond by attacking the colonial army at Point Pleasant, where he was defeated. Later in 1777 Cornstalk tried to warn the Americans at Fort Randolph of British attempts to recruit Native Americans to their side. The Americans immediately imprisoned Cornstalk, later killing him on November 10. His remains were buried buried twice before being interred a final time at the Point Pleasant battlefield in 1954.

Chief Cornstalk Gravesite

Anne Hennis was born in 1742 in Liverpool, England. She was formally educated and resided in Liverpool with her parents until 1761 when she was orphaned and struggling to make enough money to get by. It was at this point she decided to sail the Atlantic Ocean and join family who had emigrated to Virginia years earlier. In 1765, Anne Hennis became Anne Trotter by wedding Richard Trotter, a renowned frontiersman, and soldier. In the next few years, fights began to break out between the settlers and the Native Americans and a border militia was formed to help calm the area, a militia which Richard Trotter joined. With tensions building between the settlers and natives, a battle broke out on October 10th, 1774 (now referred to as "The Battle of Point Pleasant") and along with many others, Richard was killed. Upon learning of the death of her husband, Anne decided to take it upon herself to avenge his death. She took up the appearance of a frontiersman in buckskins and male apparel along with a rifle in hand and knife on her hip. She left her seven-year-old son William with a neighbor named Mrs. Moses Mann and took off to join the fight against the natives. She began her war efforts by recruiting young men for the militia to protect the women and children from the natives or to join the Continental Army to fight the British. Eventually, her recruiting efforts earned her a place as messenger and scout for the Army.  After eleven years on her own, Anne Trotter became Anne Bailey by wedding a distinguished Army Ranger named John Bailey on November 3rd, 1785. They were married outside of Fort Lee (present-day Charleston, WV) in a small forest ceremony. After the wedding John, Anne became the primary messenger between Fort Lee and Fort Randolph (present-day Point Pleasant, WV). In 1791, Anne became Fort Lee's saving grace by going on a 200 mile round trip from Fort Lee to Fort Savannah (present-day Lewisburg, WV) to replenish their troop's supply of gunpowder in the midst of an Indian attack. Without her act of bravery, Fort Lee surely would have fallen. In 1802, John Bailey came down with the flu, resulting in Anne losing a second husband. Upon John's death, Anne decided to take up a simpler life and gave up her home to reside in the wilderness. For the next 20 years, she lived in the woods and continued to serve as a letter carrier and express messenger between Point Pleasant and Lewisburg. In 1818, she decided to return home and live with her now-adult son. Rather than requesting she live with him and his family, to make his mother feel more independent, William built Anne her own cabin on his property in Gallia County, OH. It is here that Anne lived out the rest of her days. Anne passed away suddenly in her sleep on November 22nd, 1825. She was laid to rest in the Trotter Graveyard near her son's home where her remains stayed until October 10th, 1901. It was on this day her remains were re-interred into Monument Park in Point Pleasant, WV under auspices of Colonel Charles Lewis, Jr. Chapter of the D. A. R.

Anne Bailey was born in 1742 in Liverpool England as Anne Hennis and in her eighty-three years of life, Anne became an orphan, an American, a wife, a mother, and most notably a military messenger and scout during the Revolutionary War. Sculpted from stainless steel by Bob Roach, this statue of "Mad" Anne Bailey stands in Tu-Endie-Wei State Park along the Point Pleasant floodwall. This sculpture is one of a series of sculptures by Roach that includes Chief Cornstalk, Colonel Lewis, Daniel Boone, and Lord Dunmore all of which are historical figures from the Battle of Point Pleasant. The Battle of Point Pleasant is where Anne's first husband, Richard Trotter, was killed in battle and where her history in Point Pleasant and the Revolutionary War truly begins. 

"Mad" Anne Bailey Statue

The beauty of the Point Pleasant floodwall murals could arguably challenge the beauty of the Ohio River that rests across from the wall. It's adorned with the stories of Point Pleasant as a major battle between Native American and British-American soldiers took place on this land on October 10, 1774. The murals were painted by artist, Robert Dafford. Dafford has been a world-renowned artist for the past thirty-five years. However, Dafford has taken special interest in painting historical murals alongside the Ohio River. He has painted murals in Paducah, Kentucky, Portsmouth, Ohio, Covington, Kentucky, etc. His mural for Point Pleasant has become a popular tourist sight in the city. The mural is 150 feet long and around 15 feet high. The paint used was imported by the Keim Paint Company located in Germany. The paint features various minerals that should allow the paintings to last for at least 100 years. More artists will be able to continue the mural and continue the story of Point Pleasant.

