Historical Markers and War Memorials in Wood County, West Virginia
Adjacent to Wood County, West Virginia
▶ Jackson County(16) ▶ Pleasants County(5) ▶ Ritchie County(9) ▶ Wirt County(5) ▶ Athens County, Ohio(47) ▶ Meigs County, Ohio(51) ▶ Washington County, Ohio(104)
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On West Virginia Route 68 near Lee Creek Road (Local Road 1/7), on the right when traveling south.
Just north of here, Joseph Wood built a fort in 1785 on land first patented by Dr. James Craik, friend of George Washington. Garrisoned by Virginia troops in 1791, it was the most important outpost between the Kanawha and Little Kanawha rivers. — — Map (db m124349) HM
On Little Kanawha Connector (2nd Street) near Ann Street, on the right when traveling north.
This park is dedicated to the memory of Albert Johnson Woofter, who for 42 years heralded Parkersburg and the Little Kanawha area through his popular Town and Country column and other writings in the Parkersburg News.
Al was one of the . . . — — Map (db m124245) HM
Situated just 1.8 miles below Parkersburg in the Ohio River is historic Blennerhassett Island. This 3.8 mile long island was once the home of the wealthy Irish immigrants Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett. After moving to the Island in 1798, they . . . — — Map (db m73569) HM
On Little Kanawha Connector (2nd Street) near Ann Street.
Harman Blennerhassett purchased island in 1797, and built for his bride a mansion which became the showplace of the Ohio Valley. Aaron Burr was his guest in 1805. Here they planned a military expedition with the intention to conquer the Southwest. — — Map (db m124220) HM
Wood County formally organized, August 12, 1799, at the home of Colonel Hugh Phelps, who came here, 1787. Phelps made the first effort to arrest Burr and Blennerhassett. About 1800, he built this house, later the home of Thomas Tavernner. — — Map (db m73625) HM
On 3rd Street at Juliana Street (West Virginia Route 68), on the right when traveling north on 3rd Street.
During the Civil War, several Parkersburg residents played a role in carving the new state of West Virginia from the Old Dominion of Virginia and in representing it at the national level.
Much of the political life of the city took place in . . . — — Map (db m73520) HM
In 1773, Robert Thornton claimed 1400 acres encompassing today's downtown Parkersburg, but sold it ten years later to Captain Alexander Parker, for whom the town was later named. The first permanent settler was Captain James Neal who erected a . . . — — Map (db m73570) HM
The Ohio R. was a major gateway to freedom for enslaved Africans via the Underground Railroad, a clandestine network of people, places, routes, and modes of transportation used in their flight from bondage. Network's peak activity was between 1830 . . . — — Map (db m73565) HM
On Fort Boreman Drive 1 mile south of Robert Byrd Highway (U.S. 50).
The men of Co. A, 11th West Virginia Infantry (US), constructed Fort Boreman in 1863 to protect the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad here. The B&O, the most important east-west rail line that linked the Atlantic coast with the American interior, was . . . — — Map (db m73585) HM
On Fort Boreman Drive 1 mile south of Robert Byrd Highway (Route 50).
Fort Boreman was a military fortification constructed by the United States Army during the Civil War. The protection of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the two turnpikes, the Northwestern and the Staunton-Parkersburg, and river port facilities was . . . — — Map (db m73607) HM
On Fort Boreman Drive 1 mile south of Robert Byrd Highway (U.S. 50).
The prominent known locally as Fort Boreman Hill encompasses almost 250 acres. However, the actual site of Fort Boreman, its gun stations, powder magazine, and winter quarters, utilized only a small portion of the hill.
The same natural . . . — — Map (db m73618) HM
On Little Kanawha Connector (2nd Street) north of Ann Street.
At the Little Kanawha, 1774, George Rogers Clark and 90 companions, largely recruited in what is now West Virginia, assembled on their way into Kentucky. Their plans, halted by Indian Wars, later resulted in conquest of the Northwest. — — Map (db m124219) HM
On Little Kanawha Connector (2nd Street) near Ann Street.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the historic Blennerhassett Hotel, we dedicate this monument to the city of Parkersburg and the Blennerhassett Historical Park Commission on the day, Saturday, May 6, 1989.
