The Green Book: Navigating Wheeling During Segregation Emma Wiley February 25, 2022 Originally published on Nov. 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...
Songs About Wheeling: Part 2 Kate Wietor February 23, 2022 Wheeling has long been a place with a lot going on. Rivers, roads, and railways have allowed folks to both breeze into town as well as venture away with ease. Some songs about West Virginia are well known (look...
Why Was This Danish Immigrant in California Looking for Love in Wheeling? Kate Wietor February 12, 2022 “A SOBER, cultured, industrious merchant of age 40 desires the acquaintance of respectable lady, object marriage. No objection to widow with one or two small children. Must be a lady I can love and respect. I a...
Send Your Sweetheart An Old-Fashioned Valentine Alex Panas February 9, 2022 With Valentine’s Day just five days away, you’ve likely already secured a special gift for your sweetheart - but have you thought about how you might deliver that gift? The folks at West Virginia Independence H...
From the Desk of Wheeling Heritage’s AmeriCorps Researcher: Valentine’s Day Edition Kate Wietor February 8, 2022 Ah February, the heart of winter. The weather in Wheeling has been especially brisk this year, with layer after layer of snow blanketing these fair streets. It’s tempting to hunker down and keep your eyes fixed...
Black History Month Programs at the Ohio County Public Library Provided February 4, 2022 The Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling is offering a full slate of programs celebrating Black History Month throughout February. All of the programs are part of the library's adult series, "Lunch With Books...
The Eccentric Celebration That Honored a Dead Poet Kate Wietor January 25, 2022 On a cold January night in 1900, a crowd of revelers gathered at the Hotel Windsor to toast a dead man.1 These hundred or so people of Scottish extraction were there to celebrate the life and works of Robert Bu...
From the Desk of Wheeling Heritage’s AmeriCorps Researcher Kate Wietor January 12, 2022 Anyone who knows about Wheeling knows this city is steeped in history. Luckily for those wanting to learn more about the area's rich histstory, there are books, encyclopedia articles, academic papers, oral hist...
The Secret Lives of Wheeling’s Pigeons Kate Wietor January 5, 2022 Pigeons. Doves. Rats with wings. All names for Columba livia— our humble city pigeon. Have you seen the flock of pigeons around town? Sometimes they are on a sunny roof, surveying the scene below. Other times t...
The Blacksmith Shop You’ve Missed While Sitting in Traffic on National Road Emma Wiley December 31, 2021 Originally published August 30, 2021 If you’ve driven down National Road recently, you may have noticed a bit of history suddenly uncovered. On the northern side of the road, across the street from Generatio...
This Unassuming Park Was Once A Lively Wheeling Attraction Bethany Leone December 28, 2021 Originally published November 9, 2021 If you are looking for a bit of vanished history, drive the winding roads from Downtown Wheeling up to the Mozart Volunteer Fire Department. There you’ll find the last r...
Pre-Civil War Ledger Found in Downtown Wheeling Building…Here Are Some of the Names Inside Emma Wiley December 27, 2021 Originally published July 30, 2021 In April 2020, while many people were working from home and shutting down shops and businesses to ride out the global pandemic, April and Jay Arritt discovered an amazing h...
Have You Heard These 10 Songs About Wheeling? Kate Wietor December 23, 2021 Wheeling has long been a place with a lot going on. Rivers, roads, and railways have allowed folks to both breeze into town as well as venture away with ease. Some songs about West Virginia are well known (look...
Home for the Holidays? Get Some Fresh Air With One of These Walking Tours Alex Panas December 20, 2021 The holidays are here, a time when many Wheeling ex-pats return home to spend time with family and friends. While spending time with loved ones is what the season is all about, it doesn’t mean that you don’t ne...
Help Us Solve History’s Mysteries!: Christmas Parade Part 2 Laura Carroll December 17, 2021 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 ...
Did the Term “Charley Horse” Originate in Wheeling? Kate Wietor December 13, 2021 Did you know you can pitch story ideas to us? One reader recently sent us a note about a topic that their family had been pondering: "My family was having a discussion about where the term 'Charley hor...
Step Back In Time With These Vintage Holiday Shopping Ads Kate Wietor November 26, 2021 The tree at Market Plaza has been lit and the annual Christmas parade has been had - Wheeling’s holiday season is officially underway. If you haven’t already begun hunting for those perfect gifts, now might be ...