The Point Pleasant Flood Wall was built in 1951. It is apart of West Virginia's chain of "Flood Control." However, this particular wall features a beautiful mural by Robert Dafford on the south side of the wall at the Fourth Street entrance. The mural contains scenes from the Battle of Point Pleasant which occurred on October 10, 1774. The mural continues to change throughout the years, with artists telling the history of Point Pleasant. 


Point Pleasant Floodwall

According to their own oral traditions, the Shawnees started in what is now known as West Virginia as part of a larger indigenous network that archaeologists have termed the Fort Ancient peoples. As time progressed, the ties of trade and culture bound that network ever closer together, and the group that came to be known as the Shawnees began to put down firm roots. Within the span of a few generations in the seventeenth century, however, the Shawnees had pulled up those roots and set out across the continent. Some historians attribute the Shawnees’ migration out of the Fort Ancient region to the violence of the Iroquois “Mourning” or “Beaver” Wars. The Iroquois Mourning Wars aren’t the only explanation, however. Other historians argue that native slave raids from southern groups like the Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Tuscaroras, and others may have also played a role and that disease epidemics and the opportunity to expand trading networks to profit from newly arrived colonial markets may have also been factors as well. Regardless, by the late seventeenth century the Shawnees had spread out across much of North America east of the Mississippi River. By the period of the Seven Years’ War (or French and Indian War) in the 1750s and 1760s, the Shawnees had begun to return to the area that is now West Virginia. Among them was Cornstalk, who historians believe was born in present-day Pennsylvania around 1720 and then moved to the Ohio Country as a young man. He rose to true prominence during Dunmore’s War, however, a conflict sparked by the increasing frequency of white settlement on Shawnee hunting lands in what became West Virginia and the murder of members of the family of the Mingo leader Logan by a party of Virginians. Cornstalk had originally opposed the war but, because Native leaders typically lacked coercive authority in their communities, nonetheless led his followers into the Battle of Point Pleasant on October 10, 1774 when he discovered that the majority supported it. After the Shawnees were defeated in that clash, Cornstalk chastised his council by suggesting that every man, woman, and child in the community be sent against the Virginians until they had all been killed. When his suggestion received no response, Cornstalk declared that he would instead make peace and strode from the room. In the treaty talks that followed, the Shawnees agreed to stop hunting south of the Ohio River, but retained their lands to the north. When the American War for Independence broke out the following year, Cornstalk favored neutrality like many Native leaders in North America. His community had been bloodied by not only Dunmore’s War the previous year but Pontiac’s War in the 1760s and the Seven Years’ War that preceded it and each of these conflicts had threatened that community’s political and territorial sovereignty. Cornstalk hoped to avoid any further threats to that sovereignty by staying out of the conflict between the British and colonial rebels altogether. Another party within the Shawnees, led by the leader Blue Jacket (Weyapiersenwah) favored a more aggressive policy and an alliance with the British in the hopes that the British might live up to promises that colonial settlement would be restricted west of the Appalachian Mountains. In 1777, however, Cornstalk and his son Elinipsico were first imprisoned and then murdered by the colonists of Point Pleasant in retaliation for an attack against another group of colonists that was carried out by other Indians. Before he was seized, Cornstalk had intended to meet with the commander of Fort Randolph, a rebel stronghold built near the old Point Pleasant battlefield. He meant to assure the commander that he and his followers would remain neutral in the War for Independence, even if other Shawnee groups might not. He died in the same place he had once fought a war, suing for peace. Angered at the outrage against their leadership, a growing number of Shawnees joined Blue Jacket’s faction and eventually the large majority sided with the British in the war. Since at least the mid-nineteenth century, rumors have abounded in the Point Pleasant area that Cornstalk uttered a curse at his death that promised to stunt the settlement’s growth in the future. Nearly every catastrophe major or minor that occurred in that area from that moment going forward has been attributed to Cornstalk’s supposed curse. The quote of the curse most often attributed to the Shawnee leader, however, is in fact from the text of a play written and performed for the 151st anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Point Pleasant. What’s more, according to the sworn testimony and memoirs of those present at Cornstalk’s death record no such curse and instead told his captors “when I was a young man and went to war, I thought that might be the last time, and I would return no more.” “Now I am here amongst you,” Cornstalk continued, and “you may kill me if you please; I can die but once; and it is all one to me, now or another time.” The alleged curse of Cornstalk is therefore most likely nothing more than a local invention born of a penchant in white society to attribute magical or supernatural powers to indigenous figures.

