Fog seems to be prevalent around the Ohio River...more this morning but not too bad.  You can see it hovering above the river and low areas on the river banks.  On the drive up the river I came to Friendly WV and the Mail Pouch Tobacco sign on the side of this barn.  I used to see these signs on barns all the time when we would drive out to the mid-west to visit relatives when I was a kid but I haven't seen one in many years.  It called for a picture!  It makes sense that I would find one here since the company was based in Wheeling WV and I believe Mail Pouch is still being sold.

The stop today was in Sistersville WV, a town founded by my 4th great grandfather Charles Wells who gave the land for the town to two of his daughters Delilah and Sarah.  It was a town that was booming in the late 1800s when oil was being pumped from the yards of many of the residents.  It has a much reduced population and number of businesses these days.  The Wells family cemetery is located just behind the Sistersville General Hospital and has recently been given a face lift by other descendants of the Wells clan.

It was just a little foggy, and thus gave a slightly spooky tone to the visit.  This cemetery is just above the river and according to my grandfather, Friend Wells Jr., it has on occasion been flooded.

I wanted to visit the Sistersville Museum, but it did not open today until 1:00PM so I had time to kill.  I walked around the town and stopped in at the Emporium where I met Terry Wiley the owner.  We chatted quite a bit and it turns out he is transplanted from Cincinnati among other places and owns the Gas Light Theater and several other properties.  He also started the Sistersville Museum, about 10 years ago or so if I recall correctly, and is trying to grow and organize it.  

As I walked around town I happened upon a fellow who was digging out the foundation of the house next to the library and I stopped to chat.  He was very friendly and we chatted for about half an hour.  Believe it or not, he relocated from the wine country north of San Francisco CA just last April.  He's restoring the house.  When I stopped at the library, to kill off a little more time, the person there was similarly very friendly and telling me about the library and how they are now scanning the negatives that they have in their collection, just as we are doing at the Bandon Historical Society Museum.

There were 3 ladies in the museum ready to answer questions and tell stories so I did have a nice visit but they did not allow photos inside the museum.  

Another spot in town to visit was the Wells Inn, which was started by another relative, Ephraim Wells.  For many years it was a very good Inn and restaurant but has been having trouble for a number of years.  It no longer is an inn but is now a boarding house run by a fellow from New York.   Sadly, you can not even enter the building unless you are a resident.  

The last leg of the trip starts tomorrow morning.  The "Welcome to Pennsylvania" sign as I crossed from WV to PA looked strange to me, could it really be Pennsylvania....

Route: https://goo.gl/maps/1sHqtXpay6D2

I'll do one more post following this one to reflect on the trip and post any pics of the final leg.