Wood County Historical and Preservation Society
Celebrating and Preserving the History of Wood County, West Virginia
It's a GO!
The Street Railway is an Assured Fact. Some of the material for its construction already ordered. Horse cars will be used. Mighty Good News.
The street railway is a go. That it will be built is now an assured fact. And it will be built at once, another important fact.
At a meeting of the stockholders of the Park City Street Railway Company, held today, it was ordered that the road be bonded at not to exceed six-thousand dollars per mile, and that the work of construction should begin as soon as possible.
Immediately after the adjournment of the stockholders a meeting of the board of directors was held. At this meeting, the president of the company, Mr. Gould, was authorized to order a carload of iron at once, to be used in the laying of the first part of the track. Mr. Gould ordered the iron this afternoon.
The superintendent, Capt. Shaw, was instructed to order at once the tires and planks necessary for the construction of the roadbed. These materials were also ordered today.
Ordinary horse care are to be used at first, and the line will be in operation this summer.
The subscriptions of the stockholders were called in at today's meeting, and the enterprise will be pushed vigorously and in a business way.
All aboard! "A red trip slip for a five-cent fare," etc.
Parkersburg Daily State Journal, April 17, 1889.
All Aboard!
Superintendent Shaw has had a summer car constructed for use on the street railway line and is now running between Eleventh Street and Elberon. This is only a temporary provision for use in getting the track in good shape for a few days until this line can be completed to the turntable at Seventh Street.
Parkersburg Daily State Journal, June 6, 1889.
The Last Spike
The Last Spike Driven on the Street Railway by Mayor Gibbens.
This morning at 11:30, Mayor Gibbens drove the last spike under the present contract in the street railway line, at Seventh and Market Streets, thus completing the line as far as contemplated at this time. Of course the line will eventually be extended all over the city, but the track under the present management is now completed.
The railway now runs from Seventh Street up Market to Thirteenth, then up thirteenth to Spring, on Spring to Bently Avenue in Elberon, thence to St. Mary's Avenue, and out that avenue to the new street (Park Avenue ) that leads to the Fair Grounds. The line will soon be in thorough running order, and its projectors are to be congratulated for their good work. Capt. F. S. Shaw has had the matter in charge, and it is due to him to say that he has pushed the work along as rapidly as possible.
The stables will be located at the suburban end of the line, and arrangements are now being made for the accommodation of a number of horses.
Speed the day when the street railway will penetrate to the farthest suburb, and to every part of the city.
Parkersburg Daily State Journal, June 14, 1889.
Thinking Preservation!
A few years from now, when the Parkersburg Street Railway enterprise gets to be one of the most profitable and flourishing concerns in the city, the first car will be preserved as an interesting curiosity. It was constructed by that well-known contractor and builder, Jack Horn, expressly to fill an order of Captain Shaw. It was paid for with a load of Nebraska hay which will last Mr. Horn's horses for several years. The regular cars will be put on in a short time and the present car will be put in a museum.
Parkersburg Daily State Journal, June 18, 1889.