The murder of the Shawnee leader Cornstalk (Hokoleskwa) on November 10, 1777 by rebel-allied colonists at Fort Randolph in what became the town of Point Pleasant is one of the most significant events of the American War for Independence to occur in what is now West Virginia. Numerous legends and rumors abound regarding Cornstalk’s life and his death, many of which are linked to the supposed “Curse of Chief Cornstalk” said to linger over Point Pleasant and its inhabitants as a result of the Shawnee leader’s untimely demise. Cornstalk is also known for his involvement in Dunmore’s War and Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774, a conflict which led to Cornstalk’s defeat and subsequent acquiescence to the reduction of Shawnee hunting lands. While conspiracy theorists may speculate on the supposed curse Cornstalk uttered on his death, of more pressing concern during the American War for Independence was the murder’s effect on relations with the Shawnees (which deteriorated rapidly after Cornstalk’s death and ultimately resulted in an alliance between many Shawnees and the British). Numerous memorials exist commemorating Cornstalk’s life and death. The statue to which this entry is linked is accessible year-round.

Murder of Chief Cornstalk, Point Pleasant Floodwall 

The hotel was built on land previously owned by Col. Andrew Lewis for a cost of $65,000 with an extra $10,000 used to furnish the hotel. The hotel contains much of the original furniture, in addition to some modern day furniture, and each room is decorated differently. The Lowe Hotel has 54 guest rooms in all, currently 35 are available to rent, the rest are still waiting to be refurbished. The second floor is the dining room featuring the original building’s hand-laid tile. The hotel also contains the original Tiffany stained glass windows.After being built the hotel was named after a local lawyer who was the main financial supporter of the build. The hotel was built to accommodate the heavy river traffic that passed through Point Pleasant, WV. The smiths owned the hotel until 1929 when it was sold Homer D. Lowe. Not only did he change the name, but he traded out the prostitution and gambling and put in room for civic and church groups. Later he would pass the hotel to his son Homer Lowe Jr. who sold his hotel in 1990.Over the years the hotel has been a place of rest not just to guest but to the paranormal life. The hotel is believed to be haunted. This hotel has been placed in a town full of paranormal activity from the Mothman to the ghosts that roam the hotel. There is rumored to be a young ghost woman seen dancing between the first and second floors. Also, a ghost of a toddler riding a tricycle on the second floor, ghost of a maid and a sea captain on the third floor, and the fourth floor ballroom has rumors of a ghost string quartet. Many of the hanging art in the rooms are on loan from local artist. The hotel also displays local art in its gallery. The current owners renovated this first-floor space, once a department store, into an art gallery for local West Virginia and Ohio artist.

The Historic Lowe Hotel was built in 1901in Point Pleasant, WV, and opened as the Spencer Hotel. The original name was in honor of the hotel’s financial founder J.S. Spencer. The property eventually passed to two brothers, Homer and Griff Smith. In 1929, the Lowe family bought the hotel after the stock market crashed and changed its name to the current Lowe Hotel. The hotel is still operating by owners Ruth and Rush Finley, who purchased the hotel in 1990. This historical hotel is located near a number of historic sites and places of interest, such as Tu-Endie-Wei State Park, the Mothman Museum, and sites associated with Point Pleasant's early history as a river town.

Historic Lowe Hotel 

The creature which would come to be known as the “Mothman” was first reported near Point Pleasant on November 15, 1966. On that day, Linda Scarberry and three others claim to have seen the creature near an abandoned ammunition factory used by the United States Government during World War II. Scarberry described the creature as being over seven feet tall with the body of a man, bat-like wings, and piercing red eyes. Over the next year, over 100 locals reported seeing the creature which they named the “Mothman” after a villain featured in a Batman comic book. Some claimed the Mothman was a mutant, spawned from the pollution from the abandoned factory. Others believed that rumors of a mythical beast and the destruction of Silver Bridge were related to a mythical curse allegedly dating back to the death of Chief Cornstalk, a famous Shawnee leader who was killed near Point Pleasant.

