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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
"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.
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.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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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.