On Fort Boreman Drive 1 mile south of Robert Byrd Highway (U.S. 50).
One and one-half miles below the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers lies historic Blennerhassett Island, home of the Irish aristocrat Harman Blennerhassett and his wife Margaret from 1798 to 1806. Blennerhassett is known for his . . . — — Map (db m73602) HM
On Fort Boreman Drive 1 mile south of Robert Byrd Highway (U.S. 50).
Parkersburg was permanently settled in 1785 by Capt. James Neal, a veteran of Lord Dunmore’s War and the Revolutionary War. It was first surveyed in 1796 as Springville, chartered in 1800 as Newport, and resurveyed and renamed Parkersburg in 1810 in . . . — — Map (db m73590) HM
On Juliana Street (West Virginia Route 68) at 3rd Street on Juliana Street.
Born in Parkersburg on April 11,
1821, Blair was an attorney before
the Civil War. Elected in 1861 to
fill a vacancy in the US House of
Representatives, he served until
1865 and was a staunch supporter
of the Union and WV statehood. On
New . . . — — Map (db m124280) HM
On Ann Street just north of 13th Street, on the left when traveling north.
With the end of the Civil War, the opening of West Virginia’s oil and gas industry, the quickened pace of roads, railroads and rivers, and the influx of industry, the city’s population grew. The area just north of town which included Juliana and . . . — — Map (db m124212) HM
Neal's Station or Fort Neal was built in 1785 by Capt. James Neal, Revolutionary War veteran, who led a party of settlers to the mouth of the Little Kanawha. Neal first came here in 1783 surveying present site of Parkersburg. — — Map (db m73623) HM WM
Ohio Named for the river, called by the Iroquois the "Beautiful River." Visited by LaSalle in 1769-1770. Once part of the Northwest Territory. Settled at Marietta, 1788. Admitted to the Union, 1803. Home of 8 United States Presidents. West . . . — — Map (db m73515) HM
On Old US 50 (SR 618) at Staunton Avenue (SR 47) on Old US 50 (SR 618).
Here is the site of the Old Tollgate House where the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike and the Northwestern Turnpike met. Surveyed by Col. Claudius Crozet, both roads were completed to the Ohio River by 1850. — — Map (db m73619) HM
On Old US 50 (SR 618) at Staunton Avenue (SR 47) on Old US 50 (SR 618).
Washington, who had favored the Braddock Road, proposed the Northwestern Turnpike to the Ohio through Virginia in 1784. It was completed to Parkersburg in 1838. The road from Staunton to Parkersburg was opened in 1847. — — Map (db m73620) HM
On Juliana Street at 5th Street on Juliana Street.
Blockhouse at "Point" built by Virginia for border defense during the Indian hostilities. Garrisoned by troops under Bogard, Coburn, and others. Still standing in 1803. County seat established in 1800 on land given by John Stokley. — — Map (db m73517) HM
Founded in 1867, Parkersburg High’s
current Tudor structure is a Frank
Packard design built in 1917. PHS
was the state’s largest high school
until 1940 and served all of the
city until 1967, when a second high
school opened on the South Side . . . — — Map (db m124211) HM
On Fort Boreman Drive 1 mile south of Robert Byrd Highway (U.S. 5).
Parkersburg, (West) Virginia, was first settled permanently in 1785 by Capt. James Neal and other kinfolk and neighbors from Springhill Township, Fayette County, Pa. First chartered by the Virginia Assembly in 1800 as Newport, the town was . . . — — Map (db m73605) HM
On Ann Street at 12th Street, on the left when traveling north on Ann Street.
Born in New York, 1808, he moved to Wood County in 1835 and practiced law. Was officer of Northwestern Virginia Railroad and delegate to Virginia constitutional convention, 1850-51. Delegate to Wheeling and constitutional conventions during war, he . . . — — Map (db m124215) HM
Railroads played an important role in the development of Parkersburg. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached Parkersburg in 1857, and the railroad bridge over the Ohio River was completed in 1871. It measures 7140 feet in length and at the time of . . . — — Map (db m73568) HM
Sumner School. Established in January 1862 thru the leadership of Robert Simmons. First free school south of Mason-Dixon Line. Later named for abolitionist senator Charles Sumner. First high school class graduated, 1887. Closed in 1955 as . . . — — Map (db m73516) HM
On Camden Avenue (West Virginia Route 95) east of Hamilton Street, on the right when traveling east.
