Henry Episode 3 Recap: The Mysterious Death of Hamilton ForsytheKatherine Leary July 27, 2021True crime has never been a more popular genre. At-home sleuths love to travel back in time to investigate and...
Henry Episode 2 Recap: Saloons of WheelingKatherine Leary July 20, 2021Today, saloons are relics of the past, appearing in ghost towns and Western movies. But did you know that at...
Henry Episode 1 Recap: Schmulbach’s Lasting LegacyKatherine Leary July 13, 2021Many immigrant groups have made their mark on Wheeling and influence it to this day. But did you know that...
How a Warwood Medical Couple Became Internationally Decorated FloriculturistsEmma Wiley July 5, 2021Over the years, Wheeling has been home to numerous award-winning people in various fields—from singers to actors to artists and...
Help Us Solve History’s Mysteries: Summer EditionEmma Wiley June 29, 2021Do you recognize any of these people? These are all historic photos of Wheeling people, places, and things that need...
The Mysteries of Mabel: Journalist, Working Woman, and MotherEmma Wiley June 28, 2021Mabel Hull first became a mystery due to a collection of her scrapbooks at the Ohio County Public Library. The...
How Red Food and Drink Became a Staple of JuneteenthBetsy Sweeny June 19, 2021From red meat to red velvet, red foods and drinks have been a staple since before the time of slavery....
Wheeling, Westsylvania?: The Forgotten History of the “Almost” West VirginiasEmma Wiley June 16, 2021West Virginia Day is almost upon us and it is the 158th anniversary of West Virginia officially becoming a state....
This Victorian Status Symbol is on Display at Oglebay Institute’s Glass MuseumBetsy Sweeny June 9, 2021Today the term status symbol evokes images of designer watches, an electric car, or even expensive sneakers. But in Victorian...
This Wheeling Bridge is the Oldest Surviving Bridge in West VirginiaEmma Wiley June 2, 2021The Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge has become part of many Wheeling residents’ daily routines, connecting commuters to downtown and...
Solving History’s Mysteries: Nurses EditionEmma Wiley May 11, 2021Do you recognize any of these people? These are all historic photos of Wheeling people, places, and things that need...
The Day All of Wheeling’s Street Names ChangedEmma Wiley May 10, 2021Can you imagine the chaos if all of the street names and house numbers changed in Wheeling? The confusion, the...
Help Us Solve History’s Mysteries!: Baseball EditionEmma Wiley April 28, 2021A Partnership Between Weelunk, Archiving Wheeling, and the Ohio County Public Library Archives Do you recognize any of these people?...
Three of the Funkiest Contests in Wheeling’s HistoryEmma Wiley April 26, 2021What is the weirdest contest that you’ve ever competed in? Throughout Wheeling’s history, there have been some funky contests—from twin-matching...
How an Ohio Valley Resident Became Black Baseball’s First HistorianEmma Wiley April 23, 2021Baseball is back in full swing for the season, and many of us are ready to take to the field...
Spring Cleaning? How the Clean Blockers of the 1940s Can Inspire Today’s VolunteersEmma Wiley April 19, 2021As flowers are blooming, seasonal allergies are flourishing, and warmer weather is in the air…so is spring cleaning. Today, members...
All Aboard!: The Streetcar Trolleys that Changed WheelingEmma Wiley April 14, 2021Seventy-one years ago, on April 14, 1948, the last streetcar of Wheeling made its final trip—its last day overshadowed by...
Remembering Reno: Wheeling Son Who Became a Military LeaderNathan Kosmicki April 9, 2021Jesse L. Reno is most often remembered for his death at the battle of South Mountain. His death in service...
These Vintage Easter Ads Provide a Glimpse Into Wheeling’s PastEmma Wiley April 3, 2021Easter dresses…Easter bonnets…For those who celebrate Easter, you know that your attire is important. Spring is in the air, a...
Wheeling’s Historic Female DoctorsEmma Wiley April 1, 2021“Doctress”…“Lady Doctor”…“Girl Doctor”…These are just a few of the peculiar titles that have been given to some of the historic...
Help Us Solve History’s Mysteries!: Women’s History Month EditionEmma Wiley March 26, 2021A Partnership Between Weelunk, Archiving Wheeling, and the Ohio County Public Library Archives. Do you recognize any of these people?...
The Many Madonnas (of the Trail)Emma Wiley March 23, 2021A Pioneer Woman The “Madonna of the Trail” statue on the edge of Wheeling Park along Route 40 is hard...
COMIC: Rebecca Harding Davis – A True PioneerNatalie Kovacs March 22, 2021In honor of Women’s History Month, Weelunk is celebrating the contributions of author and journalist Rebecca Harding Davis. She is...
Adventures in the Archives: The YWCA Blue Triangle CollectionEmma Wiley March 19, 2021Wheeling and the greater Ohio County area has centuries of history…and therefore thousands of historical documents and other ephemera. So...
Boiled Tongue and Pine Apple Cheese?: A 1852 McLure House Dinner MenuEmma Wiley March 8, 2021Food is an integral part of human life. Not only is it what fuels and energizes our day, but food...
