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Fort Boreman Historical Park
The Fort Boreman Hill looks out
over the Little Kanawha River and the city of Parkersburg, West
Virginia, although it was originally called Mount Logan, it would be
changed after the first governor of the state, Arthur I. Boreman, a
resident of Parkersburg in honor to him. During the Civil War, a
Union garrison would occupy the hill, members of the 11th West
Virginia Infantry, encamped here to look out over the two rivers
that joined somewhere out in front of it, and a perfect place to
have a bird's eye view of the rivers and any attacks by the
Confederates. The hill or fort was where the city held their public
hangings until 1868. The early years of the hill and surrounding
area is unknown, but in the construction of the city's first
official courthouse, the lumber from its slopes was cut down and
floated across the Little Kanawha River. Who owned it initially is
also unknown, but according to local legends, the area was purchased
for twenty five cents and acre. In 1820, it had become the property
of Francis Beckwith and his descendants would continue to live there
until the early 1900s, and it had been named Mount Logan during that
time; and as with the rest of the lack of info on it, no one knew
why it was so named. Once again, this site has become something of a
controversy since one report, states that in the Civil War period,
or about 1861, the union troops that occupied the hill were from the
18th Ohio Infantry and in 1863, two more forts were in the plans to
protect the railroad facilities that were located in Parkersburg;
one on top of Prospect Hill, which is called Quincy Hill today and
the other was at Mount Logan. The fort at Prospect Hill didn't
materialize, but Fort Boreman was started in the summer of 1863.
Details of the fort are lacking, but the best description that can
be found is H. E. Matheny's Wood County, West Virginia in Civil War
times. Matheny said that the plans called for two zigzag trenches,
four feet deep in a semi-circle were to be dug around the hilltop.
Big logs would be put on the outer wall of the fort, two feet high
and two abreast; with stones and earth packed in between the logs,
with space for portholes left so that the soldiers could see to fire
their rifles. Some recent research has uncovered Civil War
archives that show two different shapes for the fort, with one being
a three-sided configuration and the other with five sides; and both
were military drawings. Other structures that would be needed for
the 150 man garrison would have to be a powder magazine and
barracks, or some kind of habitat for the winters. It is believed
that five cannons were placed here, but none were ever fired since
no battles or skirmishes were ever committed here; although it is
said that they were fired for saluting high ranking officials or
maybe to honor a holiday. One type of occasion for celebration
certainly would have been in June, 1863, when the territory became a
state and it was at that time that the fort became named Fort
Boreman, in honor of Arthur Boreman, the new governor. In August,
when another ceremony caused the guns to be fired, one exploded and
killed a soldier and seriously hurting another. Another event during
this period would also created some notoriety. Thousands of troops
were coming into Parkersburg and naturally the unwanted men and
women that followed the troops for nefarious reasons. All of these
conditions only added to the possibility of the dreaded and
contagious disease of small pox, and although the city already had a
quarantine area, it wasn't large enough to house all those that were
coming here and getting the disease. Soon, the city leaders had to
look for another and bigger place to put all these infirm. The
actual site of the pest house isn't known, but city records state
that in the spring of 1862, the city rented a house from Andrew
Galvin and it is believed that the house was situated somewhere
around the Fort Boreman area.
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Fenton Art Glass
The Fenton Art Glass Company
started in 1905 with brothers Frank L. and John W. Fenton in an old
glass factory that sat in Martins Ferry, Ohio and in the beginning,
painted glass blanks that came from other glass makers; and
eventually had to start making their own when they couldn't get what
they wanted. Moving across the Ohio River to Williamstown, West
Virginia, they constructed their own factory in 1906 and began
producing glass in 1907. Frank was the designer and decorator, and
from 1905 to 1920, the designs were influenced by the other two
glass makers in the nation, Tiffany and Steuben. The many colors
though were the work of Jacob Rosenthal, a famous glass chemist who
was well known for his creating chocolate and golden agate glass.
Near the end of 1907, the Fentons were introduced to carnival glass,
which would eventually become a great collector's item. In the Great
Depression and WWII, the Fentons produced practical items like
mixing bowls and tableware due to various shortages. During that
period, they developed new colors and at the end of the depression
started making perfume bottles for the Wrisley Company, in 1938. The
bottles were created in French Opalescent glass with the hobnail
pattern. In 1939, Fenton began selling Hobnail items in milk glass,
which would become their top selling line and helped the company to
expand. In the latter 1940s, the top three managers passed on, and
Frank and Wilmer C. "Bill" Fenton stepped up and took over the
positions of President and vice president. During the following 30
years, they would continue to expand the company even though there
were numerous factories closing down. In 1986, George W. Fenton,
Frank's son, would become the company's president. In 1970, the
company added their logo to the base of some of their pieces to
distinguish them from their older pieces, and in 1974, Fenton began
putting their logo on every thing they created. Pieces that were
made in the 1980s had the number 8 put under the n in the logo and
pieces from 1990 have the number 9. In August of 2007, the company
sent out a press release announcing they would cease operations for
the next few months; with plans to lay off 25 people immediately and
in the ensuing weeks lay off the rest. Then, in December of 2007,
they sent out another press release saying that due to a buying
frenzy and internal restructuring, they would stay open until the
spring of 2008. In August of 2008, George said that thanks to the
buying frenzy, the company wouldn't have to close at all.
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