To the east of this cemetery, on the banks of
the Little Kanawha River, in 1785, Captain James
Neal formed the first permanent settlement in
Wood County, Virginia. The vast acreage owned
by Captain Neal and his son-in-law, Colonel Hugh . . . — — Map (db m124281) HM
On Fort Boreman Drive 1 mile south of Robert Byrd Highway (U.S. 50).
The Ohio River, called La Belle Riviere (the beautiful river) by the French, derives its name from an Iroquois word meaning “good river” or “large river.” The Ohio flows generally along a southwesterly 981-mile course from . . . — — Map (db m73592) HM WM
The confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha Rivers is known as “the Point.” It was the site of downtown Parkersburg’s earliest settlement and the stopping place for several famous people. George Washington paused here in his trip down . . . — — Map (db m73580) HM
On Old US 50 (SR 618) at Staunton Avenue (SR 47) on Old US 50 (SR 618).
This marks the site of The Toll House at the meeting of the Staunton and Northwestern Pikes over which came the sturdy pioneers to settle Wood County. — — Map (db m73621) HM
On Little Kanawa Connector north of Ann Street, on the right when traveling north.
At the beginning of the Civil War, both sides recognized the strategic importance of Parkersburg. Besides its location on the Ohio River, the Northwestern Virginia Railroad branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Staunton and Parkersburg . . . — — Map (db m73538) HM
West Virginia's First Governor Arthur I. Boreman presided at June 1861 Wheeling Convention where statehood plan formulated. Elected state's first governor June 20, 1863. He served three, two-year terms, resigning in 1868 to take U.S. Senate . . . — — Map (db m73519) HM
Aunt Jenny, African American, who blew horn at the "Point" as signal to river boats, served as "Conductor" on the Underground Railroad. Jane, of "low stature and very fleshy," "lame in one leg," and age 50, escaped Aug. 1843 with seven of her . . . — — Map (db m73564) HM WM
On Dupont Road (West Virginia Route 892) west of Meldahl Rd (County Route 36), on the right when traveling west.
A tract of 2314 acres was acquired by George Washington three miles west on Dec. 15, 1772, for services in the French and Indian War. It was surveyed by William Crawford in June, 1771. It bordered for five miles on the Ohio River. — — Map (db m124330) HM
Lord Dunmore’s army train camped here in 1774 on the way to Indian country. The route followed the old trail crossing the Ohio at the mouth of Hocking River. Here in 1791 Indians killed Nicholas Carpenter and party. — — Map (db m124210) HM
On Dupont Road (West Virginia Route 95) at West Virginia Route 68, on the right when traveling east on Dupont Road.
In addition to its historic importance
Blennerhassett Island also contains
important prehistoric sites. Several
Indian villages exist on the Island,
and large collections of Indian artifacts have been found here. Largest
of the sites, a Fort . . . — — Map (db m124317) HM
Archbold Henderson was the brother of Alexander Henderson, father of G. W. Henderson who built Henderson Hall. He was Commandant of the Marine Corps for 38 years from 1821 to 1859. He served on the U.S. Constitution, “Old Ironsides” in . . . — — Map (db m73514) WM
On River Road at Williams Highway (West Virginia Route 14), on the left when traveling south on River Road.
This was the home of George Washington Henderson, a prominent Wood County resident, slaveholder, and participant in the West Virginia statehood movement during the Civil War. Henderson served as a member of the county’s contingent to the convention . . . — — Map (db m73513) HM
This restored colonial brick mansion built, 1839, by Joseph Tomlinson III, is town's oldest home. John Audubon, famous U.S. naturalist who painted and wrote about birds of North America, spent some time here studying birds of the area. — — Map (db m73512) HM
Named for Isaac Williams, who settled in 1787 on land preempted in 1770 by Joseph Tomlinson and his children, Joseph, Samuel, and Rebecca. Williams, veteran of border wars, married Rebecca. Court met at their home in 1800. — — Map (db m73496) HM
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