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Help Us Solve History’s Mysteries!: Women’s History Month Edition

A Partnership Between Weelunk, Archiving Wheeling, and the Ohio County Public Library Archives.

Do you recognize any of these people? These are all historic photos of Wheeling people, places, and things that need to be identified. Weelunk, Archiving Wheeling, and the Ohio County Public Library Archives have teamed up to reach out to Wheeling area residents or people that have lived in the Wheeling area at any time–we need your help identifying the individuals in these photos! 

This is an ongoing monthly project to connect today’s Wheeling community to its historical resources and stories. In honor of Women’s History Month, this month’s photos are all related to unidentified women in Wheeling. The more we know about the people in these photos, the more we can uncover important and sometimes forgotten histories of Wheeling. To learn more about crowdsourced history and unlocking history’s mysteries, check out Archiving Wheeling’s partner article here!

Check out the photos listed below and if you recognize someone, please submit your comment in the entry space below the specific photo. The more information you can provide, the more complete the historical record. Please help us by sharing this article far and wide on social media and directly with anyone you know from Wheeling–even if they don’t live here anymore! 

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Wheeling Business and Professional Womens Club, 1927 National Convention, Oakland, CA.

This photo is of members of the Wheeling Business and Professional Women’s Club at the National BPWC convention in July 1927 in Oakland, California. Mattie L. Miner is believed to be the woman labeled #5. Other known Wheeling women attending the convention that may be in the photo are (spelling may be incorrect): Miss Stella Shary, Miss Mary Alexander, Miss Striff, Miss Marion Llewellyn, and Miss Glendora Johnson. Can you match any names to individuals in the photo?

Hazel Atlas Employees, 1935.

This photo includes employees of the Hazel Atlas Glass Company in 1935. Hazel Atlas was one of the largest glass companies in the United States during the mid-20th century and was headquartered in Wheeling until 1964. 

Wheeling Girl Scout Camp Staff, 1976.

This photo is of Girl Scout camp staff at Camp Giscowheco from 1976. Camp Giscowheco is located in Triadelphia and is still in operation to this day, hosting campers, meetings, training, and other outdoor activities. 

Works Progress Administration (WPA) Wheeling Women, circa 1930s-40s.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a New Deal program that ran from 1935 to 1943. The objective of WPA projects was to reduce the mass unemployment of the Great Depression. This photo is of WPA Wheeling women who worked on Project No. 65 413395 in District No. 2 and the seated man in front is “Mr. Rittenhouse.” To learn about other New Deal projects in Wheeling, click here. 

Loyal Women Group of the First Christian Church of Center Wheeling, circa early 1900s.

This photo of the “Loyal Women” group is taken outside of the Living Word Church (formerly known as the First Christian Church) that was dedicated in 1913 on Market Street in Center Wheeling. The photo is from the early 1900s and it is unconfirmed what the group’s activities were. 

All photos are courtesy of the Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling, WV. For more historic photos of the Wheeling area, events, and residents, check out OCPL’s Flickr page, here.

To access previous months’ Solving History’s Mysteries projects, click here. 

For more information or questions about this project, please email ewiley9@gmail.com.

This project is a partnership between Weelunk, Archiving Wheeling, and the Ohio County Public Library with additional support from Preserve WV AmeriCorps. 

• Emma Wiley, originally from Falls Church, Virginia, was a former AmeriCorps member with Wheeling Heritage. Emma has a B.A. in history from Vassar College and is passionate about connecting communities, history, and social justice.

  • Emma Wiley

    Emma Wiley, originally from Falls Church, Virginia, was a former AmeriCorps member with Wheeling Heritage. Emma has a B.A. in history from Vassar College and is passionate about connecting communities, history, and social justice.

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