The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-09-17

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der than several of the counties to
the east of it. 1t has an area of 357
square miles and a population of
about $4,000. The county is named in
honor of James Wood, who was Gov
ernor of Virginia when the county was
formed.
And so into Parkersburg. Parkers-
burg is not just town; it is city
and it has been in existence for many
years. But it has little or none of the
colonial atmosphere that is usually
associated with the old cities in Vir-
ginia. Perhaps that is because it is
essentially a manufacturing city, and
manufacturing cities are VIGOROUSLY
up to date. There are always new
elements of population coming in to
stir things up and create changes.
The first settlement at the place
where the city now stands was made
in 1888, when Alexander Parker pur-
chased the land for $50. There was
tavern at the site of the city in
1889. Parkersburg is the final result
of the growing together of three small
towns located by early settlers at the
point where the Little Kanawha joins
the Ohio. These towns were Vienna,
founded in 1895, and Monroe and
Newport, because of it's location at
the junction of the two rivers, was
chosen as the location for the court
house.
In 1912 a brick courthouse was
erected in the public square. About
the same time and in the same vicinity
was built the famouse Bell Tavern,
later known as the United States Ho-
tel and finally as the Stratford.
The greater development of the
town dates from the completion of the
Northwestern Turnpike in 1887 and
the Stanton Turnpike in 1843, both
bringing increased business and MAX
ing Parkersburg an important river
port. In 1889 the Northwestern Bank
of Virginia was established. In 1S47
toll bridge was built across the Lit
tie Kanawha for the convenience of
the people on the other side of the
river. The railroad brought addition
al business in 1857 as did the develop
ment of the oil business in 1859 and
later.
The oil industry in what is now
West Virginia started about the
same time as the War between the
States, and the Confederates did their
best to have the two endeavors finish
about the same time. In May, 1868,
General William Jones raided the oil
operations at Burning Springs, about
80 miles from Parkersburg, and kin
died the greatest bonfire West Vir-
ginia ever had, destroying 100000 bar
rels of oil in one night.
In 1864, John Russell Young, a
Philadelphia writer, visited Parkers-
burg, and, among other things, said
this about it:
"Parkersburg is the oil metropolis
of West Virginia. At the junction of
the Ohio and the Little Kanawha
Rivers, and connected with the north
and the west with branch of the B.
and o. Railway, it commands all of
the trade of the West Virginia valley.
1t is struggling, imperfect, unfn-
ished town. Many rich men live here.
How rich men can content themselves
to live in this place is a mystery of
money getting that 1 cannot under
stand. The oil princes-to use COM
mon term-do not spend all their
wealth here, however. There is very
little gambling, no bowie knives, and
little Of that primitive civilization
which disgraced the Pacific coast. We
are now so near New York and Phila-
delphia that capitalists may come and
see for themselves and return in 10
days."
Oil was at first by-product of the
salt industry and before it's value was
realized thousands of gallons were
pumped into the river. Salt brine is
now nuisance to the oil producers.
In 1887 Parkersburg had three pc
troleum refneries, with an annual out
put of 100000 barrels. The output
from the whole of West Virginia in
1928 from $4,000 wells was 100000
barrels.
The town of Parkersburg was estab-
lished in 1911 and in 1920 the popula-
ton was only 400. The city of Par
kersburg was chartered in 1868, at
which time the population was 5000.
Ten years later it had more than
doubled. In the next 80 years it
doubled again. And in the 80 years
since 1900 it doubled once more. The
present population is about 10000, of
which SO per cent is American-born
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