Wheeling WV History

McColloch’s Leap

In East Wheeling in the mid 1960's there was a 'bar' on almost every corner. But the word 'bar' isn't all they were, they were also community centers. Places that glued the small neighborhoods together. Plac...

Learning to Drink in Wheeling

Somehow we all got introduced to the ancient evil of alcohol. In Wheeling most likely it was beer. Way back in the old days, which would have been the late and mid 60's Wheeling had a great system for creating ...

We Watch Forever

They had a party at our prison last night and they thought we couldn’t see.This rotten stone hell where we walk in darkness forever is not as it was when I faced the hangman in 1932 or as it was when my compa...

Baseball in Wheeling – Chapter 2

(Editor’s Note: This introduction is the third entry of a series of stories that will focus on the history of the game of baseball in the Wheeling area.)   “Belle Isle was Yankee Stadium” There we...

Recording History: Wheeling Water Works

  As the AmeriCorps member for Wheeling National Heritage Area, I have been doing research on the history and architecture of the Warwood neighborhood since September. In February, an employee at the Wh...

Tales of a Trail from Wheeling Pathfinders

It was a shortcut for kids from both sides of the “The Path,” and it transported us to different worlds depending upon which side you lived. If you were raised along the Walnuts, Poplars, Maples, and up on t...

Babe

Babe, I believe his last name was Hert, was in Saint Michaels grade school with my oldest sister Kay when the school was located one block up from Edgington Lane. It is an apartment building now. I believe they...

The West Liberty Tanneries

When West Liberty was settled, the region had a lot of oak trees. In addition to supplying lumber for the building needs as the community grew, those oaks also provided a plentiful supply of oak bark to the two...

Minnesota Woman Aims to Impact Warwood

Hello! I’m Christina Rieth, and I’m the PreserveWV AmeriCorps member for the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation (WNHAC). I’m originally from Saint Paul, Minnesota. I developed my background in h...

Zeakes Inc.

  The woman stood in line with the rest of the mothers and daughters on the second floor of the Dillonvale, Ohio, American Legion, patiently waiting to pay the fare for her daughter’s dance lessons. Wea...

The Wheeling Mob: Part 11

(Editor’s Note: This is the 11th story in this series that has concentrated on the organized-crime scene in and around Wheeling during the past century.)   More Than One Mobster There was a silent scatteri...

The Wheeling Mob: Part 10

Photography archived by James Thorton (Writer’s Note: This is the 10th and FINAL story in this series that has concentrated on the organized-crime scene in and around Wheeling during the past century.)   ...

The Wheeling Mob: Part 9

Photography by Walter Smith Photography; archived by James Thorton (Writer’s Note: This is the ninth in a series of stories that will concentrate on the organized-crime scene in and around Wheeling during th...

The Wheeling Mob: Part 8

Note: This article contains explicit language and subject matter that is not suitable for children. It is the equivalent of Rated R. (Writer’s Note: This is the eighth in a series of stories that will concen...

The Wheeling Mob: Part 7

WARNING: This article contains explicit language and subject matter that is not suitable for children. It is the equivalent of Rated R. (Writer’s Note: This is the seventh in a series of stories that will co...

The Wheeling Mob: Part 6

WARNING: This article contains explicit language and subject matter that is not suitable for children. It is the equivalent of Rated R. (Writer’s Note: This is the sixth in a series of stories that will conc...
Oglebay Stag

“The Stag,” the Myth, the Legend

Every time I visit “The Stag” at Oglebay Park, I wonder how many Ohio Valley children have perched themselves on his smooth, verdigris surface. How many families have spread a picnic blanket in his shadow on a ...

The Wheeling Mob: Part 5

WARNING: This article contains explicit language and subject matter that is not suitable for children. It is the equivalent of Rated R. (Writer’s Note: This is the fifth in a series of stories that will conc...

The Wheeling Mob: Part 4

This article contains explicit language and subject matter that is not suitable for children. It is the equivalent of Rated R. (Writer’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of stories that will concentrate ...

The Wheeling Mob: Part 3

WARNING: This article contains explicit language and subject matter that is not suitable for children. This is R-rated.    (Writer’s Note: This is the third in a series of stories that will concentra...

The Wheeling Mob: Part 2

(Writer’s Note: This is the second in a series of stories that will concentrate on the organized-crime scene in and around Wheeling during the past century.) THE RAT The high-level gangsters scattered, but no...

The Wheeling Mob: Part 1

THE BOSSES, BOOKIES, AND BURGOYNE (Writer’s Note: This is the first in a series of stories that will concentrate on the organized-crime scene in and around Wheeling during the past century.) Bill Lias orde...

Rescued Wall Hosts A Flood Of Memories

By Steve Novotney Weelunk.com For decades Wheeling’s residents and visitors have traveled past the history of the Friendly City’s flooding events, and despite the razing of the former Gene Long Community ...