and
Family Activities
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Family History and Family Activities |
Family History
I grew up on Dutch Ridge Road in Wood County. My father had built a house on the corner of his parent's farm (the old Luther McPherson farm), which my grandfather (George Kurtz) had bought after WWII. Prior to moving to Dutch Ridge, they had lived near my Grandfather's gas station on East 7th Street, which also included a restaurant ran by my Grandmother (Lola Jones Kurtz). She later served as the cook at the one-room Red Hill School on Dutch Ridge.
My grandmother, who had been raised in Jackson County, worked at Goodyear Aircraft in Akron during the war building F-4 Corsair fighters for the Navy. Her son (my Uncle Bill) later became an Air Force pilot flying F-5s over Viet Nam. My father's other siblings include Charles, Jane (Reed), and Betty (who still lives in Parkersburg with my uncle, Robert Payne).
My mother's family lived in several places in the Parkersburg during her childhood, including a stint on Morningside Avenue during WWII, near my present home. Her father, Clayton Rollins, was from Letart in Mason County, and worked for the B&O Railroad. He also worked on the construction of PHS. My grandmother, Rachel Morlan Rollins, was from the Herndon area of Wood County on Rt. 31. Her sister, my Great-Aunt Martha (Morlan) Spencer, was very important in my young life. She lived at Lake Washington in southern Wood County and taught me how to swim there. My mother's siblings include Dorothy (Robinson), Tom, Bob, Clayton, Jean (Jarvis), and my mom's twin brother Jimmy (who died of cancer while a teenager).
My mom and dad met at PHS, where she sang in the A Cappella Choir, while he was on the wrestling and football teams (state champions). She went on to nursing school at Camden Clark Hospital, while he did a stint in the Navy, before moving back home to Parkersburg. They were married at what is now Christ United Methodist Church at 16th and St. Marys Avenue (where my wife and I were married as well). This had been my mother's family church where she had grown up, and we still attend today.
I was born in December of 1957, and my sister Kim came along 22 months later. Dad worked at Marbon (later known as BorgWarner, now GE), and Mom worked as a school nurse, retiring from Parkersburg South High School a few years ago. My sister married Cecil Hinton and has one child, Kyle Hinton. She works at GE Chemicals, where I also worked during my summers in college.
My wife, Kimberly Sue Swearingen Kurtz, grew up in Walker (as did both her parents), near the highest point of Wood County. Her father, Fred Swearingen, worked for the B&O Railroad, and was proud of having attended the 1954 WVU Sugar Bowl game. Her mom, Alice (McCray) Swearingen, was a cook at St. Josephs Hospital. My wife's siblings include John, Sam, Tim, and Curt.
Sue attended Walker Elementary and Washington Junior High. She and I both graduated from high school in 1976. Our children are Ross (1984) and Halley (1989). Ross attends Hamilton Junior High (where I attended 1970-1973), while Halley attends Jefferson Elementary. We have a tortoise shell-and-white cat named Jenny who we rescued from the shelter and has been a wonderful addition to our family. We enjoy the benefits of living close to City Park, including a good view of the fireworks displays.
I spent a lot of my time growing up on Dutch Ridge down at the farm pond behind our house. I wanted my kids to get a little of that same experience even though we live in town. I buried a big black plastic trash can in the backyard, and created our own little pond. We caught minnows, salamanders, and snails (and other small aquatic life) from the pond where I grew up, and transplanted them to our pond (along with some cattails). It may not be much to look at it, but it seems to have become its own self-sufficient ecosystem.
Family Activities We enjoy taking our kids to various activities in the area. Some people seem to think that there is not much to do in our area, but we disagree. There is a lot to see and do in our area if you just make an effort. Our kids have enjoyed programs at the YMCA, YWCA, Parkersburg Boys and Girls Club, Parkersburg Art Center, Smoot Theatre, the Actors Guild, WVU-P, Parkersburg/Wood County Library, the Vienna Library, and the Blennerhassett Island and Museum. Marietta provides additional activities, and our kids have enjoyed the Castle, the Betsy Mills, Showboat Becky Thatcher, Marietta College plays, Campus Martius and the Ohio River Museum.
Other interesting places our kids have enjoyed include the Middleton Doll Factory, Clown Golf, Henderson House, Jungle Drive-In Theatre, Transallegheny Books, Belpre and Marietta Libraries, Fort Fun and the Incredible Community Playgrounds, Parkersburg City Park, McDonough Park, Point Park, Mountwood Park, the sliding board at the Belpre Pool, the high dive at Southwood Park, and riding the Easy Rider bus to the Mall.
There are also a lot of things to see and do within the radius of a 2-3 hour drive. We purchase a family membership at Sunrise Museum in Charleston, which gives us free admission to many other museums around the country. The following is a listing of some of our favorite destinations beyond our local area:
Pittsburgh: Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh Childrens Museum, Pittsburgh Zoo, National Aviary, Inclines, Carnegie Art and Natural History Museum, Phipps Conservatory.
Columbus: COSI, Ohio Village and Ohio Historical Museum, Columbus Art Museum, Columbus Zoo, Santa Maria relica (also Newark earthworks east of Columbus).
Cincinnati: Train station museum center (Cincinnati Historical Museum and Museum of Natural History plus Omnimax Theatre), Cincinnati Zoo, Kings Island, and the new Aquarium in Newport, KY.
Cleveland: Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland Art Museum, Museum of Natural History, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Zoo (also SeaWorld in nearby Aurora).
Dayton: Air Force Museum and Imax Theatre
Akron: Inventure Place
Canton: McKinley Museum
Chillicothe: Tecumseh! outdoor theatre, Moundbuilders National Historical Park
Peebles: Serpent Mound Historical Site
Rio Grande: Bob Evans Farm
Nelsonville: Hocking Valley Scenic Railroad
Athens: Dairy Barn
near Caldwell: The Wilds (animal preserve)
near Jeffersonville: The Ohio Renaissance Festival
near Logan Old Man's Cave and Hocking Hills area
Charleston: Cultural Center, Sunrise, and Rock Lake Putt-Putt
Huntington: Huntington Museum of Art, Camden Park
Moundsville: Penitentiary and the Grave Creek Mound Museum
Wheeling: Oglebay Park, the Good Zoo, the Original Statehouse, the Jamboree, and the NASA Challenger Center
Beckley: Youth Museum, Exhibition Coal Mine, and Grandview outdoor theatre
Sistersville: Townhouse Art Museum and the Ohio River ferry.
Cairo: North Bend State Park & Rail Trail, and Marshall's Hardware Store
Harrisville: Berdines 5 & Dime Store
Fairmont: Prickett's Fort and the City of Fairmont Wave Pool
Salem: Fort New Salem
Putnam County: Wave Pool and the Museum in the Community
West Virginia State Parks and Forests: Among those not listed above which we have visited are Canaan, Blackwater Falls, Pipestem, Hawks Nest, Babcock, Bluestone Lake, Sutton Lake, Stonewall Jackson Lake, Tygart Lake, Cedar Creek, French Creek, Cathedral, Berkeley Springs, Point Pleasant Battlefield, Valley Falls, Dolly Sods, Seneca Rocks, Coopers Rocks, Kanawha, and Cacapon, as well as Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.