A newly installed window on the second floor of the Henry Cooper Cabin Museum in Parkersburg. Centennial Chapter of the Daughters of the American Pioneers Regent Charlotte Modesitt said squirrels had been eating the wood and destroyed the windows overtime. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

PARKERSBURG – The Centennial Chapter of the Daughters of the American Pioneers commemorated the season opening of the Henry Cooper Cabin Museum in Parkersburg City Park with an “anti-tea party” on Sunday.

The event marks not only the opening of the museum for the 2026 season but the signing of the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago and Henry Cooper Day.

Guests could enjoy a self-guided tour with members of the Chapter available throughout the cabin to answer questions and provide additional information.

Although the anti-tea party was originally planned to be held on the cabin’s front lawn, the heat from the sun and the humidity brought the event indoors.

“All of the items families donate and continue to donate make this place a treasure,” said Centennial Chapter of the Daughters of the American Pioneers Regent Charlotte Modesitt.

Tables and chairs line the front lawn of the Henry Cooper Cabin Museum in Parkersburg for the "anti-tea party" event hosted by The Centennial Chapter of the Daughters of the American Pioneers on Sunday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

The cabin was open for free tours from 1-4 p.m. Sunday and will remain open 1-4 p.m. every Sunday until Sept. 1. Admission will be $3 for adults and $1 for children with proceeds going towards the maintenance of the building.

“We get so many visitors and it’s all run by volunteers,” she said. “We recently had all of the upstairs windows replaced because the squirrels were chewing through the wood.”

Modesitt was available on Sunday to answer specific questions regarding the house and the man who built it in 1804.

She said the Henry Cooper Cabin Museum is the oldest museum in the Mid-Ohio Valley and dates back even before the Marietta museums.

The city owns the museum which has been operating since 1910. The Centennial Chapter of the Daughters of the American Pioneers has been an organization since 1899 with many of the members in attendance on Sunday.

Vice President of the Wood County Historical and Preservation Society Dottie Enoch scoops coffee punch from a bowl. The "anti-tea party" event commemorated the season opening of the Henry Cooper Cabin Museum on Sunday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

The cabin was filled with cases of donated items like shoes, clocks, photos, furniture and much more. There was a cabinet filled with over 60,000 individual buttons.

Dottie Enoch, vice president of the Wood County Historical and Preservation Society and a member of several local groups, provided a vast array of finger foods and a delicious “coffee punch” for guests to enjoy.

Enoch said the coffee punch, on theme for the anti-tea party, was made with a homemade coffee syrup, vanilla and chocolate ice cream mixed together to create a delicious concoction.

There will be five more anti-tea parties throughout the summer from 2-4 p.m. with admission free to the public.

The schedule includes:

Guests tour the Henry Cooper Cabin in Parkersburg on the opening day of the season Sunday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

*June 14 – The Cook House

*June 20 – Henderson Hall

*June 28 – The Oakland Estate

*July 19 – Parkersburg Women’s Clubhouse

*July 26 – The Phelps-Tavenner House

Visit downtownpkb.com for more information on upcoming events.

Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com