The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1922-03-25

For Sentiment Alone,
AT the time OF the fire some OF the
occupants barely escaped with their
lives" said Miss Gordon.
Tho latter's mother. Alice Neale.
was the daughter OF the Neale whose
father had purchased the place. and
she married Amos W. Gordon. father
Of Miss Gordon. my informant She
still lives. aged 81, in an old brick
house at Parkersburg that has been
her home continuously for Il years
II Is she who now owns the Blenner'
hassett portion OF the historic island.
and It was her father who built the
Parkersburg house she resides IN,
and who himself died there in 1880.
He decided Blennerhassett Island TO
this daughter. now i'll as well as Old.
YES. We hold it for sentiment alone
II pays almost nothing" Miss Gorton
repeated. But many people visit the
island" she continued. IS. s. Cox
used to come quite often" and Miss
Gordon conveyed the impression that
. Mr.. Cox was much fascinated by the
dramatic Burr Blennerhassett episode
Untold others have been.
This was Sunset" Cox. who was
born at GAINESVILLE in 1924. and be-
came famous as wit. author and con-
gresham, serving both from Column
bus. Ohio. and New York City dis
tricts. and dying in 1889.
Relics Of 8Iennerhasset.
There was a fine orchard on the
il is all gone now. Did YOU SEQ the
weuo That was built by Blennerhas'
sett-all that is left. except the
dressed capstones OF the pillars that
stood a. the entrance 10 tho driveway
up from the landing. Yes. and the
stones in the foundation OF the cot.
tage also" she vouchsafed hastily as
an after thought.
had seen all--the biz well. the
Capstones and the stones revealed in
the old.fashioned outside Ccllarway
These stones. black and moss-covered
appeared oldest OF anything about the
entire place The well is COmmodiouS.
perhaps six feet in diameter. and the
water that windlasSed up in an old
oaken bucket some forty feet was de.
lighttully cool. How crystal pure il
seemed. TOO Bnt how could il be
otherwise thus far out on an island,
with the big Ohio rolling protectingly
on either side. and no habitatton
nearer than Parkersburg. in West Ntr.
ginIa, and little Belpre, equally dis
tant on the Ohio bank,
Paid a Big Price.
Herman RlrnuerhaSS"ft owned only
the upper end Of tho haaurmt island,
which is three and n hair miles long,
about hall 4 mil" wide and AZ tho
'narrows" turning in at tho middle 70
a mere roadway The Bnnn"rhassctt
boundary was al This neck. There are
29T acres in the island. Of which ii;en-
ncrhassett bought 10. or more than
half: and hn paid S+.5Do for III" tract
In 179S.
"u's scarcely worth that now. i
IT." ycnured. and Miss Gordon :
exclamation indicated that sh" hardly
though, so herself l. was a. this
point she had remarked that It was
retained only for Sentimental reasons.
II struck me- rather iorciblr tha. the
CuilclesS Rlrnrcrhassett WAS really
the victim OF some Uncanv rca,tor up
at Marietta. whore h" was stopping
while locking about FOR permanent
location. Certain it is. that in 1921,
the year before. This tract was bought
BY Elijah Backus 4 CONNECTICUT Yam.
kee belonging 70 IN" famous Ohio COM
pany which founded Marietta for
h $3.50. The :>l,nd i 1t Il 10 hay" been