Local residents in the 1960s might be surprised to see the way that Mothman is celebrated today, especially&nbsp;as his sitings seemed to correspond with disasters. Claims that events such as car crashes and house fires occurred to those who had seen the monster were widespread. The most infamous disaster attributed to the Mothman was the December 15, 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge, a bridge&nbsp;that spanned the Ohio River near the town. The collapse killed 46 people and some claimed that the Mothman was sighted on the bridge just prior to its collapse. Interestingly, after the collapse of the bridge, the Mothman sightings stopped. Some claim that the Mothman was living under the bridge and was killed when it fell.

While there are only a few people who believe that the sightings of Mothman were anything but rumors, Mothman has become a nationally recognized piece of local folklore and has become a major tourist attraction. In 1975, John Keel published a book about the Mothman called The Mothman Prophecies. More recently, in 2001, the book was turned into a film. Point pleasant capitalized on the Mothman’s popularity and in 2002, began hosting an annual Mothman Festival. In 2003, a twelve-foot tall stainless steel statue was placed in the center of town and in 2005, the Mothman Museum and Research Center opened.&nbsp;Inside the museum, you can see the largest collections of memorabilia from the movie "The Mothman Prophecies", in the town where the sightings actually did occur. There is even a signed official letter from Robert F. Kennedy.&nbsp;

Dedicated in 2003, the Mothman sculpture in Point Pleasant celebrates the legends that surround one of West Virginia's most bizarre and beloved mythical creatures. The sculpture is adjacent to the Mothman Museum which opened in 2005 and offers exhibits related to the first "Mothman sightings" of the 1960s and Mothman's transition from rumor and superstition to a regional cultural icon. While most residents attributed the sightings to a barn owl that is on display at the museum, the legend of a mythical Mothman persists in the form of folk tales and an annual Mothman festival. 

Mothman Museum and Monument

The idea for a bridge
connecting Pt. Pleasant, West Virginia and Gallipolis, Ohio was said to have
originated with Charles Holzer, a doctor who claimed that the long time it took
to get across the Ohio River jeopardized the lives of his patients. During the
1920s Holzer began rallying support for a bridge, which resulted in the
creation of the West Virginia Ohio River Bridge Company. It soon commissioned
the American Bridge Company, a subsidiary of U.S. Steel, to build the bridge. Construction
began in 1926 and was completed in 1928 at a cost of around $1.2 million. The
two-lane, 2,235 foot-long suspension bridge was one of the first in the United
States to utilize an eyebar design. Rather than using conventional wire cables
for its suspension, the bridge instead used chains of eyebars, which were more affordable.
The bridge was also reportedly the first in the nation to be built with heat-treated
steel, which made it more durable. The bridge officially opened to the public
on Memorial Day, May 30, 1928, in a ceremony attended by 10,000 people. It was
formally named the Pt. Pleasant Bridge, but immediately began being referred to
as the Silver Bridge due to its distinct aluminum-colored paint. 

The Silver Bridge soon
became an economic lifeline for the communities of Pt. Pleasant and Gallipolis.
Large numbers of goods and travelers crossed the bridge between Ohio and West
Virginia every day, significantly reducing travel times. The bridge was
privately owned and supported by toll fees until 1941 when the State of West
Virginia purchased it for $1 million; the toll fees were removed a decade
later. The bridge underwent a series of renovations in 1941, including the
replacement of the original wood plank road with a new concrete road. Inspections
of the bridge’s structural integrity were infrequent, reportedly occurring only
in 1959, 1963, 1964, and twice in the summer of 1967. Over the decades the
bridge underwent increasing strain as the weight and number of cars crossing jumped
enormously beyond the standards of the 1920s.

At around 4:58 PM on
Friday, December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge abruptly collapsed. Eyewitnesses
reported a strong shake and a loud noise, and within twenty seconds the bridge
fell into the Ohio River. 31 vehicles were on the bridge when it fell. Rescue
efforts were hampered by the extreme cold and darkness; sunset occurred just
ten minutes after the collapse. In total 46 people were killed and nine
injured; of those who were on the bridge when it fell, only five survived. It was
the worst vehicular bridge collapse in American history. A federal
investigation later revealed that the collapse was caused by a single fractured
eyebar, exacerbated by corrosion and stress, which had broken. 

