About Parkersburg

Situated in western West Virginia, in Wood County, the city of Parkersburg is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers. The area was settled in 1785 as Neal’s Station, and consisted of a land tract originally purchased by Alexander Parker of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The settlement was first chartered by Virginia in 1820, but rechartered by West Virginia in 1863. The name was changed to Parkersburg in 1811, and the city didn’t begin to grow until the completion of the Grafton-Parkersburg branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1857 and the discovery of the nearby Burning Springs oil field in 1860. Today, Parkersburg’s manufactures have diversified to include glass, ferrous metals, chemicals, plastics, and laboratory equipment. The city also supports an agricultural industry that consists of dairying, and fruit and vegetable growing. Ohio Valley College and the West Virginia University are located near Parkersburg, as well as Blennerhassett Island in the Ohio River, which was home to Harman Blennerhassett, a wealthy Irishman who supposedly plotted with Aaron Burr to seize the Southwest and set up an empire. Some popular attractions in Parkersburg include Blennerhassett Museum, Oil and Gas Museum, Sumnerite African-American History Museum, Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park, and Fort Boremane Historical Park. Some exciting events that take place in the city include “Rock the Burg” and “Two Tickets to Paradise.”

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