A few miles up the Ohio River from Parkersburg, West Virginia, is a grand mansion. Henderson Hall, a lovely 29-room red brick Italianate-style mansion, overlooks the Ohio River. Gracious period-dressed docents greet guests and help them understand its history.
For five generations, pioneers and patriots lived on this land. And they were known for throwing very little away. Family treasures line the walls and every surface from the basement to the attic, making a tour a proper step back to our nation's beginnings. Lovely furnishings fill every room.
Scottish-born Alexander Henderson Sr. arrived in Virginia in the 1700s serving in the House of Burgesses and as a member of the committee appointed to decide boundary lines that still exist today between Maryland and Virginia. This part of West Virginia was part of Virginia. It became a state in 1863.
It was George Washington who suggested Henderson invest in the "West." Henderson bought 25,000 acres in western Virginia and sent three of his sons to the then wilderness, the Mid-Ohio Valley.
Alexander and his brother John were crucial in thwarting Aaron Burr's plan to make the West a different country. The brothers turned in Harman Blennerhassett and Burr when Blennerhassett tried to recruit the Hendersons to become part of Burr's scheme.
G.W. Henderson married Elizabeth Ann Tomlinson, and the couple built the house. It was completed in 1859. The perfectly restored mansion, grounds, and family cemetery are listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
The home contains priceless artifacts, antiques, and furnishings right down to handmade linens, books dating back to the 1600s, and documents signed by Patrick Henry, then governor of Virginia.
If you want to tour this gracious mansion, learn about the Henderson family, and explore early American history, you will be thrilled with what you find at Henderson Hall.
For more information about the family history and tours, click here. For more information about the Greater Parkersburg area, click here.
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