The collapse of the
Silver Bridge was devastating to the local economy, costing the community $1
million a month in damages. Because of this, the federal government rushed the
construction of a new bridge one and a half miles south of the original. The
Silver Memorial Bridge opened just two years later in 1969. In addition to a
federal investigation, the collapse also pushed the government into passing
bridge safety legislation. The twin bridge in St. Marys, West Virginia, was built to a similar design of the Silver Bridge and as a result of the push for bridge saftey, it was closed to the public, and demolished by the state in 1971.&nbsp;The Presidential Task Force on Bridge Safety was
established, a national bridge inventory was created, and an amendment was added
to the Federal-Aid Highway bill of 1968 mandating that bridge inspections be
conducted at least every two years. It was also recommended that the Federal Bridge Saftey Standards be applied to all highway bridges in the country rather than just the federally built ones, this would total to around 400,000 bridges.

The investigation into
the cause of the collapse blamed no one for the tragedy, noting that under the
standards and knowledge of the 1920s, the conditions for the bridge’s collapse
were not known to occur in rural areas. In the years since, however, some
locals have cited paranormal reasons for the incident. Early theories suggested
that Chief Cornstalk, the Native American leader defeated at the Battle of Pt.
Pleasant in 1774, had placed a curse on the community as he died. A more well-known
idea has been that the local mythical creature Mothman was somehow behind the
collapse; Mothman sightings were reported and publicized multiple times in the year
leading up to the tragedy. The theory was later popularized by a 1975 novel The Mothman Prophecies, which was later
adapted into a 2002 film. 

Today a small memorial
to the collapse exists where the Pt. Pleasant on-ramp entrance to the bridge
once stood. It consists of a small plaque noting the significance of the site,
as well as a series of paving bricks listing the names of the 46 victims. A
historical marker was erected beside the site in 2006. In 2018 a mural was
painted on the floodwall in front of the site depicting the Silver Bridge. The
painting features a 1928 model vehicle and a 1967 model, representing the years
of the bridge’s birth and death.

Constructed in 1928, the Silver Bridge connected the towns of Point Pleasant, West Virginia and Gallipolis, Ohio. The bridge's name comes from the appearance of the bridge after it was covered with aluminum paint. This was was the first eyebar suspension bridge of its type in the United States. It collapsed on the evening of December 15, 1967 due to corrosion and stress. The collapse came at a time when traffic was high and resulted in 31 vehicles falling into the river below killing 46 passengers and injuring 9 more. The federal government responded with the passage of national bridge inspection standards in 1968. A replacement bridge was constructed farther south down the river. This small memorial marks the location of the original bridge's on-ramp. It contains a historical marker, a small plaque, and a series of bricks listing the 46 victims. 

Silver Bridge Collapse Memorial

George Rodgers Clark led a small force of 175 men across the mouth of the Kanawha River into what became Illinois to try and capture British held forts in 1779. Captain Joseph Bowman served under Clark and kept a journal of the march to Vincennes, revealing the difficult conditions the men faced. After the war, Clark continued to lead expeditions into the American West. Clark was born November 19, 1752 in Albemarle, Virginia, the second child in a family that grew to include ten brothers and sisters. Five of the six boys born to John and Ann Rodgers went on to be officers during the American Revolution. In 1756, the family moved to Caroline County Virginia, and lived on a 400 acre plantation. Clark had little opportunity for formal education, but he later went to live with his grandfather who sent him to a school led by teacher Donald Robertson. While attending school some of his classmates included James Madison and John Taylor. Clark's Grandfather tutored him while he was not in school and trained him to be a surveyor. At the age of nineteen, Clark left home on his first surveying job in western Virginia. In 1772, Clark headed to Kentucky by the Ohio River and spent the next two years surveying the Kanawha River and its surroundings. Clark became very familiar with the areas history and customs during his surveying career. Clark's military career began in 1774 when he served as captain in the Virginia militia. His first major challenge came when he was preparing to lead a expedition of ninety men down the Ohio River as a war broke out between the settlers and the Shawnee Indians within the larger conflict known as Lord Dunmore's War. As the American Revolution led to war between the British and the Americans and their Native allies in eastern Kentucky, Clark was still surveying land and serving as a militia captain. In 1777, the war intensified in Kentucky when British Lieutenant governor Henry Hamilton tried to persuade Indian allies to join forces in hopes of acquiring control. The British promised supplies and control of lands to area tribes, and Clark spent months defending settlements from Hamilton's forces and allies. After months of defending the settlements Clark proposed a plan to seize British outposts north of the Ohio River to destroy the British influence in the region. Clark led a secret expedition to try and capture British-held villages in Kaskaskia and Vincennes. In July of 1778, the Clark and his 175 men crossed the mouth of the Kanawha and defeated the British. Clark's victory added to his fame among Americans of European descent in this period. In the 19th century, Clark was sometimes referred to as the "Conqueror of the Old Northwest," and the "Hannibal of the West."

