Parkersburg is a city in Butler County, Iowa, United States.

[4][5] The first known settlers of the Parkersburg area were John Connell and his son William, who built a log cabin in 1857.

A depot was erected in 1865 and two railroads, the Illinois Central and the Chicago North Western, were built through the town.

This building burned beyond repair on October 9, 1893, in the "great fire of Parkersburg", which also destroyed most of the business district.

[6] Seven people died in Parkersburg and two in rural New Hartford[7][8] from injuries sustained when a confirmed EF5 tornado[9] struck the region on May 25, 2008.

The south side of Parkersburg was completely destroyed and turned into rubble.

Utility infrastructure was left largely intact, but the tornado and clean-up efforts damaged the connections in numerous homes.

[12] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.42 square miles (3.68 km2), all land.

29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Miracle Park on the west side of Parkersburg is a premier outdoor recreational attraction.

Miracle Park also includes an outdoor swimming pool, three shelter houses, concrete basketball courts, and a granite Veterans Memorial constructed in 2010.

Schwartz Memorial Park on the east end of town contains a playground, gazebo shelter house, walking path, and a small fishing pond for the youngsters.

It features a shelter house, historic Parkersburg depot and caboose, playground equipment, and plenty of area to fish.

Adjacent to the Depot Park on the north side of the river is Beaver Meadows Golf Course and Campground.

Legend Trail Golf Course provides a large club house for weddings, graduations, etc., driving range, a walking path, and is also near Schwartz Memorial Park.

It encompasses over 5,800 acres (2,300 ha) of land for public hunting, fishing, bird watching, and hiking.

The Big Marsh is a recreational paradise during any season and is located six miles north of Parkersburg on Highway 14.