A new program on May 18 will focus on the history of the Blennerhassett children on Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park. The Hands-On History Kids Day Camp, shown here from 2018, will return for another year in July. (Photo by Wayne Towner)

PARKERSBURG — With Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park opening for the 2019 season today, a pair of volunteer educators involved with the island have developed a program aimed at teaching children about its history.

Dick and Martha Hartley have been volunteering on the island and in recent years have focused on cooking and food history.

This year, they will be offering a new program called “Children in the Blennerhassett Mansion: (A Children & Parent Educational History Event).” The first program will be held May 18 at 11:30 a.m. on the Blennerhassett Mansion as part of the Kids’ Day at the Park activities.

There is no cost to participate in the children’s tour, beyond the standard boat trip and mansion admission fees. However, pre-registration is required since there is a limited number of spaces available by calling 304-420-4800.

Boat tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for children. Mansion tour tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children. This event has limited space.

Dick Hartley said children in third through fifth grades accompanied by a parent will learn about the Blennerhassett Island children and their home during a special mansion tour which includes hands-on learning experiences.

The total program time is approximately one hour.

Hartley said the children will learn about the Blennerhassett children who lived in the mansion with their parents, Harman and Margaret; visit the Study and Summer Kitchen and discuss the roles of the Blennerhassetts in the family’s life; hear period music and learn a children’s song of the time period; explore the Mansion Dining Room table set for a fancy dinner party; see the Bed Chambers and Nursery and hear about where the children lived; view the Drawing Rooms and Library to learn why these rooms were important; and play period games that the Blennerhassett children might have played.

Parents and children are welcome to stay on the island after the tour and participate in other Kids’ Activities taking place from 1-4 p.m. that day.

“When people think of the Blennerhassett Mansion, they do not think about the young,” Hartley said. “Blennerhassett children were born and raised in this family on this island. During this Children’s Tour, the participants will learn these children’s names, where their bedrooms were within the house, and why we think one of them was nicknamed “Little Snowdrop,'” he said.

At the conclusion of the tour, the children will compare the mansion with their own homes to recognize what things were different between then and now. Each child taking part in this Children’s Tour and program will receive a resource handout to take with them so they can review their day at the Blennerhassett Mansion with their parents.

Another kids-focused event will be held in July on the island with the Hands-On History Kids Day Camp from July 22-26. More information is available by calling 304-420-4800.