West Virginia, Wood County, Parkersburg
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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 its opening was the longest railroad bridge in the world. For many years Parkersburg was a well-known stop on the main line of the B&O Railroad from Washington to St. Louis and a major transportation center with its rail, river and highway connections. The Ann Street Station pictured here stood on this site from 1887 to 1959 and served the north-south line between Huntington and Wheeling. Another station, a few blocks away on Sixth Street, served the more heavily used east-west line
(Railroads & Streetcars) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
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 its opening was the longest railroad bridge in the world. For many years Parkersburg was a well-known stop on the main line of the B&O Railroad from Washington to St. Louis and a major transportation center with its rail, river and highway connections. The Ann Street Station pictured here stood on this site from 1887 to 1959 and served the north-south line between Huntington and Wheeling. Another station, a few blocks away on Sixth Street, served the more heavily used east-west line(Railroads & Streetcars) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
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 started construction of a magnificent Georgian style mansion which was completed in 1800. Surrounding their mansion were extravagantly landscaped lawns, a formal garden and several other structures. They fled their Island estate in 1806 after becoming involved with Aaron Burr in his plan to develop a Southwest empire. In 1811, the mansion accidentally burned to the ground. It was rebuilt in 1985 as part of an historical park being developed by the State of West Virginia.
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 blockhouse in 1785. By 1800, the village had grown to a number of log cabins, a store and a tavern and was called Newport. In 1810, the town was laid out and from then on was known by its present name. Parkersburg has experienced several boom periods starting first with oil in the early 1860s. Later prosperity came from a thriving timber industry and from being a military center during the Civil War. The scene at the left was Court Square, just a few blocks from here, in the early 1900s.
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 the Ohio in 1770, as did James Monroe in 1785 and George Rogers Clark about the same time. In 1792 the State of Virginia built a blockhouse at the Point to protect the settlers from Indians. The public landing for packets, flatboats and steamboats made it the center for commerce and transportation. It was also the location of the ferryboats between Parkersburg and Belpre, Ohio. The ferry pictured here, the Nina Paden, was the last vessel of its kind to operate from the Point ceasing service in 1916.
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.
The Dam and building foundations seen here are the remains of the Sligo Creek Waterworks which served the town of Takoma from 1900 to 1930. At times, Silver Spring, Chevy Chase, Kensington and Bethesda also received water from this plant until these expanding communities outgrew its capacity. The dam, a filtration plant and pumper at this location, together with a 140-foot water tower on Ethan Allen Avenue comprised the complete waterworks. The town of Takoma sold the facility in 1919 to the Washington Suburban Sanitary commission which operated it until its abandonment in 1930. During its thirty year history the capacity of the plant increased from approximately 100, 000 to 720, 000 gallons daily.
During the Civil War, Union troops stationed here guarded the viaduct against destruction by southern forces. The viaduct stands today as originally built, 612 feet long, 28 feet wide, and curving in a graceful four degree arc across the Patapsco. Well into the second century yet bearing the weight of modern trains it has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
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 honor of Capt. Alexander Parker, who had purchased the land in 1785. From its earliest days, Parkersburg was a center for trade and industry. 
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, IL, where it empties into the Mississippi River. It is the largest tributary of that river, the longest in North America.
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 vitally important for the safe shipment of military supplies as well as the U.S. Army troops. The safety of the railroad, however, depended on its being defended against Confederate attacks that could occur anywhere along the hundreds of miles of track. Although Federal officials at first were slow to act, eventually a series of blockhouses and fortifications were constructed to protect the line itself as well as rail yards and bridges.
