Parkersburg was the first town Beckie Royer, Myrtle Berkley and Uncle Luke passed through when they entered Virginia. It had once been a major oil town, but that had ended decades before. During the Ohio-Virginia War of 2097, Ohio used a fuel-air explosive on the heart of the city. The explosion could be heard in Elizabeth. Nonetheless, most of the infrastructure survived. During the subsequent virus attack, most of the sick from nearby Elizabeth were taken to the hospital in Parkersburg, including Ethel Snodgrass. When Ohio troops finally invaded Virginia, Parkersburg fell first.