Help Us Solve History’s Mysteries!: Christmas Parade Edition Laura Carroll November 19, 2021 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 ...
Why Were People Selling Their Ashes in 1808? Kate Wietor November 12, 2021 I’ve been spending a lot of time combing through Wheeling’s first newspaper, the Wheeling Repository. While looking for something else entirely, this headline caught my eye: Ashes Wanted. Ashes you say? Why ...
How a Stolen Statue Ended Up in Wheeling During the Civil War Emma Wiley November 8, 2021 On July 2, 1864, George Washington arrived in Wheeling—65 years after his death. Well...his statue did. During the Civil War, in June 1864, Union troops under Col. David Hunter burned most of the Virginia Mi...
These Vintage Dance Cards Provide a Glimpse Into Wheeling’s Social Scene in the Late-1800s Kate Wietor November 5, 2021 What was your 18th birthday like? Maybe it was a mad dash to the convenience store for lottery tickets. Perhaps for those of you who hit this milestone in the 1970s, it meant buying your first beer. Wh...
The Wheeling Flood That Created a Beautiful Disaster Natalie Kovacs October 29, 2021 Can you imagine the Ohio River filled with floating pumpkins, gourds, and corn shucks? Well, that’s precisely what many Wheeling residents experienced during The Great Pumpkin Flood of 1861. According to a repo...
Why Were Victorian Wheelingites So Disappointed by This Famous Ghost? Kate Wietor October 27, 2021 Unless you were living under a rock in 1862, you were aware of the ghost that was haunting theatres far and wide. Although this wasn’t quite a “Phantom of the Opera '' situation - this ghost was the cutting edg...
A Brief History of the Wheeling Female College Angela Hawk October 6, 2021 The sudden closure of Ohio Valley Medical Center in 2019 came as a shock to the community. Employees scrambled to find new jobs, patients sought new doctors, and the Ohio County Library and OVMC Alumni associat...
One of Wheeling’s Oldest Hotels Gets a Facelift Jessica Broverman October 5, 2021 Upon entry to the McLure Hotel on Market Street in Wheeling, it is clear that you are walking into a piece of history. Just inside the lobby there is plenty to marvel at – from the cascading stairway to an impo...
PODCAST – Henry: The Life and Legacy of Wheeling’s Most Notorious Brewer Wheeling Heritage Media September 28, 2021 In Victorian-era Wheeling, West Virginia, a German-American brewer and entrepreneur would create a lasting impact that is still felt in the community today. From immigration to politics, industrialization to cr...
Henry Podcast Extra: Local Historians and Brewer Discuss Schmulbach’s Legacy Weelunk Staff September 28, 2021 If you followed along with our Henry Schmulbach podcast re-release this summer, then you know that Wheeling Heritage hosted a live podcast panel discussion with host and historian Hal Gorby, along with guest pa...
What’s So Funny?: Political Cartoons from Wheeling’s Past Emma Wiley September 27, 2021 Many of us have fond childhood memories of enjoying “the funny papers”—silly colorful comics often published in the Sunday morning paper. Whether it was laughing at Garfield’s laziness, chasing the antics of Ca...
A Short History of Wheeling Naturalist George H. Breiding Natalie Kovacs September 24, 2021 With the leaves changing and students going back to school, it’s the perfect time to reflect and appreciate all of the opportunities for learning that exist outside of the classroom. Oglebay Institute is one of...
The Many Lives of the 1400 Block of Market Street Emma Wiley September 6, 2021 The historic 1400 Block of Market Street has seen many businesses over the years, from restaurants and saloons to car companies and candy shops. Based on extant records and architectural styles, the current bui...
Weelunk’s Top 10 Articles Written by Emma Wiley Weelunk Staff August 25, 2021 If you’re a local history buff, then you’ve probably enjoyed reading at least a few of the stories written by Emma Wiley in the last year. Emma is Wheeling Heritage’s AmeriCorp member through the Preservation A...
Help Us Solve History’s Mysteries: Landscape Edition Emma Wiley August 24, 2021 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 ha...
The 13-Year-Old McLure Hotel Bellboy Who Became America’s “Hotel Man of the Half-Century” Emma Wiley August 18, 2021 Walking or driving down Market Street recently, you may have noticed some new activity at the McLure Hotel, including a new paint job, but the establishment has a much longer history. Originally named the McLur...
