First time to the LeMoyne House. It has a lot of rich history in Washington County. They were…read moreperforming a walk through of the Whiskey Rebellion here for the Whiskey Rebellion Festival in 2021. I didn't have a chance to do a walk through of the house and not sure if it's available, but so much history in downtown washington, pa.

This being my first time to Pittsburgh, I wasn't expecting the traffic so I showed up at 3:06. The…read morelast tour began at 3 p.m. so unfortunately I wasn't able to participate in the tour. However, I don't know if it was my puppy dog face or not but the elderly volunteer grabbed up some papers and gave me a tour in about 5 minutes. Enough to see what I needed to see! In fact, I went to check out the courthouse afterward and ran into another couple who had taken the tour and they said I probably had a better one because the other is very lengthy and I really just wanted to know about the Underground Railroad history. She said there wasn't much to it, only that slaves hid under the woman's bed and when soldiers approached, she said she was alone and asked them to leave. The LeMoyne House stands as one of the best preserved Underground Railroad sites in the United States. The LeMoyne House is also home to artifacts from nearly every war I can thing of. The items aren't really relevant to the story of the home but it was neat to see them. Some history: The LeMoyne House, a National Historic Landmark, was built in 1812, and was a center of antislavery activity in southwestern Pennsylvania from the 1830s through the end of slavery. Dr. F. Julius LeMoyne (1798-1879), the son of a Parisian doctor who immigrated to the United States, was born in Washington and studied medicine at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. In 1834, LeMoyne joined the Washington Anti-Slavery Society and was the organization's president from 1835 to 1837, after which he was commissioned by the American Anti-Slavery Society to be its regional agent. LeMoyne, along with his children and wife Madelaine, were active in the Underground Railroad. The tightly knit free black communities in southwest Pennsylvania helped slaves escape and developed an operational network that white antislavery activists, such as LeMoyne, joined. LeMoyne's correspondence from the 1840s includes letters from individuals asking for aid and thanking him for his assistance in getting them and their friends and relatives out of the South. In his activism and philosophy, LeMoyne represents the mainstream of antislavery activity in the United States before 1850 and is typical of the middle-class Americans of the antebellum period who became caught up in the antislavery debate. In addition to building the first crematory in the United States, Dr. Francis LeMoyne was an active abolitionist who founded the Washington County Antislavery Society in 1835. Because of his leadership efforts, he was nominated by other abolitionists (under the banner of the Liberty Party) for vice president of the United States in 1840 and for governor of Pennsylvania on three different occasions. He declined each nomination, but his name appeared on the ballots anyway. Local tradition maintains that the LeMoynes worked together as a family to hide runaways in their Washington County home. Recollections from their eight children suggest that as many as 25 fugitives stayed in the residence at one time. After the Civil War, Dr. LeMoyne remained active in social causes, including support for equal rights for women and the advancement of newly freed slaves. In 1870, his donation of $20,000 established a school for freedmen, the LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School in Memphis, Tennessee. Francis Julius LeMoyne died in 1879 at the age of 81.

You can learn about West Virginia history at this free museum. Or you can be like my children and…read morejust glance at the exhibits while trying to find buttons to push and things to touch. Your call! If you did go through the museum purposefully, though, you'd find a lot information about how West Virginia, a Unionist state, separated from Virginia, a Confederate state. There are three floors of Civil War memorabilia, West Virginia things and ... honestly, I think I'm like my children, because I didn't read any of the information either. But I know if you want to learn more about West Virginia, this is the place to do it. I mostly just enjoyed walking around, looking at the old furniture, peeking out of the windows and observing all of the nicely preserved historical objects that the museum has so lovingly displayed for everyone to see. This is a beautiful museum, and there's so much to see and learn about that I'm kind of shocked it was free to visit. There was one woman working there when we visited. It's a quiet little museum, so one person working there seemed right. I could tell that she really wanted us to ask questions -- she had a lot of West Virginia knowledge rattling around in her head. Unfortunately for her, my family was only there to push buttons and touch things and gaze out of the windows, so she retreated back to her desk and let us peruse freely. We had a good time at West Virginia Independence Hall, and stayed maybe 30 minutes. But I could see other people staying an hour or more, especially if you are really into history, and you take your time to absorb all of the information that's available.

OMG This museum is FREE!!! It is full of West Virginia…read moreHistory, artifacts and gems. Parking is in the rear and FREE as well. Easy to locate in downtown area of Wheeling across from the B&O Railroad Building which is now part of the community college. For my birthday I wanted to go here so my hubby Tony, daughter Noel and her boyfriend Adam joined me. Outside on the corner is a hugh statue of Governor Pierpont, the first governor of the new State of West Virginia. Some historical markers, a monument to the civil war, and a cannon. Inside there is 3 levels. Top level is the courtroom, were the convention was held to declare, argue and vote on making a new State and breaking away from Virginia. It was here that West Virginia was born. Second levels there are various rooms stuffed full of historical memorable items. First floor there are some civil war informative displays, an old post office and a riverboat display. In the basement, bathrooms and theatre to watch a 18 minute brief film narrates how this all became about. This was originally the Old Custom House.

This is a must see if you are in this area. You can actually hike to the top of the burial mound…read more The museum had a lot of exhibits on local history, such as Marx toys.

