There’s something about Warwood that stays with you.
For me, it’s playing outside between neighbors’ houses, pulling out bags and totes of toys into the grass, and hearing my mom call out that it was time to come in for dinner. It’s walking down a few blocks to the McKitrick’s, or down a few more to Garden Park, or a few more to the Calangelo’s. And it’s sprinting through yards during summer games of jailbreak just as the streetlights blinked on. I went to Warwood Elementary and Warwood Middle. And though life has taken me to other parts of the city, now living in Clearview, Warwood will always be home.
This spring, the neighborhood earned a title as enduring as the memories it holds. On May 7, 2025, Warwood was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places, becoming the largest historic district in West Virginia. The designation includes 1,214 contributing buildings and structures, surpassing Wheeling Island’s previous record from 1992.
But what does this really mean—for Warwood and for the people who’ve called it home for generations?
A Town Forged by Tools—and People
Warwood’s transformation from riverside farmland to tight-knit working-class neighborhood began in the early 1900s, when the Warwood Tool Company moved across the Ohio River from Martins Ferry. The company, founded in the 1850s by English immigrant Henry Warwood, had already been supplying tools to miners, railroad crews, and soldiers for decades.
Once the new forging facility was built along what is now North 19th Street, development followed fast. Streets were laid, homes were built, and workers began planting roots in a new neighborhood that eventually adopted the company’s name—Warwood.
But Warwood wasn’t shaped by just one factory. Centre Foundry & Machine, a company with origins dating back to 1840, played a major role too. Before the Civil War, before Wheeling Steel, before the B&O Railroad came to town, Centre Foundry was already pouring molten iron into molds. Over the decades, they produced everything from cannonballs and bridge castings to ornate ironwork and industrial machinery. The men who worked there—and in other neighborhood factories—weren’t just laborers. They were Warwood’s real Ironmen.
Together, these manufacturers helped define Warwood’s industrial core and laid the literal foundation for the community that grew up around them.
How It Happened
To better understand how Warwood’s story made its way onto the national stage, I spoke with Courtney Zimmerman, one of the historians who helped prepare the district’s nomination. She’s part of Aurora Research Associates, the preservation firm hired for the project.
The process started back in 2019, when Wheeling Heritage received a grant from the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office (WVSHPO) to conduct a historic resource survey of Warwood—a necessary first step in determining eligibility for the National Register. Weller & Associates completed the initial documentation of every property in the neighborhood.
That survey confirmed what many in the community already felt: Warwood had historic significance—and the architectural integrity to back it up. With that confirmation in hand, the City of Wheeling and Wheeling Heritage applied for a second WVSHPO grant, this time to prepare the full nomination.
Aurora Research Associates was selected through a public RFP process. Zimmerman and her team returned to the neighborhood, capturing new photos, verifying building data, and writing a detailed narrative tracing Warwood’s growth from rural farmland to industrial hub. They nominated the district under Criterion A for its role in commerce and industry, and Criterion C for its rich variety of early 20th-century residential architecture.
Once reviewed and approved by WVSHPO and the West Virginia Archives & History Commission, the nomination was sent to the National Park Service for final review. On May 7, 2025, the listing was made official.
“Not just any old building or neighborhood can be listed,” Zimmerman told me. “A place has to retain its integrity—it has to still tell its story. Warwood does that beautifully.”
Betsy Sweeny, a historic preservationist who was part of Wheeling Heritage at the time, echoed that pride.
“The addition of Warwood as a historic district is a really exciting achievement for Wheeling. This process started several years ago with a very large and difficult survey that involved evaluating hundreds of properties—it was a huge undertaking. The resulting district is exciting not only because it’s the largest we have in Wheeling, but because it’s the largest concentration of buildings that now have access to critical resources like grants, tax incentives, and more. Hopefully it spurs a new wave of economic development and revitalization in Warwood. We’re proud to see another district added to our community.”
A Snapshot of American Life
By the 1910s, Warwood was booming. Families filled newly built homes in styles like Craftsman, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Tudor. Churches, corner stores, schools, and a streetcar line stitched the neighborhood together. In 1911, Warwood incorporated as its own town—but by 1920, it was annexed by the City of Wheeling.
Even today, the bones of that original layout remain: walkable blocks, proud porches, and a patchwork of homes built by the people who lived and worked there.
Being added to the National Register doesn’t place restrictions on property owners. Instead, it formally acknowledges the neighborhood’s historic and cultural value and opens the door to tools like preservation tax credits and revitalization funding for eligible buildings.
More Than Brick and Steel—A Place Called Home
For many, Warwood is defined not by its industry or its borders, but by its people. It’s the porches, the parks, the neighbors who stop to chat, and the deep sense of place that lingers long after you’ve moved away.
“Warwood, to me, means home and community,” says Dilan L. “From the castings of Centre Foundry to the precision of Bethlehem Steel to the drop-forged heartbeat of Warwood Tool, the homes built around these factories raised some of the most loving and caring humans I’ll ever meet. As I drive into town and see kids playing in the parks, couples on their porches, and neighbors mowing their lawns, I feel nothing but gratitude. Warwood has its quirks—but it’s home. And there’s no place I’d rather lay my head than Warwood, West Virginia—our home in the valley.”
“As a lifelong resident of Warwood, I could never imagine myself living anywhere else,” adds Terry Jill “I’ve always lived within a block of my childhood home, and now I live with my mother again. There’s such a closeness here—of family, of friends—and I feel blessed to have raised my children in the place I consider the true embodiment of ‘hometown.’”
Cindy W., reflecting on her childhood, shares:
“Warwood was an amazing place to grow up! Everyone knew us. I remember our family sitting on the front porch, watching people walk by and stop to talk. It felt like family. One of my favorite memories is of your grandfather, Pete Bland, playing Santa out in front of our house on Warwood Avenue. I also loved that your grandmother and my mother were best friends! Barb would come to our house often in the morning, and my mom would make a nice pot of tea and they would visit.”
These aren’t just fond recollections—they’re the heartbeat of Warwood. They’re why this neighborhood, with all its history and hope, deserves to be recognized. Because this isn’t just about preserving old buildings. It’s about honoring a community that built something lasting.
What’s Next
The current historic district covers about two-thirds of the neighborhood, but there are plans to expand in the coming years—potentially adding hundreds more homes and properties. That means even more residents may one day benefit from preservation incentives and take pride in knowing their neighborhood’s story is part of something bigger.
For those of us who grew up in Warwood—or still live there today—it’s a powerful affirmation of what we’ve always known: this place matters.
Learn More: Centre Foundry
Warwood’s story is still being written, even as some of its longest-standing chapters come to a close. One of the neighborhood’s most iconic industrial landmarks, Centre Foundry and Machine, became Ohio County’s first incorporated business in 1881. But its roots run even deeper, with operations dating back to at least the 1840s—making it one of the oldest continually operating foundries in the region. For nearly two centuries, Centre Foundry helped shape Wheeling’s industrial identity, producing everything from bridge castings and architectural ironwork to heavy machinery and cannonballs.
In 2023, the business was sold, and operations began to wind down. By May 2024, the plant was quiet. But before the doors closed for good, Wheeling Heritage and the Ohio County Public Library were invited inside for one last look—guided by Frank VanSickle, an employee of 40 years.
