H & P Page 3
Wood County Historical and Preservation Society
Out of Wood, but Cut in Stone, cont.
This distinct face of what some conceive to be an Indian can be seen from 1-77, between the two Ripley exits.
THE RIVER LOOKOUT- Steps carved in
rock and holes drilled in the rock with
pipe railing placed in them gave Burly
McNeill an advantageous observation
post for river traffic. This was just part
of a rather complex encampment at
which McNeill lived for 14 years.
Our next "cut in stone" will require a short jaunt up Rt#2
north into Pleasants County, to near the Willow Island Power
Plant. Taking a right onto Shultz Run Road and traveling just
a fraction over a mile, on the left side of the road one can see
a mammoth rock not far from the road. Within the hunk of
stone is: .
Though much is known about the "unfinished grave" and
the man who was responsible for it, Pleasants County Historical
Society president Walter Carpenter is concerned that much
of what has been shared over the years may not be quite accurate.
What is thought to be an unfinished grave was the idea of
Benjamin Willard, a member of a distinguished Pleasants
County family; born in 1800, he died in 1857.
Carpenter stated in an August, 2000 article for the Parkersburg
News that in 1854 Ben Willard hired a local stone mason,
'Bud' Campbell, to chisel a grave for him. Apparently
Willard had a strong love of alcohol and it was his intention to
have his body placed in the stone receptacle, fill it with alcohol
and covered with glass, thus preserving his body. Obviously,
the grave was never finished and Willard body was interred
at the Triplett Cemetery. The story and the remaining
unfinished stonework is now part of Pleasants County lore.
Standing in what many believe was to be a grave, are Alec
and Whitney Milhoan, grand children of WCHPS president
Bob Enoch.
"The Grave in the Rock"