Mary B. Greene: The Ohio River’s Leading Lady (Part 2)Taylor Abbott March 4, 2021By 1946, Mary was in her late 70s but still very much an active presence on the Gordon C. Greene....
Mary B. Greene: The Ohio River’s Leading Lady (Part 1)Taylor Abbott March 3, 2021“When you marry a riverman, you marry the river too. That’s the code of steamboatin’.” -Mary B. Greene Owning steamboats...
Lunch With Books Program Sheds New Light on Historic African American Leaders of Jim Crow WheelingSeán Duffy and Erin Rothenbuehler February 27, 2021As Black History Month 2021 draws to a close, we celebrate the fact that our history never ends – it...
Help Us Solve History’s Mysteries!Emma Wiley February 26, 2021A Partnership Between Weelunk, Archiving Wheeling, and the Ohio County Public Library Archives Do you recognize any of these people?...
The Blue Triangle Branch of the YWCAEmma Wiley February 25, 2021The local Wheeling branch of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) is well-known around the city for its services and...
Wheeling’s Jazz Giant: Leon “Chu” BerryReggie Watkins February 19, 2021Wheeling has a reputation for being a country music hub. So much so that along the way the city earned...
The First Wheeling Wedding?Emma Wiley February 13, 2021“I do hereby Certify that I have this day solemnized the Right of marriage between Mr. John McIngtur (McIntyre properly)...
A Tennis Giant: Arthur Ashe at OglebayEmma Wiley February 8, 2021In July 1960, Wheeling had a 16-year-old visitor to the tennis courts of Oglebay. Few knew that this young African...
Cumberland W. Posey: The Millionaire Industrialist You Probably Haven’t Heard OfTaylor Abbott February 2, 2021Wheeling’s long association with the steel and coal industries is one of the defining parts of its storied history. The...
Uncovered in Photographs: The Children Who Worked Wheeling’s FactoriesEmma Wiley January 26, 2021While Wheeling has a rich and proud history of organized labor, the issue and history of child labor is often...
New Deal Projects at Oglebay ParkAnna Cipoletti January 20, 2021As a staple institution in the Wheeling community, Oglebay Park serves as a place for entertainment, recreation, history, and celebration....
The Giant Wheeling Tabernacle Built in Only Four DaysEmma Wiley January 11, 2021In only four days between January and February of 1912—over a century ago—hundreds of Wheeling residents came together to build...
The Era of the Ironmen, Wheeling’s Semi-Pro Football TeamRich Wooding December 29, 2020It was a chance encounter. A Columbus, OH attorney who had just launched a mid-west semi-professional football league came to...
10 Fast Facts About Wheeling’s DoughboyProvided December 26, 2020Wheeling’s Doughboy monument is back and better than ever. After a longer than expected stay at Venus Bronze Works in...
Ringing in a VaccineEmma Wiley December 22, 2020Imagine all of the church and school bells ringing and all of the factories and trains whistling in Wheeling all...
Seafood Traditions: Coleman’s Fish Market and the Feast of the Seven FishesEmma Wiley December 17, 2020This time of the year is usually one of celebration, good will, spending time with family and friends, and shopping....
The History and Tradition of Holiday CardsMiranda Tharp December 15, 2020Many families have a tradition of sending out holiday cards every year. Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza, we...
A River Runs Through It: Making a Houseboat into a HomeTaylor Abbott December 1, 2020“Cozy, isn’t it?” “Cozy?!… A good fart would give you a concussion!” That hilarious exchange came from none other than...
No Rest for the Dead: The History of Moving Bodies in Wheeling’s CemeteriesEmma Wiley November 30, 2020Wandering around some of Wheeling’s graveyards, you might see some gravestones with dates older than the cemetery itself. How can...
Cultural Appropriation in Wheeling: History of the Improved Order of Red MenEmma Wiley November 27, 2020Editors Note: Weelunk, as a subsidiary of Wheeling Heritage, is committed to telling diverse, nuanced, and difficult histories, especially when...
Reexamining Wheeling’s Mingo StatueEmma Wiley November 16, 2020The Mingo statue has long been a recognizable landmark on Wheeling’s landscape. It has been featured on the cover of...
How a Wheeling Pastor Helped Catch a Serial KillerWill Wallace November 4, 2020Reverend Herman Haas barely acknowledged what he saw that spring day in 1895. His parishioner, the newlywed Caroline Huff, had...
The Forgotten Wheeling Suffragist: May HornbrookEmma Wiley November 3, 2020When Wheeling residents think of a local suffragist, their minds probably jump to Dr. Harriet B. Jones, the first woman...
The People of Power, WVEmma Wiley November 2, 2020Connections to place are powerful. The former residents of Power, West Virginia know this all too well. What do you...
The History and Modern Application of Witchcraft and CrystalsJessica Broverman October 27, 2020“Witchcraft is the practical application of magic.” We have all heard mystical tales of witches, warlocks and paganism. The spells...