In the appropriately named city of Moundsville, you'll find -- you'll never guess -- a great-big…read moremound. But Grave Creek Mound is more than just a mound! It's a sacred religious site of the Adena people, and it was built around 150 B.C. The mound is a burial ground for members of the Adena tribe, and was created over a period of a hundred years or so. You can climb up the mound via steps that wrap around it. It takes a couple of minutes. When you get to the top, the view is pretty cool: You can see downtown Moundsville and the West Virginia Penitentiary, which looks hardcore and gothic, but is out of commission and is now just a museum. I took some time to stand on the mound, breathing the West Virginia air that was blowing around me, and thought about the dead people I was standing on. Just bodies, bodies, bodies all the way down. Probably, most definitely, not even bodies anymore -- they've just transitioned their way back into the earth. It's a sobering place to visit. Anywhooo! There's a museum that you can visit, too (open Tuesdays through Saturdays), which is free to explore. Inside, you can learn about Grave Creek Mound and the people who created it. There are also archeological exhibits with fossils on display, as well as exhibits about local items made in West Virginia, like Marble King marbles and Marx toys, which at one point was the largest toy-making facility in the world. This is a fun and educational place to visit if you're in this part of West Virginia.

We loved our experience at the glass museum. Our tour docent was Sherry, who is highly…read moreknowledgeable as well as personable, and she led us through 200 years of glassmaking with a strong emphasis on the industry right here in western Pennsylvania as well as eastern Ohio. I definitely recommend that you go for the guided tour. You will learn so much of the background of these marvelous sparklers, the history of the famed Duncan & Miller Company, how cultural trends affected the types of glassware (and vice versa), and the whole glassmaking process. She was so nice and kind, and gave us some bottled water about 45 minutes in. This was during the 90-plus heatwave. The museum was nice and cool, I am happy to report. The museum is not open every day BUT, if you contact them in advance they will open just for you! That's what we did as our vacation had us in the area for just two days and we wanted to soak up a little culture. Our tour took about 90 minutes and our interest was piqued the whole time. At the end we got to watch an educational video and test our knowledge in determining the use of assorted antique glass items. We got about 75% right! This same room also has a table with small versions of many items which you can handle. Don't miss the gift shop either. Many unique and lovely items for sale, but I was immediately drawn to a purple Fenton glassware cat and he came home with us. They update exhibits periodically and are also planning an expansion, so I hope to get back here on a future visit to see what's new. The museum is fully accessible for the disabled. Thank you Sherry and the Glass Museum!

This is a hidden gem in the greater Pittsburgh area (Washington County). It's only $10 to enter and…read morethere are so many beautiful glassware items to browse from -- dating back to the Victoria era. Beth gave us a great tour and was so knowledgeable on the history of the items we saw. There's also a nice gift shop to look at before you leave. They are only open Thursdays - Sundays.

What a gorgeous historic home. I loved the details, the custom moulding, the nooks, the crannies,…read moreand just about everything I saw here! There are 26 rooms (kind of....one is a closet, but back in the era it was built, even closets were counted). I loved the "courting fireplace", where whispered conversations happened, to be kept private from the chaperones. The copper door hinges, the winged griffin, the ornate woodwork. Everything here is just stunning. Even the basement is fascinating with some interesting treasures and curiosities. Wayne was kind enough to give me an extensive tour of the home and I absolutely love the way they decorated for Christmas. I will keep a close eye on the facebook page and undoubtedly be back again (but with my family next time) for another event.

Had a great time. My granddaughter really had a great birthday party. Highly recommend for family…read moreevents.

Some really interesting s**t!…read more Friendly curator who is very passionate about the Archive. I stopped in to take a break from a road trip and it was totally worth it.

Really a 3.5 review…read more We stopped to break up the drive back to MD. It was a cool place to visit and see all of the Lego creations. Our boys (2&4) loved the museum, especially the spiderman. Check the prices for children, we were charged for our 2yr old even though he was supposed to be free. We didnt notice the price sign until we were about to leave. Not a huge deal. Also, the place could use a good dusting. A lot of the displays had a decent amount of dust on them same with the windowsills. A good amount of fun and a nice break from the drive, but its needs a good cleaning.

We all really enjoyed this place! Yes, it's an old schoolhouse in an old town in the middle of…read morenowhere but you're going for the Legos not to stare at the building. There are some really cool displays here and you get to walk around on your own and take as much time as you want. My kids love Legos and this was totally worth the trip. Plus it was way cheaper than the Legoland discovery centers and my kids still loved it. Before you judge, yes we've been to LDC's - five locations in four states. This place could use a good cleaning and better lighting but my kids didn't notice any of that. They noticed the Spider-Man and the Statue of Liberty and all the other displays built with Legos! I was definitely impressed by some of the things they had on display. This is a fun place to check out even if you don't have kids.

This is a lovely small gallery located inside the Wheeling City Centre Market in the Historic…read moreMarket section of Wheeling. Today was my birthday, so I decided to Urban Hike in Wheeling today, making this one of my stops. I was able to stroll around and enjoy the lovely pieces of art. The prices ranged from a bargain bin of $25 up to $500. There was some very lovely pieces but nothing that I couldn't live without. Street parking outside along the building complex cost me about .65 cents for just under 2 hrs. The meters were also painted like pieces of abstract artwork with each one painted something very different from last

Artworks is an artist run gallery featuring some of the best artists in the Wheeling area. There…read moreare art objects for every taste and price range. Their inventory includes pottery, fine craft, original paintings, drawings and prints.