Uncovered in Photographs: The Children Who Worked Wheeling’s Factories Emma Wiley January 26, 2021 While Wheeling has a rich and proud history of organized labor, the issue and history of child labor is often overlooked. There are few records or histories examining or documenting child labor in Wheeling; the...
The Giant Wheeling Tabernacle Built in Only Four Days Emma Wiley January 11, 2021 In only four days between January and February of 1912—over a century ago—hundreds of Wheeling residents came together to build an enormous low-roofed building on the eastern side of 26th Street in Center Wheel...
‘Tis the Time for Calendar Updates: Funky Holiday Edition Emma Wiley January 1, 2021 For many of us, as we turn over our calendars to the new year of 2021, it means updating with the new dates, birthdays, and holidays. Everyone has the main dates covered, but Weelunk has a list of wacky other h...
Children of Wheeling Share Their Letters to Santa Emma Wiley December 25, 2020 Santa has a special message to the children of Wheeling this Christmas. Share his letter with your children and browse through the letters Santa received from our youngest Weelunk fans! Dear Children of Wheeli...
Ringing in a Vaccine Emma Wiley December 22, 2020 Imagine all of the church and school bells ringing and all of the factories and trains whistling in Wheeling all at the same time. Incredibly loud right? That cacophony of noise lasted two long minutes at no...
Seafood Traditions: Coleman’s Fish Market and the Feast of the Seven Fishes Emma Wiley December 17, 2020 This time of the year is usually one of celebration, good will, spending time with family and friends, and shopping. But, few places get as busy as Coleman’s Fish Market in Centre Market, Wheeling. At first ...
Local Letters to Santa from 1904 Emma Wiley December 11, 2020 Writing letters to Santa Claus has long been a tradition for many children who celebrate Christmas. Some send the letters in the mail, leave them by a plate of milk and cookies on Christmas Eve, or give them to...
Wheeling Mad Lib: ‘A Day in Wheeling’ Emma Wiley December 9, 2020 As the pandemic rages on and infected numbers are higher than ever, many of our beloved annual holiday practices and traditions are being reimagined and creatively changed to best protect ourselves and our comm...
No Rest for the Dead: The History of Moving Bodies in Wheeling’s Cemeteries Emma Wiley November 30, 2020 Wandering around some of Wheeling’s graveyards, you might see some gravestones with dates older than the cemetery itself. How can that be? Answer: For many residents of Wheeling’s existing cemeteries, thi...
Cultural Appropriation in Wheeling: History of the Improved Order of Red Men Emma Wiley November 27, 2020 Editors Note: Weelunk, as a subsidiary of Wheeling Heritage, is committed to telling diverse, nuanced, and difficult histories, especially when those narratives occur in our own backyard. The line between cultu...
Reexamining Wheeling’s Mingo Statue Emma Wiley November 16, 2020 The Mingo statue has long been a recognizable landmark on Wheeling’s landscape. It has been featured on the cover of tourism brochures and included in the Smithsonian Art Inventory. Recently, it has even been u...
13 Things to do on Friday the 13th Emma Wiley November 13, 2020 Halloween may be over, but there’s still time to get your spook on the last Friday the 13th of 2020! Check out these interesting and chilling things to do in the Wheeling area today… Tour Wheeling’s Many C...
The Green Book: Navigating Wheeling During Segregation Emma Wiley November 6, 2020 “Write for Reservations—Moderate Rates.”1 This 1956 listing for lodging at the Wheeling Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) Blue Triangle Branch did not just reach a local audience; in fact, it was part ...
The Forgotten Wheeling Suffragist: May Hornbrook Emma Wiley November 3, 2020 When Wheeling residents think of a local suffragist, their minds probably jump to Dr. Harriet B. Jones, the first woman licensed to practice medicine in West Virginia in addition to her extensive suffrage activ...
The People of Power, WV Emma Wiley November 2, 2020 Connections to place are powerful. The former residents of Power, West Virginia know this all too well. What do you do when your childhood village no longer exists? While abandoned or “ghost” towns are not u...
10 Silly Suffrage Snippets from The Wheeling Intelligencer Emma Wiley September 29, 2020 On March 10th, 1920, West Virginia became the 34th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that recognized every citizen’s right to vote, regardless of sex. Women’s suffrage would offi...