One of a few markers in Riverfront Park. this one points out the history of a local hero who served…read morefor West Virginia. The park is quite large and there is plenty of parking here. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Born in 1819, Frost was editor of Jackson County's first newspaper, The Virginia Chronicle, which was burned in 1862 during Jenkins Raid for its pro-Union stance. He served as Speaker of the House for the Restored Government of Virginia, 1861-1862, then joined the 11th WV Infantry, rising to colonel, 1863. Frost died on July 19, 1864, from wounds received at Snicker's Ferry." The Frost family moved to Ravenswood, and Daniel married Ellen Sophia Rathbone in 1843. Her father, William Palmer Rathbone, had been a paymaster in the War of 1812, a shipbuilder, and a New York city councilman before moving into what was then western Virginia. The Rathbones were early experimenters in the region's oil fields, and that connection placed Frost in a family that was unusually entrepreneurial for the time. Their children scattered widely after the war, with sons eventually settling in Indiana and Illinois, a reminder of how the upheaval of the 1860s reshaped family geographies. There is no number on the marker which was erected in 2016 by West Virginia Archives and History. [Review 33 of 2026 - 205 in West Virginia - 25224 overall]

On a warm weekday afternoon in Point Pleasant, I found myself not riding a train across the Ohio…read moreRiver but instead walking and driving beneath the massive Point Pleasant - Kanauga Railroad Bridge, a 3925-foot Pennsylvania through truss who sheer scale is impossible to appreciate until you're directly under it. Built originally in 1885 and then replaced with new truss spans in 1908 while reusing the original piers, the bridge's engineering feels astonishingly advanced for something conceived in the late nineteenth century, especially given that it was completed without a single construction fatality, which is a rarity for Ohio River crossings of that era. Standing beneath its towering steel and hoping to hear the hum of the modern Kanawha River Railroad trains overhead, I was struck by how this structure has carried more than a century of rail traffic while remaining one of the most impressive pieces of infrastructure in the region. [Review 925 of 2026 - 235 in West Virginia - 26106 overall]

On a bright Friday afternoon, the Jackson County Courthouse in Ohio really does project a certain…read morejudicial presence. The building was completed in 1868 in a Greek Revival design by architect R.C. Saunders, using red brick and concrete. The most striking feature is the large south-facing portico, framed by square brick pillars at the corners and two central columns rising to a flat roof. Behind that, the structure steps upward to a peak topped with a square cupola and clock, giving the courthouse a balanced but authoritative profile. Jackson County itself was formed in 1816 and named for Andrew Jackson, the War of 1812 figure who later became the President of the United States. Walking around the courthouse in the bright sun, the brick columns and portico amplify that sense of civic weight and even with later mid-20th-century repairs after a fire, the building still reads as a classic small-town expression of judicial power. [Review 932 of 2026 - 311 in Ohio - 26112 overall]

Sunday afternoon and still open for business, but I had places to be so I stuck to the perimeter…read moreafter parking and focused on the historic Putnam County Courthouse, which is absolutely the star of the show here in Winfield. It was built in 1900 after the original courthouse was lost to a windstorm. It is a Frank Pierce Milburn* design in full Romanesque Revival style, complete with brickwork, a hip roof and those great octagonal corner towers that give it a distinctive profile. Even without going inside, it's one of those buildings that immediately feels important, the kind of courthouse that anchors a town's identity and makes you glad you took a few minutes to detour off the highway and walk around it. There's also a modern Judicial Building adjacent that handles most of the day-to-day court operations, but the historic courthouse is easily the more impressive structure and the one worth stopping for if you're passing through. Winfield has been the county seat since Putnam County was formed in 1848, and seeing both buildings side by side gives a nice sense of how the county's history and its present coexist. Even a quick lap around the grounds makes it clear why this courthouse has held its place for more than a century. *I've seen dozens of Milburn courthouses including the Bland County Courthouse and the Wythe County Courthouse in Virginia, the Rowan County and Burke County Courthouse in North Carolina, the Wilkes County Courthouse in Georgia and the Boyd County Courthouse in Kentucky. And more. [Round number review 26100 overall - 919 of 2026 - 230 in West Virginia]

