Book Description

Are there ghosts on Blennerhassett Island? Without question, the island with its reconstructed mansion (now a West Virginia State Park) is historically significant. But it is also steeped in tragedy. The Blennerhassett story, which began with a wealthy couple's extravagant vision of a paradise in the wilderness, would eventually become a riches-to-rags story. Their dramatic, star-crossed story can best be told with truth and tale. It began with a dream. Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett arrived in the Ohio Valley from England in 1797, bringing wealth and refinement to the emerging frontier settlements of Marietta, Ohio and Parkersburg, Virginia (now West Virginia.) Their island property, located in the middle of the Ohio River, became the site of a luxurious estate, said to be one of the grandest homes in the West. But their attempts to create paradise were soon fraught with disappointment and failure. Eventually, their alliance with former Vice President Aaron Burr in what became known as the Aaron Burr Conspiracy resulted in their ruin.Margaret's Ghost and Other True and Tragic Stories of Blennerhassett Island combines history and hearsay to colorfully tell their heartbreaking story.