Historical Markers and War Memorials in Parkersburg, West Virginia
Parkersburg is the county seat for Wood County
Parkersburg is in Wood County
Wood County(114) ► ADJACENT TO WOOD COUNTY Jackson County(26) ► Pleasants County(16) ► Ritchie County(12) ► Wirt County(13) ► Athens County, Ohio(69) ► Meigs County, Ohio(58) ► Washington County, Ohio(164) ►
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This monument and section of a World Trade Center Beam
from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
are dedicated to the courage, bravery, and sacrifice of all victims of that horrific day
and to Parkersburg, West Virginia native Mary Lou . . . — — Map (db m189808) HM WM
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
On Market Street at 10th Street, on the right when traveling north on Market Street.
National Register of Historic Places
Calvary Temple Evangelical Church
(First Presbyterian Church)
Presented by Wood County Historic Landmarks Commission — — Map (db m189832) HM
On Juliana Street, on the right when traveling north.
Casto-Douglas-Longacre-Harris House
Circa 1913 Has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior — — Map (db m189838) 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
Escape to Freedom. 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 . . . — — 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 (U.S. 50), on the right when traveling north.
Built in 1863 on Mount Logan by Company A of the 11th WV Infantry to protect the B&O Railroad line between Wheeling and Parkersburg. The defensive structure was named in honor of the new state's first governor, Arthur I. Boreman, who lived in Wood . . . — — Map (db m189780) HM
On Fort Boreman Drive, 1 mile south of Robert Byrd Highway (Route 50). Reported permanently removed.
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), on the right when traveling north.
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 m189772) HM
On Fort Boreman Drive, 1 mile south of Robert Byrd Highway (U.S. 50). Reported permanently removed.
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 Fort Boreman Drive, 1 mile south of Robert Byrd Highway (U.S. 50), on the right when traveling north.
The prominence 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 m189928) HM
On 2nd Street west of Ann Street, on the left when traveling west.
Julia Neale Jackson, visiting her father's home on this site Jan. 21, 1824, bore a son who became the Confederate hero "Stonewall" Jackson. At the first Battle of Bull Run, Gen. Bee cried, "there stands Jackson like a stone wall". The rally behind . . . — — Map (db m189789) 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). Reported permanently removed.
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, on the right when traveling north.
One and one-half miles below the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers lies historic Blennerhassett Island, home of the Irish aristocrat Harnman Blennerhassett and his wife Margaret from 1798 to 1806. Blennerhassett is known for his . . . — — Map (db m189783) 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 Fort Boreman Drive south of Robert Byrd Highway (U.S. 50), on the right when traveling north.
In 1773 Robert Thornton claimed 400 acres on the north bank of the Little Kanawha River where he built a cabin and cultivated land in the area that is now downtown Parkersburg. Thornton sold his claim to Capt. Alexander Parker for $50 in 1785. The . . . — — Map (db m189775) 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 2nd Street at Avery Street, on the right when traveling south on 2nd Street.
Born 1824 to a prominent family,
he was an eminent legal figure in
WV history. A member of the prewar
VA Assembly, he was named a U.S.
district judge by President Lincoln
in 1861. The staunch Unionist ruled
in 1870 that ex-Confederates . . . — — Map (db m206026) 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
On Ann Street at 13th Street, on the right when traveling north on Ann Street.
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 m189844) HM
On Ann Street at 10th Street, on the right when traveling south on Ann Street.
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 m189847) HM
On Ann Street at 9th Street, on the left when traveling west on Ann Street.
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 m190711) HM
On Juliana Street just north of 11th Street, on the right when traveling north.
Date: 6/23/2012 10:06:56 AM
Description: Johann George Lamp married Elizabeth in 1786, Elizabeth was a very beautiful American Indian maiden, who came from the Powhatan tribe which is a sub tribe of the Shawnee, this information is . . . — — Map (db m190758) HM
National Register of Historic Places
Logan Memorial Methodist Church 1891
Presented by Wood County Historic Landmarks Commission — — Map (db m189854) 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
On Memorial Bridge Road just east of the toll booths.
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
On Fort Boreman Drive, 1 mile south of Robert Byrd Highway (U.S. 50), on the right when traveling north.
At the beginning of the Civil War, Parkersburg had a population of 2,500, having doubled in size during the 1850s. The completion of the southern branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1857 increased the size and importance of Parkersburg, then . . . — — Map (db m189786) 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
On Market Street at 11th Street, on the right when traveling north on Market Street.
Politician, journalist, barber, and civic leader
Founder of the first public school for African Americans
south of the Mason-Dixon Line, riding horseback to Washington, D.C., to ask President Abraham Lincoln for a government building in . . . — — Map (db m189833) HM
On Market Street at 7th Street, on the right when traveling west on Market Street.
At this site, on February 8, 1919, a group of twenty seven leading
citizens of Parkersburg met at the Chancellor Hotel to organize the
Rotary Club of Parkersburg while petitioning the International
Association of Rotary Clubs for a charter. . . . — — Map (db m174320) HM
On Market Street, on the right when traveling north.
National Register of Historic Places
Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church - 1869
Presented by Wood County Historic Landmarks Commission — — Map (db m189828) 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). Reported permanently removed.
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 Pittsburgh, PA, to Cairo, . . . — — Map (db m73592) HM WM
On Fort Boreman Drive, 1 mile south of Robert Byrd Highway (U.S. 50), on the right when traveling north.
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 Pittsburgh, PA, to Cairo, . . . — — Map (db m189921) HM
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
The piece of hand cut or "chiseled” stone
before you is an original piece from the
City of Parkersburg's first city building.
The Burea, or Ohio Valley Sandstone
was chosen for it's great strength and
workability. Construction at 5th . . . — — Map (db m189814) 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
On Fort Boreman Drive, on the right when traveling north.
Fort Boreman is the site of a Civil War fort, located on what had been called Mount Logan, overlooking the valley formed by the confluence of the Little Kanawha and Ohio Rivers at Parkersburg. Built by Union troops in 1863 to protect the . . . — — Map (db m189777) 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
On Market Street at 3rd Street, on the left when traveling west on Market Street.
This clock is an 1865 street clock which was originally located in the 300 block of Market Street just yards from the current location. The clock was originally
in front of the G.E. Smith Jewelers and was later moved to 7th and Market Streets . . . — — Map (db m189812) HM
On Fort Boreman Drive, 2.5 miles east of the Blennerhassett Heights exit (U.S. 50), on the left when traveling north.
Born in Clarksburg on February 3,
1825, he served in the VA state
legislature, as lieutenant governor
of VA, and as circuit judge. In 1861
he became colonel of the 3lst VŔ
Infantry. After serving on the staff
of cousin Stonewall Jackson, . . . — — Map (db m172591) 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 Court Square, on the right when traveling east.
Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest
buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America.
These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American
resolve, President George W Bush, September 11, 2001
. . . — — Map (db m189795) WM
On Court Square at 3rd Street, on the left when traveling east on Court Square.
War should be undertaken in such a way as to show that its only object is peace.
Bellum autem ita suscipiatur, ut nihil aliud nisi pax quaesita videatur. Cicero 106 - 43 BCE
. . . — — Map (db m189793) WM
