Wood County is named for James Wood, who was a Governor of Virginia.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Washington County, Ohio and Pleasants County
E – Richie County and Wirt County
S – Jackson County
W – Meigs County, Ohio, Athens County, Ohio and Washington County, Ohio
Created: December 21, 1798 
County Seat:
Parkersburg 1798 – present
County Courthouse – Parkersburg
Location: 1 Courthouse Square / 3rd Street & Market Street
Built: 1899 – 1900
Style: Romanesque
Architect: L W Thomas of Canton, Ohio
Contractor: Caldwell & Drake of Columbus, Indiana
Description: The building faces northwest and is a three rough stone story structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Parkersburg. The northwest front has a large arched entrance on the first floor with a high square stone tower rising eight stories to an open section. Each corner of the building has a square tower with steep red colored roof and dormer windows. The upper windows are arched. The roof is sloped. In the interior there is an iron stairway and mosaic floors. The courtroom on the second story has a stained glass window. During construction W F Wood was the superintendent. On the west side is the County Administratiion Building and on southwest side is the County Judicial Building and to the south is the County Magistrate Court Building.
Note: 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 West Virginia at 164 feet.
See: The contractor, Caldwell & Drake Construction of Columbus, Indiana also constructed courthouses in Boone County, Monroe County, Putnam County and Starke County; in Ohio in Mahoning County and Ottawa County; in Pennsylvania in Somerset County, and in West Virginia in Wetzel County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Wood County Courthouse
County Judicial Building – Parkersburg
Location: 2 Government Square / Market Street
Built: 1982 – 1983
Style: Modern
Architect: Silling Associates, Inc. and Earl C Stephensand
Contractor: E Stephens Construction Company
Description: The building faces northeast and is a three story buff colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Parkersburg to the southwest of the courthouse. The northeast front has horizontal glass panels on each story with brown colored panels between the stories. Along the sides are narrow vertical windows. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 4th Judicial Circuit and County Family Court. The building is named as the Holmes R Shaver Judicial Building.
Note: The Magistrate Court Building is located at 401 2nd Street and Green Street.
History: The county was created in 1798 and Parkersburg was selected as the county seat. The county met at the home of Hugh Phelps The first courthouse was a two story log structure built in 1802. The second courthouse was built in 1817. The third courthouse was a two story brick structure built in 1860 at a cost of $25,000. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1899 to 1900 at a cost of $100,000. The County Judicial Building was constructed in 1982 to 1983.
County Courthouse – Parkersburg
County Judicial Building – Parkersburg
County Administration Building – Parkersburg
Photos taken 2012