A site dedicated to the appreciation and preservation of Parkersburg's history.

"Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense, but the past perfect!" - Owen Lee Pomeroy



Parkersburg had its beginning with the location of a settlement at the mouth of the Little Kanawha as early as 1773. In that year Robert Thornton, of Pennsylvania, obtained a settlement title to 400 acres of land at this point. In 1783 this title was confirmed to him. In December of 1783, the lands were surveyed for Alexander Parker, of Pennsylvania, assignee of Thornton, and in July, 1787, his title was confirmed by the State, and a patent was issued by Beverly Randolph, Governor of Virginia. Parker died in 1800 and the land descended to his daughter, Mary, and, the title, being disputed, a suit followed, which continued until 1809, when the Parker heirs gained possession, and December 11, 1810, the town was laid out and named Parkersburg in honor of Alexander Parker. It was incorporated by the State Legislature, January 22, 1820.