OUR CITY HAS A NEW HISTORICAL HIGHWAY MARKER
Riverboat historians consider Wheeling the “Birthplace of the American Steamboat”, and this new West Virginia Historical Highway Marker recently installed at Sixteenth and Main Streets commemorates that fact. The marker is provided by John Bowman with support from the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation. Read More
If you’ve ever driven Cherry Hill Road to Tablerock Lane near Glenn’s Run, you’ve driven fairly closely by it*, probably without even realizing it. Personally, I’ve lived in Wheeling for nearly half a century, and I’ve driven that route hundreds of times, but had never actually seen it until just the other day.
Yet in the old days, when Wheeling’s hills were bereft of trees, the Table Rock was, no doubt, quite a stand-out feature on the rolling hills above Glennova (now part of Warwood).
This gallery of photographs documents the installation and dedication of a nine foot tall bronze statue of Gov. Francis Pierpont, “the Father of West Virginia,” at the northwest corner of 16th and Market Streets in front of the “birthplace of West Virginia,” aka West Virginia Independence Hall, in Wheeling, on June 19 and 20, 2015.
For more information on Gov. Pierpont, click here, here, and here. Read More
Following the Ordinance of Secession by the state of Virginia in April, 1861, a series of resolutions were adopted in loyal western counties calling for an assembly of delegates to meet in opposition to the state’s secession from the Union. Representing Marion County at the First Wheeling Convention in May of 1861 was Francis Pierpont, who was subsequently elected governor of the Restored Government of Virginia by a unanimous vote at the Second Wheeling Convention in June, 1861.
Coming to power in the midst of the Civil War, much of Pierpont’s work focused on organizing military regiments for the Union cause. Two documents signed by order of the Governor are now on display at the Ohio County Public Library. The first, a military order from the Commonwealth of Virginia, names James B. Moore First Lieutenant, Adjutant of the 4th Regiment of the 24th Brigade and 3rd Division of the Virginia Militia. The second, a copy of a General Order (written on letterhead from “The State of West Virginia”), shows orders to organize the 1st Brigade of the West Virginia Militia. Read More
Courtesy of the Archives of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, artifacts from the fascinating Dr. John Frissell Collection of Civil War era medical implements are now on display for the first time anywhere at the Ohio County Public Library. The collection was acquired from a local antiques dealer, who purchased the estate of a descendant of Dr. John Frissell, circa 2009.
For nearly a century, members of the Frissell family occupied a humble brick home on Monroe Street (now 14th), now one of the oldest extant structures in downtown Wheeling. Within the walls—both a residence and office—a small clinic was opened, and as late as the 1970s, medical instruments and supplies could still be found in the basement. [1] Instruments, such as those found in the 70s, are now part of the Diocese’s Frissell Collection. Read More
The new class of the Wheeling Hall of Fame will be inducted tomorrow, Saturday, May 30, at WesBanco Arena. Tickets are still available at the box office for the 6:30 PM dinner and ceremony.
To commemorate the 2015 induction, the Ohio County Public Library has, during the month of May, displayed several Hall of Fame-related artifacts from its collection and from those of its heritage partners. Read More
On a sunny spring morning, we entered the belly of the sprawling complex. Current owner, Frank Calabrese, ushered a small group of Wheeling history devotees, myself included, through a dark garage door entrance. On the other side of an aisle lined with architectural salvage, we emerged, bathed once again in sunlight, into the expansive courtyard of Wheeling’s Hazel-Atlas factory.
Only once surrounded by the four walls of the inner sanctum, did I truly get a sense of how large this former cathedral of industry is. Read More
One hundred one years ago today, on the rainy morning of Monday, April 28, 1924, an explosion at the coal mine operated by the Wheeling Steel & Iron Corporation in Benwood took the lives of 119 men, most of them recent immigrants. There were no survivors. It remains the third worst mining disaster in the history of West Virginia, a state plagued by numerous coal mining accidents. Read More
Born in 1807 in Germany, Johann Ludwig Stifel immigrated to Baltimore, Maryland when he was 26. He then moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where he worked in a wool mill and learned the textile trade. Legend has it that he walked all the way to Wheeling, where, by 1835, he had established a small dyeing shop in a log cabin with just a $10 investment and a piece of cotton cloth. Within a short time the business grew and Johann opened a larger calico shop on the southeast corner of 9th and Main Streets. The lower levels were for dyeing and printing while the upper level housed Johann, his wife Barbara Becht, and their children. Read More
Anyone who has wandered down the streets of our once bustling city can’t help but notice Wheeling is a city full of architectural treasures. We walk by the exteriors, admiring the beautiful brickwork, the intricate terra cotta ornamentation, the elaborate wooden carvings, the gorgeous old windows, historic wavy glass still intact, creating ripples in time. We peer into often empty buildings, longing to know why such a majestic building is now vacant, what its history was, what tales its ghosts would tell, what hidden architectural gems lie inside.
On Wednesday, April 1st, an eager crowd was given the chance to get this inside glimpse of one of Wheeling’s most distinctive buildings. Thanks to gracious hosts and current building owners, Kevin and Patricia Duffin, the Friends of Wheeling led an enthusiastic group through the Flatiron Building (1507 Main Street). Friends of Wheeling President, Jeanne Finstein, prepared a brief history of the building, which she shared with the crowd before the tour commenced. For those of you who were unable to attend, we present to you Ms. Finstein’s Flatiron building history, followed by a gallery of photos from the fascinating tour.
