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Parkersburg, West Virginia
Parkersburg Pictures and Links above the Previews Below Lead to the Rest of the Photographs and Stories on Parkersburg, West Virginia:
History of Parkersburg, West Virginia, a center of trade and industry for well over 200 years, grew out of the roots of a permanent settlement established by Captain James Neal, a veteran of Lord Dunmore’s War and the Revolutionary War. Captain Alexander Parker purchased the land in 1783. The settlement was first surveyed in 1796 as Springfield. In 1810, Parkersburg was resurveyed and renamed as Parkersburg—in honor of Capt. Parker. . . .
These Parkersburg photographs recently taken by me and the older local pictures posted as well as the maps below portray some of the interesting Ohio River Valley history and pertinent attractions that visitors to Wood County and its environs are encouraged to pursue further at any time. . . .
Flood control and protection of Parkersburg, West Virginia have always been on the mind of this Mid-Ohio city—ever since the Ohio and Little Kanawha Rivers began drowning the downtown area. . . .
Parkersburg, West Virginia has needed flood protection from the overflowing waters of the Ohio and Little Kanawha Rivers ever since 1783, when Capt. Alexander Parker purchased the land the city rose upon. . . .
Blennerhassett Island, in the aerial photograph above, is located in the Ohio River a little over a mile west of Parkersburg, West Virginia; and it is a beautiful island worth exploring by distant as well as local visitors. “People who get the most pleasure out of life—pleasure that lasts and grows over the years—are those who explore their own neighborhood to gain for themselves and their families knowledge and enjoyment of all the interesting places and things their area has to offer them,” says Larry Brian Radka.
Following the lead of some of the Eastern States, Parkersburg also enjoyed the old horse-drawn trolleys in the latter part of the nineteenth century. . . .
Parkersburg WV (West Virginia) souvenir postcards are often posted on Ebay for auction or sale as single mementos that go for a hefty price, but seldom in a folder containing 24 keepsakes that go for a meager $8 plus $2 for shipping and handling. However, winning the recent auction for these beautifully colored postcards—whose pictures date from about 1900 to 1924—was my good fortune on February 1st, 2009. Therefore, I want to share with you a look at these magnificent relics, along with some brief but interesting information about each scene. Occasionally, I will place an underlined link to some related Web page for you to enjoy also. . . .
The Cornerstone of the Carnegie Public Library at 725 Green Street in Parkersburg, West Virginia was laid on October 20, 1904 amid a big ceremony conducted by the Grand Lodge of Masons. . . .
Parkersburg West Virginia energetically but peacefully demonstrated on its first—but hardly last—Tax-Day Tea Party like hundreds of other communities across the United States on April 15, 2009. . . .
REFERENCES FOR THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGES
Much more information on Parkersburg and West Virginia may be found at Trans Allegheny Books, West Virginia’s largest used bookstore, and a visual pleasure to visit. This Parkersburg storehouse of knowledge is housed in the old Carnegie Library, with hardwood floors and old oak trim, a wrought iron and brass spiral staircase, a curved oak stairway hugging the walls covered with old pictures, a beautiful stained-glass window overlooking downtown Parkersburg, and over 500,000 old books, some in oak bookcases to boot. The Carnegie Library at 725 Green Street was built in 1905 and is still almost in mint condition, as the photographs below confirm.
Burgess, Frances C., The State of West Virginia, Supplement to "New Geography, Book Two" of the Frye-Atwood Geographical Series 1929 (Several photos and maps)
Callahan, James Morton, Professor of History and Political Science, West Virginia University, Semi-Centennial History of West Virginia 1913 (Many photos & Maps)
Conley, Phil, West Virginia Yesterday and Today 1931 (Many photos, and maps)
Dawson, James & Null, Gary, Parkersburg: An Early Portrait (No copyright notice or copyright date but many old photos)
Hungerford, Edward, The Story of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad 1827-1927, two volumes 1928 (Many photos and maps)
Johnston, Ross B., West Virginia, The Mountain State, Land of the Laurel and the Pine, Guide to a Few of Its Many Scenic and Historic Spots for Visitors by Rail and Trail, 1927 (Many photos and maps)
Shawkey, M. P., A. M. PedD., West Virginia, A Book of Geography, History, and Industry 1922 (Many photos, and maps)
Textbook, History and Government of West Virginia 1915 (Many illustrations)
Writers for Mines and Minerals magazines, Volume XXVIII, August 1907 to July 1908 (Many photos and West Virginia oil-well drilling information)
Workers of the Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of West Virginia, West Virginia, A Guide to the Mountain State 1941 (Many photos)
This photograph of the old 1905 Carnegie Library stained glass window in Parkersburg, West Virginia was taken in 2008.
This page was last modified on Friday, August 20, 2010