Photo by Bob Enoch The Bethel A.M.E. Church as it appeared in 1999. Soon after the photo was taken the church was razed. The church was located on Clay Street, just off 8th Street.

Editor’s note: Being a reproduction of historic newspaper excerpts, this column contains language that would not be used in a newspaper today.

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The praying man

On Thursday night our police espied a man in the attitude of prayer before the door of our good Christian friend R.A. Taylor. He was kneeling there with a prayer book in his hand and from all appearances was offering up an earnest appeal for the pardon of his or some other person’s sins. The police waited for him to say amen, but as the night was rainy and cold and the man did not seem inclined to get through, they silently approached him and lo and behold, he was as “full as a tick.” They took him over to hotel de Beckwith [the jail], thinking that the boys there needed his prayers more. They let him remain there all night and this morning he was before the Recorder to show cause why he did thusly.

The Parkersburg Daily State Journal

Oct. 26, 1883

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The ladies of the Episcopal Church will give a doll show next Tuesday evening at Trinity Chapel. A number of the little girls and boys in town will represent different kinds of dolls, and the performance promises to be very interesting and amusing. The little ones have been rehearsing their parts for several days.

The Parkersburg Daily Sentinel

May 14, 1892

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The photograph taken of the little children who took part in the “live doll show” have been finished and are remarkably good. They were taken in their costumes, and Mr. Loomis now has the pictures on exhibition.

The Parkersburg Daily Sentinel

May 23, 1892

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Fund for Repairs

The voluntary subscriptions for the repairs to the organ of Trinity Episcopal Church following the damages by the flood, now amount to about four thousand dollars. One of the subscriptions from a well known woman of this city is for three thousand dollars. A subscription has also been received from London from a former resident of this city. The repairs will probably cost in the neighborhood of seven thousand dollars.

An excerpt from the Parkersburg Sentinel

June 16, 1913

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New Church, the Camden Terrace M.E., dedicated

Parkersburg has a new church — the Camden Terrace Methodist Episcopal church. It was so christened yesterday in the course of the dedicatory exercises, which were held in three well-attended services. The new church is a successor to the old Ohio avenue M.E. church and is located at the corner of Twenty-fifth street and Murdoch avenue.

Excerpt from the Parkersburg News

Sept. 16, 1918

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Zion Baptists organized

in 1866 — colored

Baptists worship here dates to 1817

The history of Baptist worship by the colored people in Parkersburg dates back to Oct. 11, 1817, when the First Baptist church was organized and from time to time received into its membership a number of colored members.

After the church moved to a new site at Market and Ninth streets, the colored members of the church, in 1865, expressed a desire for a church of their own. This request was favorably considered by the church, and in 1868 a new church was established known as the Zion Baptist church.

The First Baptist pastor, the Rev. J.W. Carter, served the new church [Zion Baptist] until he retired.

Excerpt from the Parkersburg News

Feb. 11, 1951

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Bob Enoch is president of the Wood County Historical Society. Would you like to help preserve our past for future generations? The society offers informative monthly meetings and an interesting, 20-page quarterly newsletter. Dues are just $15./year. Send to: WCHPS, P.O. Box 565, Parkersburg, WV 26102.