By GAGE VOTA

Times Leader Staff Writer

BARNESVILLE — Belmont County Victorian Mansion Museum opened its doors for its 2025 season.

Belmont County Victorian Mansion Museum board member Sandy Monahan said she is excited for the season opening and hopes to be able to attract residents from all across the Ohio Valley to observe the vast history that has been preserved in the Victorian mansion.

Monahan said the mansion was built for John Bradfield and his wife Sarah. Construction began in 1888 and was completed by 1893.

She added that the mansion cost $65,000 to build, which would roughly be equivalent to $2 million today.

“The woodwork is all hand carved. They were wealthy, and they wanted people to know they were wealthy,” she said. “There was no electricity in Barnesville when the museum was built, so they had to use gas, but they wired it for electricity because he knew it was coming. So everything, all the lights that are original, have the gas up above and then the electric down below so that it would be ready when the electricity came.”

The Bradfields lived in the mansion until the time of John Bradfield’s death. Shortly afterward, it was sold to Earl and Pearl Watt, who lived in the home until 1965.

She said that after the Watts died, the property was purchased in 1966 by the Belmont County Historical Society, which began restoring it.

“If you want to see what a house looked like in the … 1800s, … this is where you should come,” Monahan said.

She added that the museum has 26 rooms that are preserved to show what life was like for a wealthy family in the 1800s.

Something that Monahan said is a new addition to the museum is that it will have mannequins on display in party clothing that was worn in the 1800s.

“This year, we are going to redress the mannequins in some appropriate party clothing. And on the second floor, we have a collection of about 100 hats from the 1800s to pretty much the present day,” she said.

According to the museum’s website, when entering through the Walton Avenue carriage entrance, you are met with finely carved oak fretwork, complete with a winged griffin, the guardian of the house.

Monahan said that the griffin wasn’t just seen as a guardian of the house but also as a good luck charm by the Bradfields.

She added that she constantly hears people who are visiting the museum say that they’ve lived in Barnesville or the Ohio Valley their entire life but have never been to the museum, and she is hoping that changes.

The museum is open 1-4 p.m. Friday through Sunday and is located at 532 N. Chestnut St. in Barnesville with an admission cost of $8 for adults and $2 for anyone under 18 years old.