Wheeling Symphony Orchestra

Ohio County Public Library Archives March 20, 2015May 25, 2015 7 Comments 4796 Views

Tonight, March 20^th, 2015, the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra begins the second half of its 85th season with a “Famous Fifths” concert, featuring the monumental music of Beethoven and Sibelius.

Famed violinist, Itzhak Perlman, guest artist at the Wheeling Symphony, January 27, 1972 — Famed violinist, Itzhak Perlman, guest artist at the Wheeling Symphony, January 27. 1972.

“The smallest city in America to support a symphony of this size and caliber,” Wheeling’s Symphony Orchestra is both a gem and cultural asset to our community. The Wheeling Symphony is renowned not only for the astounding quality of the their concerts, but also for securing such noted names in the orchestral world as Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma as guests to perform for Wheeling’s eager musical ears.

In honor of all that the Symphony brings to the City of Wheeling, the Ohio County Public Library would like to recognize the gifts the Symphony has given back to the City over the years. Read More

Archives of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Ohio County Public Library Archives

The Big One

Ohio County Public Library Archives March 12, 2015March 19, 2021 Leave a Comment 22475 Views

The Flood of March 1936

Heavy snow and rain in March 1936 triggered the worst flood in Wheeling’s history. The river crested at a record 55.2 feet on March 19th, and floodwater inundated the Island, much of South and Centre Wheeling and even the downtown streets as afar east as Chapline. The Suspension Bridge and Steel Bridge were closed, and the Market Auditorium was converted to a refuge shelter and makeshift hospital. Utilities were shut down, supplies cut off, and disease threatened. More than 20,000 people were driven from their homes and 16 people lost their lives. Read More

Ohio County Public Library Archives Wheeling National Heritage Area

Wheeling Heritage Acquires Rare Books for Library

Ohio County Public Library Archives March 7, 2015May 25, 2015 1 Comment 5924 Views

DaRe Collection Now in Wheeling Room

The Wheeling National heritage Area Corporation (Wheeling Heritage) and the Ohio County Public Library have been heritage partners for more than two decades, and the local community has benefited many times from this alliance. Now Wheeling Heritage has provided the funding to allow the library to make a significant addition to its collection of rare books dealing with the early history of the Wheeling and the Upper Ohio Valley region. This new development well represents the kind of community partnership Archiving Wheeling was founded to promote. Read More

Ohio County Public Library Archives

For the Love of Old Buildings and Wheeling History

Margaret Brennan February 14, 2015May 25, 2015 4 Comments 8899 Views

Featured Image: Stifel-Kossuth Treasure Hunt

A Treasure Hunt: The Stifel-Kossuth House

– written by guest contributor, Margaret Brennan

Sometimes things in life are just a matter of serendipity. That happened recently when a friend called who was going to tour the Stifel-Kossuth property at 807 Main Street. He asked if I would like to come along.

Ohio County Public Library Archives

The Wheeling Memory Project

Seán Duffy February 5, 2015May 25, 2015 10 Comments 11909 Views

The Ohio County Public Library launched the Wheeling Memory Project as a contribution to the ongoing community effort to record oral histories from Wheeling’s residents. The project will focus on stories of life in Wheeling’s diverse neighborhoods. Read More

Ohio County Public Library Archives

Adventures in Archives: History Mysteries Solved

Seán Duffy January 27, 2015May 25, 2015 7 Comments 9630 Views

Featured Image: German Day History Mysetery

Our recent German Days post led to two interesting developments that help illustrate why we launched Archiving Wheeling in the first place. Read More

Ohio County Public Library Archives

German Days

Seán Duffy January 21, 2015May 25, 2015 10 Comments 9610 Views

Featured Image German Real Photo Postcards

What Two Real Photo Postcards Reveal About Early Twentieth Century Wheeling

Why are there so many real photo postcards (RPPC’s) postmarked 1906 or 1907?

The credit is due to George Eastman of Kodak fame, who acquired the rights to produce photo paper with a pre-printed postcard back and in 1903 developed an inexpensive folding camera that produced postcard sized negatives. A few years later, in 1907, he introduced the “real photo postcard” service allowing amateur photographers to turn any photograph into a postcard, inexpensively. The RPPC’s popularity exploded and people everywhere used them to chronicle events and small town scenes that might otherwise have been lost to history, having been largely ignored by professional photographers. RPPC’s depicting various Wheeling subjects frequently appear on eBay and other online auction sites.

Two examples — one from 1906 and one from 1908 — provide some interesting information about “German Wheeling.”

Ohio County Public Library Archives

Bridging Time

Seán Duffy January 15, 2015October 12, 2015 Leave a Comment 7971 Views

Design of a Wire Suspension Bridge Across the Ohio At Wheeling

Ellet’s Gothic Looking Suspension Bridge

“Looking forward to the succession of ages, and even of years, it is beyond the foresight of human intellect to say what innumerable happy results would flow from the erection of a bridge over the Ohio at Wheeling on a permanent and useful plan, both to the Government of the Union, and to the People of this vast, enterprising, and happy republic.” – Charles Mercer, U.S. Congressman from Virginia, Committee on Roads and Canals, January 19, 1837.

W.C. Brown Photo of the Suspension Bridge from Virginia Street on Wheeling Island — Looking east across the Wheeling Suspension Bridge from Virginia Street on Wheeling Island toward Tenth Street downtown. Built in 1849, the bridge was a remarkable feat of engineering and remains Wheeling’s most recognizable landmark. This photo is from the Brown Collection, Ohio County Public Library archives.

When people think about Wheeling and its history, most will visualize the familiar towers of our beloved Suspension Bridge.

Like many in Wheeling, the Ohio County Public Library’s logo features the good old bridge.

Spanning the Ohio River since 1849, the old bridge is iconic – its familiar shape gracing logos and trademarks developed by local businesses and institutions, including the logo of the Ohio County Public Library. It has become the favored symbol of our town, and arguably its most recognizable structure.

But had designer Charles Ellet Jr.’s earliest concept been used, the bridge would look radically different – far more Gothic in design. Read More

Ohio County Public Library Archives

A Magnificent Man in His Flying Machine

Bill Hogan January 5, 2015November 10, 2020 Leave a Comment 6504 Views

The William Hogan, Sr. Collection of WWI Aviation Photographs

Photo of Bill Hogan. Back of photo reads: June 28, Happy Birthday Bill: William Hogan Sr. collection, OCPL, World War I photos — William N. Hogan Sr.

My father, William N. Hogan Sr., was a cadet and then an instructor in the Air Service, which was part of the Signal Corps in the U.S. Army during the First World War. What follows is what I recall him telling me about his experiences when I was young.

When his group arrived at the place of flying instruction, there were not enough planes to take them all up at one time. While he waited his turn to be wrung out to determine if he really wanted to fly, one of the planes came straight down and crashed in front of them.

Ohio County Public Library Archives

The Grover Cleveland Banner Incident: Wheeling in the National Spotlight

Seán Duffy December 30, 2014October 10, 2019 Leave a Comment 8408 Views

“You don’t get me to march under that thing!”

Members of the G.A.R. in Wheeling, probably in front of the old courts house at 12th and Chapline. — Members of the G.A.R. in Wheeling, most likely in front of the old court house at 12th and Chapline.

As mentioned in a previous post, the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), the largest of Civil War veterans’ groups, was very active in Wheeling during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Grateful for an end to the bloody, exhausting war, most Americans were more than willing to reward these veterans with generous pensions. Unfortunately, as is often the case where money is involved, some took advantage, exaggerating or even falsifying pension claims. Read More