Contributed by Teresa Fordyce, Aug 27, 2003, last edited Jul 19,
2007 [s82c43@verizon.net].
Total records = 1,094.
This cemetery is one of, if not the oldest community cemetery
in Parkersburg. It is the final resting place of many Doctors,
Lawyers, Politicians, and other influential citizens of Parkersburg.
The cemetery is one of the stops on the Historical Tour of Parkersburg.
Area folklore says that the cemetery is haunted, and several ghost
sightings have been reported over the years.
The cemetery grounds were originally part of a 2,400 acre parcel
of land owned by Captain Alexander Parker, for whom Parkersburg
is named. Joseph Cook of Massachusetts bought a 200 acre section
of Parker's land in 1802. The cemetery was at first used by the
Cook family and was called the Cook Cemetery.
In 1843, Pardon and Tillinghast Cook deeded a 1 acre section
of the property to be used as a community cemetery, after having
inherited the property from their father, Joseph Cook. It was
then that the cemetery became known as the Riverview Cemetery.
By 1925 when Wood County Historian, John A. House did his survey
of the cemetery it had grown to just over 2.5 acres in size. The
cemetery has not grown in size since that point, and new burials
have been rare in recent years.
John A. House noted some burials in his 1925 transcription, which
I was unable to locate. Those entries will be marked with asterisks
(*). This will no doubt account for many of the unreadable and
unmarked graves that I noted on my visit. Mr. House also noted
several unmarked graves and unreadable stones. Due to the condition
of many of the stones, complete accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
Please verify dates with other sources.
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