History

History information is some background and history about the location. This is meant to be a basic summary. Below the history records you will find sources in which you can click on to find out more information. There may be multiple history records per location.

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Also known in former days as the Cook Graveyard. This is one of the most beautiful and historic cemeteries in West Virginia. Like many old Wood County burying grounds, it started as a family plot but gradually evolved into public use. For many years Riverview was called the Cook Family Cemetery, as it was located on their farm. There is some proof, however, the spot may have been a cemetery before the Cooks acquired the land, as the earliest burial in the cemetery is one B.W. Jackson who died in 1801. More distinguished Wood County citizens are buried here than in any other local cemetery. The list of famous names includes two West Virginia governors, Jacob B. Jackson and William E. Stevenson; one congressman; eight Parkersburg mayors; four clerks of the Wood County court; three Wood County sheriffs; six justices of the Wood County court and many early pioneers. Peter Van Winkle, one of the first United States Senators from West Virginia and the man who cast the deciding vote in the 1868 impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson, was interred here in 1872. The shaded paths of this cemetery provide interesting walks leading visitors to unique and striking nineteenth-century tombstones. One such marker is inscripted entirely in Chinese letters and another displays a sailing ship beautifully carved in bold relief.

Added by: sdonley on 08/06/2019 DB#:520
Source(s):
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2318473/riverv...

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