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Riverview Cemetery (Cook Cemetery)
Wood County, West Virginia
13th and Ann Sts
Parkersburg WV
Lat: 39° 16' 25"N, Lon: 81° 33' 16"W
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.
This transcription was completed on Aug 25, 2003 from a physical examination of the stones present, when I walked the cemetery, plus old records.- Teresa Fordyce
