Wood County Courthouse (West Virginia)

The Wood County Courthouse is a public building in downtown Parkersburg, West Virginia, in the United States.^[2] The courthouse was built in 1899 at a cost of $100,000 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style by local contractors Caldwell & Drake, according to the plans of architect L. W. Thomas of Canton, Ohio.^[3] The current courthouse is the fifth to be built in the county replacing one built in 1860. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 for its architectural significance.^[1] During his 1912 presidential campaign Theodore Roosevelt stopped in Parkersburg and spoke from the Market street entrance of the courthouse. On 2 July 2020 a new steeple was added to the bell tower replacing one that had been removed in 1952. With the new steeple the courthouse is now the tallest in the state at 164 ft.^[4]

Wood County Courthouse in the 1970s after urban renewal projects in downtown.

Wood County Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The Wood County Courthouse in 2006
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Location	Court Sq. at 3rd and Market St., Parkersburg, West Virginia
Coordinates	39°15′53″N 81°33′46″W
Area	1.3 acres (0.53 ha)
Built	1899
Built by	Caldwell & Drake
Architect	L. W. Thomas
Architectural style	Romanesque Revival
NRHP reference No.	79002606[1]
Added to NRHP	August 29, 1979

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Wood County, West Virginia