by Marie Bundy

The grounds on which Barnesville stands were much noted for the quantity of ginseng that grew upon them. Hundreds of pounds were gathered annually. The ginseng gatherers, usually young boys, carried their dinners with them and used to eat on the knob where Watt's foundry stands, drinking from a spring that gurgled from the bank at the end of the nearby hollow. When the oldest of the party thought it was time for dinner, he called by whooping through his hands, and all would come running and eat their lunch under a large tree. The ginseng was dried and then transported to St. Clairsville to buy salt and other needed items for their pioneer families.

Source: History of Belmont and Jefferson Counties

 

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