"The Savings Bond Capital of the United... " a Parkersburg Travel Page by kevanrijn

This town is where I hang my hat. This town is where I graduated from High School--then left... to travel the world...then came back to live. Parkersburg is known as the "savings bond capital of the U.S." because the majority of the Bureau of Public Debt (a part of the U.S. Treasury Department) is located here. The Bureau of Public Debt is charged with a Very Important Job--they are the folks who are responsible for borrowing the money needed to operate the federal government. And with Bush in office (and the whopping big record setting deficient the US currently has) they are more essential and important than ever!

The borrowing is accomplished through the sales of US Treasury bills, notes, bonds and TIPS, as well as US savings bonds. The bureau pays interest to investors and redeems investors' securities. So if you've ever bought a T-Bill, savings bond or other government note--somewhere in Parkersburg something happened because of that.

which is important to understand--besides that they are home to the Bureau of Public Debt. Parkersburg is only the largest of a string of towns along this short stretch of the Ohio River between the confluence of the Muskingum River and the Ohio River on the Ohio side and the Little Kanawha River and the Ohio River on the West Virginia side. This fourteen mile stretch of the river is home to five towns--Parkersburg, Vienna, and Williamstown on the West Virginia side of the river, and Marietta and Belpre on the Ohio side of the river.

I'm going to do as the statisticians do, and treat the five cities as one area.

There are a number of "not to be missed" things to do in the area--visiting Blennerhassett Island and Mansion, walking the Julia-Ann Square historic district in Parkersburg, buying books at the Trans-Alleghany bookstore in Parkersburg, visiting the Oil and Gas Museum in downtown Parkersburg, touring the Middleton Doll museum and shop in Belpre, visiting the Fenton Glass Factory in Williamstown, shopping in Marietta...I could go on, but that's enough for a start.

about Parkersburg, Vienna, Williamstown, Marietta and Belpre--how they are all so close together that I decided to treat them as one entity, I should explain a little about the history of this area. But it will have to wait--I've got other things I need to get to right now. Check back later for the rest of the story of this area.