Virgil Goodrich, Director
608 Hwy 57
P.O. Box 489
Parkersburg, IA 50665
Phone: 319-346-1023
Fax: 319-346-2114
Email: pedofc@mchsi.com
HISTORY
Parkersburg is located in southern Butler County. The site upon which Parkersburg stands, while in its primitive state, was covered with a heavy growth of brush and was spoken of by the pioneers as the "brush bed of the Beaver'. It is located where the north and south forks of the Beaver meet and in the early times, the creeks furnished much needed water power.
The land was originally purchased from the U.S. Government in 1854 by a speculator whose name has been lost to history. No improvements were made upon the land until 1857, when John Connell and his son William, purchased the land and built a log cabin. When the railroad company surveyed this area in the 1860's, they realized the natural advantage of a town being located in this area. A depot was erected in 1865 and two railroads were built through Parkersburg: the Illinois Central and the Chicago Northwestern, giving the town most desirable shipping facilities. The town was soon platted and recorded and given the name of "Parkersburg" in honor of Pascal P. Parker, a prominent settler and the town's first postmaster. The village of Parkersburg became an incorporated town early in the year of 1875.
The first sign of life from a business point of view came with the establishment of a hotel built by Thomas Williams, called "The Williams House". Later it was known as the "Commercial House".
During the holidays of 1913-1914, Parkersburg installed a series of five-globe electroliers. The electric power was furnished by the Parkersburg Electric Light & Power Company, composed of local capitalists who built a plant in 1898 at a cost of ten thousand dollars. The town's road weren't paved until 1920. The first water tower stood on the southeast corner of the school yard and had a capacity of 40,000 gallons.
The very first "Little Red School House" was built in the 1860's. Later it would be used to store fire-fighting equipment. Parkersburg became an independent school district in the Spring of 1871. A new school was built in 1872. This building disappeared in flames on October 9, 1893 in the "great fire of Parkersburg" (which also destroyed most of the business district!). The fire burned with such intensity that the light from the fire could be seen for 25 miles. The following year (in 1894) a modern, three-story, brick structure was built. It would take until 1930 for the school to add an auditorium and gymnasium.
One of Parkersburg's most beautiful links to the past is the C.C. Wolf Mansion, now called The Parkersburg Historical Home. The Queen Anne style mansion was built in 1895 as a wedding gift for Wolf and his bride Mary Wilson. Some of the outstanding features in the home are the leaded glass stained windows, and the imported hand-carved woodwork. A closed passageway underneath the front staircase brings many stories of the secret tunnel out to the stables! The Parkersburg Historical Society has restored this home, preserving it as a museum that is a popular tourist attraction.
In the year 2000, Parkersburg celebrated its 125th year as an incorporated community. Proud of the past, we are growing with pride!
On May 25, 2008 at 4:59 p.m, the southern third of Parkersburg was devastated by an EF 5 tornado. 282 homes, 22 businesses 37 assisted living residences, and 8 lives were all lost. The tornado traveled for 43 miles until finally ending near the Black Hawk and Buchannan County line.
One year later, Parkersburg looks like a new housing development. Hundreds of homes and many businesses are back up and running. Some people moved out of Parkersburg after they lost their homes, but many stayed and rebuilt.
Proud of the past, we are growing with pride.
Pictures courtesy of Becky Thorne from her weekly column in the Eclipse-News-Review