This marker is located near the center of the city of Ripley and points out some of the earliest…read moresettlement history. It has the same text on both sides, reading "Established in 1832 on land which was settled by William John and Lewis Rogers in 1768 and later acquired by Jacob and Ann (Staats) Starcher. Near here lived Capt. William Parsons who was active in the early life of Jackson County." There is no number or erection date on the marker, but it was erected by the West Virginia Archives & History. Ripley grew from a quiet Mill Creek settlement into a true county hub once the Starchers laid out the town and donated land for the courthouse, which helped secure its selection as the county seat despite fierce competition from Ravenswood. The town's name honors Harry Ripley, a young Methodist minister who drowned on the eve of his wedding, a story that lingered in local memory long after the town was chartered. By the late 1800s Ripley had become a lively commercial center with hotels, mills, tailors, blacksmiths, and one of the region's earliest newspapers, the Jackson Democrat. Ripley also hosted West Virginia's last public execution in 1897, an event so notorious that it pushed the legislature to end public hangings statewide. Today the town is known for its long‑running county fair and its claim to the biggest small‑town Fourth of July celebration in America. There is street parking nearby. [Review 21 of 2026 - 201 in West Virginia - 25212 overall]

Located in Ravenswood WV on the corner of Main & Walnut Streets. This is a beautiful art piece…read morepainted on the wall. George Washington is on the mural in reference to President George Washington owning land here when he surveyed the area. The different boats refer to life along the Ohio River. The train refers to travel in the area for people and goods and the oil Derek is referring to oil, gas & coal in the area. The mural is absolutely beautiful and colorful Free to enjoy, easy to locate and on street parking

This marker stands on the grounds of the Gallia County Courthouse and points out what many consider…read morethe first battle of the American Revolution. The front reads, "The Shawnee and Delaware Indians grew restless as numbers of Virginians encroached on their lands by settling along the Ohio River. On October 10, 1774, Lord Dunmore, of the Virginia Colony, ordered Colonel Andrew Lewis and his 1100 Virginia militiamen to attack the Shawnee Indians near Chillicothe, Ohio. While Lewis's army camped across the Ohio River at Point Pleasant, West Virginia, Shawnee Chief Cornstalk, with 1000 warriors, crossed the river upstream for a surprise attack on the Virginia militia. After a five hour battle, the Shawnee retreated west across the Ohio. Some refer to this as the last battle fought by the Colonists while subject to British rule, and really, the first battle of the American Revolution. On November 5, 1774, Lord Dunmore at Camp Charlotte on the Pickaway Plains, Dunmore's officers met at Fort Gower, Hockingport, Ohio (48 miles upstream) and passed this resolution of "liberty":" And the reverse, ""Resolved, that we will bear the most faithful allegiance to His Majesty, King George the Third, whilst His Majesty delights to reign over a brave and free people; that we will, at the expense of life, and everything dear and valuable, exert ourselves in support of his crown, and the dignity of the British Empire. But as the love of liberty, and attachment to the real interests and just rights of America outweigh every other consideration, we resolve that we will exert every power within us for the defense of American liberty, and for the support of her just rights and privileges; not on any precipitate, riotous or tumultuous voice of our countrymen. Signed by order and in behalf of the whole corps. Benjamin Ashby, Clerk"" The decisive Battle of Point Pleasant in October ended with a Virginian victory that forced Shawnee leaders to cede hunting rights south of the Ohio River. The resulting Treaty of Camp Charlotte temporarily quieted the frontier but deepened tensions that soon fed into the wider upheavals of the Revolutionary era. [Review 61 of 2026 - 303 in Ohio - 25251 overall]

This marker is located in a strip of land called Gunn Park and shares the space with the Mothman…read moremonument. It is close to Tu-Endie-Wei State Park. The marker reads, "Organized at Barboursville Sept. 18, 1862, with Captain William Gunn as commander. Served with the Guyandotte Battalion until Jan. 1863, then was assigned as Company D 8th Virginia Cavalry, CSA under Col. Albert G. Jenkins." It was erected in 1965 by the West Virginia Division, United Daughters of Confederacy and the West Virginia Historic Commission. In January 1863 the company was folded into the 8th Virginia Cavalry as Company D, placing them under Colonel Albert G. Jenkins, one of the Confederacy's most active mounted commanders in the region. Jenkins's regiment operated in a fluid landscape of raids, counter‑raids, and small engagements, often moving rapidly between the Kanawha Valley, the Tygart Valley, and the approaches to the Ohio River. Under his command, the Border Grays shifted from local defense to a more mobile cavalry role, participating in the broader Confederate effort to contest Union control of the new state of West Virginia. [Review 59 of 2026 - 210 in West Virginia - 25249 overall]