This historical marker commemorates George Rogers Clark (1752-1818) and is located in Point Pleasant, West Virginia to commemorate his exploration of the area around the mouth of the Kanawha River where it meets with the Ohio River. Clark was an American surveyor, soldier and militia officer from Virginia who became one of the highest-ranking American military officers on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolution. Clark served as a militia officer in Kentucky and Virginia in the war. In May 1778, Clark started a campaign here at the mouth of the Kanawha River and attacked the British at Kaskaskia and Vincennes. Clark led 175 men from this location where he captured Kaskaskia, a village in what is now Randolph County, Illinois. He also captured Vincennes in 1779. 

George Rogers Clark (Historical Marker)

Daniel Haymond Polsley was born near Fairmont, Virginia (now West Virginia) in November 1803. His father, Jacob Polsley, was of German ancestry and his mother, Margaret (Haymond) Polsley, was the aunt of Thomas Sherwood Haymond and the great-aunt of Judge Alpheus F. Haymond. As a young man, Polsley attended country schools before entering a preparatory school. He then read law and passed the bar in 1827. That same year, Polsley married Eliza V. Brown. She was the niece of English theologian Philip Doddridge and granddaughter of Captain Oliver Brown, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. The marriage would produce numerous children. After passing the bar, Polsley established a law practice in Wellsburg, Brooke County, Virginia (now West Virginia). Between 1833 and 1845, he became involved in the newspaper business, editing and publishing a Wellsburg Whig newspaper, the Western Transcript. In 1845, he sold the newspaper and shuttered his practice in Wellsburg and moved to Mason County, where he tended to a 1200-acre farm along the Ohio River and continued to practice law.  Unlike most people living in western Virginia during the antebellum era, Polsley was a slaveowner. While residing in Wellsburg in 1840, he owned an enslaved woman. Census returns for that year indicate that she was between ten and twenty-three years of age. In 1850, while living in Mason County, he owned two enslaved individuals, a woman and a young boy. By 1860, Polsley owned five, three of whom were eight years of age or younger.   In May 1861, Polsley was one of thirty men from Mason County who attended what became known as the First Wheeling Convention, which was organized in response to a Richmond convention’s decision to vote in favor of secession the previous month. In June, the people of Mason County elected him to be a member of a second convention to be held in Wheeling. At what became known as the Second Wheeling Convention, delegates elected Polsley lieutenant-governor of the Restored Government of Virginia, the unionist government of Virginia that remained loyal to the United States throughout the Civil War. In 1863, after West Virginia officially became a state, he was elected to serve as judge of the Seventh Judicial District of West Virginia. He occupied the position until 1866. In November of that year, the constituents of West Virginia’s Third Congressional District elected Polsley to the U.S. House of Representatives. The Republican would serve only one term, from 1867 to 1869, choosing not to stand for reelection.  Once his time in politics came to an end, Polsley returned to Mason County, where he resumed his law practice. He died in Point Pleasant on October 14, 1877 at the age of seventy-three. His remains are buried in Lone Oak Cemetery in Mason County.  In 2017, as part of its Civil War sesquicentennial project, the West Virginia Highway Historical Marker Program of the West Virginia Archives and History installed a marker dedicated to Daniel Haymond Polsley. It stands at the intersection of Viand (WV Route 62) and Seventh Streets in Point Pleasant, Mason County.

A lawyer, newspaper editor, and farmer before the Civil War, Daniel Haymond Polsley (1803-1877) represented Mason County at the Wheeling Conventions of 1861 and was elected lieutenant-governor of the Restored Government of Virginia, the unionist government of Virginia that remained loyal to the United States throughout the Civil War. In 1863, after West Virginia officially became a state, he was elected to serve as judge of the Seventh Judicial District of West Virginia, a position he occupied until 1866. In November of that year, the constituents of West Virginia’s Third Congressional District elected Polsley to the U.S. House of Representatives. The Republican would serve only one term, from 1867 to 1869, choosing not to stand for reelection. He died in Point Pleasant on October 14, 1877 at the age of seventy-three. His remains are buried in Lone Oak Cemetery in Mason County. 

Point Pleasant Walking Tour

Tu-Endie-Wei

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information