Certain visitors to Tu-Endie-Wei State Park in Mason County this past summer will be getting a special reward during Veterans Day week in appreciation for their interest in the historic site. A limited edition commemorative coin has been stamped and will be sent to those who participated in special “ranger walk and talks” conducted by Park Superintendent Doug Wiant with hundreds of interested visitors.
This year was the centennial of the dedication of the Battle of Point Pleasant Monument at what is now Tu-Endie-Wei State Park at Point Pleasant, built in recognition of 1774 Revolutionary War battle fought there. The interpretive walks were conducted to help preserve the history of this important battle.
The commemorative coin memorializes the battle monument, its centennial year and the state park. One hundred fifty people will receive the coin with a letter from W.Va. State Parks Chief Ken Caplinger thanking them for support of the park system’s interpretative programming and recognizing history at the site on the anniversary of a 100 year milestone.
“We called the interpretive walks ‘Battle Remembered,’ but our goal was to invite people to learn about the history of the 1774 Battle at Point Pleasant and the 100th year of the battlefield monument’s recognition of that battle,” Supt. Wiant said. The monument was installed Oct. 10, 1909, in remembrance of a battle fought on Oct. 10, 1774.
Wiant met family members who traveled to the park to see where their forefathers were engaged in this battlefield site. "It was impressive that the arrangement of some very basic interpretative walks and discussion about a point in history caused descendents of people involved on this battlefield site to come to West Virginia. Each walk was special, but meeting people connected to the battle personalized the day."
Visitors attending the scheduled walks received a certificate featuring the battle monument from Wiant the day of the walk. Participants were invited to leave a mailing address and, during Veteran’s week in November, a commemorative coin would be mailed as a thank you for remembering history and a battle fought.
"Conducting the special walks was a lot of fun and something different for me in addition to my work routine. I like interaction with the public, but keeping the grounds and park in good shape takes up most of my time.” Two walks were scheduled in June, July, August, and September and a final walk on Oct.10. The walk on the 100th anniversary of the monument installation had 56 people in attendance.
Wiant gives praise to local residents who helped with the summer events. “Eddie Lowe assisted with coin design image, museum hosts, the town of Point Pleasant, Mason County CVB, and local newspapers, all helped make visits memorable. And that’s exactly what we try to do daily, to remember those frontiersman and women.” Lowe, Wiant, and others spent countless hours rejuvenating the bronze plaques found on the park and on the monument, cleaning concrete and continuing maintenance of park grounds in preparation for Point Pleasant Battle Days held in October, daily visitors, and the interpretative walks.
For more information about events and special activities scheduled at West Virginia’s state parks and forests, visit online at Events Calendar, www.wvstateparks.com. A printed event calendar will be available at state parks and forests, welcome centers, and 324th 4th Avenue, South Charleston in late December.
About Tu-Endie-Wei State Park
At the junction of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers are a monument and a state park which commemorate the frontiersmen who fought and died at the Battle of Point Pleasant. This battle was fought with Chief Cornstalk on October 10, 1774, and is recognized as a decisive engagement in a proactive series of Indian wars.
The name "Tu-Endie-Wei" is a Wyandotte word meaning "point between two waters." The park is a four-acre day-use facility featuring an 84-foot granite obelisk honoring the 1774 battle. Memorial tablets dot the lawns. The 1796 Mansion House is considered the oldest hewn log house in the Kanawha Valley and is preserved as a museum and hosted by the Colonel Charles Lewis Chapter, N.S. Daughters of the American Revolution.
The park grounds are open year-round. The museum hours are: May through October, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Tu-Endie-Wei State Park is located on First Street in Point Pleasant. The Web address is www.tu-endie-weistatepark.com. To contact the park by telephone, call 304-675-0869 or e-mail tuendiewei@wvdnr.gov.