Point Pleasant River Museum
The Point Pleasant River Museum focuses on river life and commercial enterprise on the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. Displays, video demonstrations and special guests will highlight topics such as great floods, boat construction, sternwheel steamers, river disasters and the local river industry's contribution to World War II. The museum also offers a working pilot house and a research library.
We had several schools participate last year and they had a wonderful time driving the boat simulator, watching the fish in the 2,400 gallon aquarium, playing the calliope, blowing the whistles, watching the videos on the Silver Bridge, looking at the pieces of the bridge and more. Jeannie and Gene Zopp, representatives from RiverWorks Discovery came in and did a river presentation that told those attending how many semi-trucks it takes to fill one barge, the kids saw a fun hands-on litter demonstration and found out how children and adults can help keep our rivers clean, and more! The free field trips are sponsored by Amherst-Madison and Huntington District of Waterways Association, these sponsors are very much appreciated.
The building which houses the Point Pleasant River Museum has had a connection to the river since at least 1854 when it was established as a mercantile by Robert Mitchell. It has also served as a grocery store to accommodate local residents as well as river traffic via the dock just a few yards away at the end of Main Street.
The last owner who used the location as a mercantile was the H. G. Nease Company. Many residents to this day know the Museum building as the "Old Nease Building."
In the 1940s, a local company bought the property and used the structure as storage space. In 1990, the company Hartley, Hartley & Hartley, Inc., donated the building to the City of Point Pleasant for the purpose of creating a River Museum.
After many years of hard work, by numerous volunteers, the Point Pleasant River Museum opened its doors to the public on May 1, 2003.
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