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In 1785, Captain Alexander Parker bought what is now Parkersburg. In 1795, Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett bought an island called Backus Island, two miles below Parkersburg. Riverboat transportation became more important in the 1800s. In 1838, the Northwestern Turnpike was completed, followed by the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike in 1847 and the Northwestern Virginia Railroad in 1857, which improved travel to Parkersburg. This led to rapid new development in the area.
