Cut Out for Their Job: Newly unveiled portrait presents photo-op for Blennerhassett Island enthusiasts
Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park Superintendent Craig Pyles, front left, and local artist Thomas Stahl, right, unveiled a life-size painting of Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett on Friday that will sit in front of the historic mansion for visitors to take photos with and to get a sense of who the couple were. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park volunteer Stephen Smith talks to visitors about the history of the owners, Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett, Friday after the park opened the previous day for the 2025 season. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Local artist Thomas Stahl talks about his life-size painting of Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett at the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park on Friday. Stahl said he used all the known historical images of the pair to create the best representation he could. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
People arrive at the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park on Friday after the park opened for the 2025 season on Thursday. Sternwheeler rides to the island from Point Park in downtown Parkersburg will run from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday this summer. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
A piano owned by Margaret Blennerhassett sits in the reconstructed Palladian mansion at the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park on Friday. Visitors can see the original piece on the island after the park opened for the 2025 season on Thursday with sternwheeler rides from Point Park in downtown Parkersburg running from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday through the summer. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park Superintendent Craig Pyles, front left, and local artist Thomas Stahl, right, unveiled a life-size painting of Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett on Friday that will sit in front of the historic mansion for visitors to take photos with and to get a sense of who the couple were. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park volunteer Stephen Smith talks to visitors about the history of the owners, Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett, Friday after the park opened the previous day for the 2025 season. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Local artist Thomas Stahl talks about his life-size painting of Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett at the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park on Friday. Stahl said he used all the known historical images of the pair to create the best representation he could. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
People arrive at the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park on Friday after the park opened for the 2025 season on Thursday. Sternwheeler rides to the island from Point Park in downtown Parkersburg will run from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday this summer. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
A piano owned by Margaret Blennerhassett sits in the reconstructed Palladian mansion at the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park on Friday. Visitors can see the original piece on the island after the park opened for the 2025 season on Thursday with sternwheeler rides from Point Park in downtown Parkersburg running from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday through the summer. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
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PARKERSBURG -- Local artist Thomas Stahl unveiled a life-size painting of Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett at the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park on Friday that will give visitors to the historic site a chance to take photos with and to get a sense of who the couple were.
"I'm very excited about this work to preserve history," Stahl said. "I really enjoy doing it. I took all the known historical images of them and created the best representation of what they would look like, down to their height."
Harman and Margaret were wealthy aristocrats who emigrated to the United States in 1796. The pair bought one of the larger islands that dotted the river and built a Palladian mansion.
After his duel with Alexander Hamilton in 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr visited the island to solicit the help of Harman to carve out an empire of his own from the newly acquired Territory of Louisiana and the country's Western region. The Blennerhassetts supplied funds and allowed Burr to use their island as his military headquarters until word got out and charges were issued against Burr for treason.
Eventually both men were arrested but subsequently acquitted by the law, but not by public opinion. Harman never regained his fortunes or his island and died on the Island of Guernsey in the English Channel in 1831.
Keith McClung, vice-chair of the park's board, said the new attraction allows visitors to get a sense of who the couple were.
"When you walk on this beautiful property, you hear the name Blennerhassett repeatedly," McClung said. "But it makes a big difference when you now have a visual image of who they are. You can now envision them sitting in the dining room, at the piano forte, or in his study."
The park opened for the 2025 season on Thursday with sternwheeler rides from Point Park in downtown Parkersburg running from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday through the summer.
Sternwheeler tickets are available at the Blennerhassett Museum of Regional History at Second and Juliana streets. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children ages 3-12.
Additionally, a guided mansion tour is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Horse-drawn wagon rides are also available for $12 for adults and $10 for children. Museum admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children. Bicycle rentals are available on the island for $2 for 30 minutes or $4 for an hour. Children under 15 are required to wear a helmet.
Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com