Henry Episode 6 Recap: The Schmulbach Legacy Katherine Leary August 17, 2021 What is the legacy of Henry Schmulbach? Over the course of the recaps for “Henry: The Life and Legacy of Wheeling’s Most Notorious Brewer,” many aspects of Henry Schmulbach’s effect on Wheeling have been explor...
Henry Episode 5 Recap: Prohibition in a “Rum Soaked City” Katherine Leary August 10, 2021 Today, the concept of prohibition seems almost ludicrous – making alcohol illegal sounds like an idea that was destined for the dustbin of history. But in episode five of “Henry: The Life and Legacy of Wheeling...
The Young Wheeling Doctor Who Captured WWI Through Photography Emma Wiley August 9, 2021 Dr. Raymond A. Tomassene was only 24 when he departed New York City on the ocean liner, La Touraine, bound for France. Fresh out of medical school, Tomassene was headed to the American Ambulance Hospital in Neu...
Henry Episode 4 Recap: Wide Open Wheeling Katherine Leary August 3, 2021 Throughout the episodes of “Henry: The Life and Legacy of Wheeling’s Most Notorious Brewer,” we’ve learned about the history of Henry Schmulbach and in doing so, gained a sense of who he was. Like most people, ...
Help Us Solve History’s Mysteries: Patriotic WWII Workers Edition Emma Wiley July 28, 2021 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 ha...
Henry Episode 3 Recap: The Mysterious Death of Hamilton Forsythe Katherine Leary July 27, 2021 True crime has never been a more popular genre. At-home sleuths love to travel back in time to investigate and ponder mysterious deaths. But for local true crime enthusiasts, did you know that we have an infamo...
Henry Episode 2 Recap: Saloons of Wheeling Katherine Leary July 20, 2021 Today, saloons are relics of the past, appearing in ghost towns and Western movies. But did you know that at one point in time there were 199 licensed saloons in Wheeling, with over 100 of those on Main S...
Henry Episode 1 Recap: Schmulbach’s Lasting Legacy Katherine Leary July 13, 2021 Many immigrant groups have made their mark on Wheeling and influence it to this day. But did you know that at one point Wheeling was known as a little German city? Episode 1 of “Henry: The Life and Legacy of...
How a Warwood Medical Couple Became Internationally Decorated Floriculturists Emma Wiley July 5, 2021 Over the years, Wheeling has been home to numerous award-winning people in various fields—from singers to actors to artists and more. However, not many Wheeling residents know that Warwood boasts two internatio...
Help Us Solve History’s Mysteries: Summer Edition Emma Wiley June 29, 2021 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 hav...
The Mysteries of Mabel: Journalist, Working Woman, and Mother Emma Wiley June 28, 2021 Mabel Hull first became a mystery due to a collection of her scrapbooks at the Ohio County Public Library. The scrapbooks primarily contain clippings of columns she wrote in the Wheeling News-Register and The P...
Three Random Patents and Inventions that Started in Wheeling Emma Wiley June 22, 2021 Ever have an idea for an invention? The first patent law in the US was the US Patent Act in 1790, right as Wheeling was growing as a young town.1 Check out some of these random patented innovations from Wheelin...
How Red Food and Drink Became a Staple of Juneteenth Betsy Sweeny June 19, 2021 From red meat to red velvet, red foods and drinks have been a staple since before the time of slavery. The Celebration On June 19, 2021, the Wheeling Community will gather to celebrate Wheeling’s third annual...
Wheeling, Westsylvania?: The Forgotten History of the “Almost” West Virginias Emma Wiley June 16, 2021 West Virginia Day is almost upon us and it is the 158th anniversary of West Virginia officially becoming a state. Approximately two years after deciding not to secede during the Civil War, West Virginia became ...
This Victorian Status Symbol is on Display at Oglebay Institute’s Glass Museum Betsy Sweeny June 9, 2021 Today the term status symbol evokes images of designer watches, an electric car, or even expensive sneakers. But in Victorian Wheeling, a vase for your celery was the way to let your dinner guests know you had ...
This Wheeling Bridge is the Oldest Surviving Bridge in West Virginia Emma Wiley June 2, 2021 The Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge has become part of many Wheeling residents’ daily routines, connecting commuters to downtown and providing access to the main Elm Grove strip. Hundreds of cars pass over the Ston...
Solving History’s Mysteries: Nurses Edition Emma Wiley May 11, 2021 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 ha...
