Point Pleasant, West Virginia

Point Pleasant, West Virginia
City
Point Pleasant (foreground) at the confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers. Gallipolis, Ohio is in the background right while Henderson, West Virginia is on the left.
FIPS code		54-64708[4]
GNIS feature ID	1555381[5]
Website	www.ptpleasantwv.org

Point Pleasant is a city in and the

A Shawnee village known as Upper Shawneetown was established in this area before 1749, which the Shawnees called "Chinoudaista" or "Chinodahichetha."[7]^[8][9]

The Céloron Expedition (1749)

In the second half of 1749, the

The text on the plaque is as follows:

L'AN 1749 DV REGNE DE LOVIS XV ROY DE FRANCE, NOVS CELORON, COMMANDANT D'VN DETACHEMENT ENVOIE PAR MONSIEVR LE MIS. DE LA GALISSONIERE, COMMANDANT GENERAL DE LA NOUVELLE FRANCE POVR RETABLIR LA TRAN QUILLITE DANS QUELQUES VILLAGES SAUVAGES DE CES CANTONS, AVONS ENTERRE CETTE PLAQUE AU CONFLUENT DE L'OHIO ET DE TCHADAKOIN CE 29 JVILLET, PRES DE LA RIVIERE OYO AUTREMENT BELLE RIVIERE, POUR MONUMENT DU RENOUVELLEMENT DE POSSESSION QUE NOUS AVONS PRIS DE LA DITTE RIVIERE OYO, ET DE TOUTES CELLE~ QUI Y TOMBENT, ET DE TOUTES LES TERRES DES DEUX COTES JVSQVE AVX SOURCES DES DITTES RIVIERES AINSI QV'EN ONT JOVY OU DV JOVIR LES PRECEDENTS ROIS DE FRANCE, ET QU'ILS S'Y SONT MAINTENVS PAR LES ARMES ET PAR LES TRAIT TES, SPECIALEMENT PAR CEVX DE RISWICK D'VTRECHT ET D'AIX LA CHAPELLE.^[10]

(In the year 1749, in the reign of

Utrecht and of Aix la Chapelle

)

Céloron's expedition was a diplomatic failure since the local tribes remained pro-British, and British representatives in the region refused to leave. This incident was the prelude to conflicts between the French and British in North America that would lead to the outbreak of the French and Indian War in 1754 (as part of the Seven Years' War) that would lead to the cessation of New France to the British and the ultimate expulsion of France from most of its possessions in North America.^{[citation needed]}

The expedition can nevertheless be seen in more positive terms as a geographical project, since the Céloron expedition was the starting point for the first map of the

In 1770, Colonel George Washington visited the confluence that would become Point Pleasant, then proceeded 14 miles up the "Great Kanawha" and later reported that "This Country abounds in Buffalo and Wild game of all kinds as also in all kinds of wild fowl, there being in the Bottoms a great many small grassy Ponds or Lakes which are full of Swans, Geese, and Ducks of different kinds."^[11]

The Battle of Point Pleasant (1774)

In the

• 
  Statue of Lord Dunmore at Point Pleasant, in front of the flood wall mural.
• 
  Mural with a quotation from Documentary History of Dunmore's War, 1774, edited by

  Reuben Thwaites

  (here misspelled "Thwaits") and Louise Kellogg.

Settlement

"Camp Point Pleasant" was established by Col. Lewis at the time of the Battle and the settlement that followed also took that name. Although not certain, Point Pleasant may have been permanently settled by whites as early as 1774. A permanent stockade known as Fort Blair was erected there at about that time. Prior to that, hostilities between whites and Indians all along the

Fort Randolph was rebuilt nearby in 1785 after the renewal of hostilities between the United States government and the Indians, but saw little action and was eventually abandoned once again.[13] The settlement at Point Pleasant did not receive an official charter until 1794.

19th century

Mason County was carved out of Kanawha County in 1804 and Point Pleasant was designated the county seat at that time. According to historian

Point Pleasant was widely noted for the 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge, which killed 46 people.

On October 10, 1974, Point Pleasant celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Point Pleasant. A replica of Fort Randolph was built in 1973-74 and dedicated as part of the festivities. The town of Point Pleasant was situated over the site of the fort and so the replica is located at Krodel Park, about one mile away.^[19]

National Register of Historic Places

The

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.10 square miles (8.03 km²), of which 2.40 square miles (6.22 km²) is land and 0.70 square miles (1.81 km²) is water.^[21]

Point Pleasant is located at 38°51′27″N 82°7′43″W / 38.85750°N 82.12861°W / 38.85750; -82.12861 (38.857527, -82.128571).^[22]

Point Pleasant is home to Tu-Endie-Wei State Park and Krodel Park.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the

There were 2,014 households, of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.3% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.82.

The median age in the city was 44 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.6% were from 25 to 44; 27.4% were from 45 to 64; and 21.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.9% male and 55.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

There were 2,107 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,022, and the median income for a family was $33,527. Males had a median income of $31,657 versus $16,607 for females. The

Folklore

The Mothman

Paranormal enthusiasts flock to Point Pleasant in search of

• Among the early settlers at Point Pleasant was Samuel B. Clemens and his wife Pamela (née Goggin), grandparents of the celebrated author Mark Twain. They had migrated from Campbell County, Virginia and, according to family tradition, Samuel was killed in 1805 by a falling log at a house raising there.^[28]
• Point Pleasant was the final home of Confederate Brigadier-General John McCausland, the next-to-last Confederate General to die. He died at his farm at Grimm's Landing on January 23, 1927, and is buried in nearby Henderson.
• Karl Probst, born in Point Pleasant, was an automotive engineer credited in 1940 with the design of the Jeep.
• The Shawnee Chief Cornstalk was taken prisoner and later killed by a mob at Fort Randolph on 10 November 1777.^[29]
• Ray Stevens, pro wrestler and 2021 WWE hall of fame inductee

See also

• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River

References

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Point Pleasant (West Virginia).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Point Pleasant".

• City of Point Pleasant