Point Pleasant Riverfront

With a beautiful view of the Ohio River, Point Pleasant Riverfront Park is a great place for a stroll and to learn about local history. Murals and statues along the city's flood wall commemorate the Battle of Point Pleasant, also known as the Battle of Kanawha. On Oct. 10, 1774, the Virginia militia fought Mingo and Shawnee warriors, who were led by Shawnee chief Cornstalk. The Virginians were determined to take over the Ohio Valley, invading with a force of about 1,000. Despite being outnumbered two to one, the Native Americans fought hard. An ancestor of US Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush was killed in the battle, but in the end, Cornstalk and his fighters were defeated. More recently, Point Pleasant has earned fame as the site of the mythical creature the Mothman.