Mary B. Greene: The Ohio River’s Leading Lady (Part 2) Taylor Abbott March 4, 2021 By 1946, Mary was in her late 70s but still very much an active presence on the Gordon C. Greene. Only two years prior, her son Captain Chris Greene, who had taken the reigns of the Greene Line following the de...
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 and being a river captain in the late 1800s was not the most glamorous of lifestyle...
A River Runs Through It: Making a Houseboat into a Home Taylor 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 Walter Matthau’s and Jack Lemmon’s characters in the 1997 movie Out to Sea upon ent...
A River Runs Through It: The Thomas Family Taylor Abbott September 28, 2020 Author’s Note: It is an honor to be invited and share this story of my ancestral journey with our Weelunk readers to mark the milestone occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Wheeling Area Genealogical Society...
A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT: Steamer Disaster on the Ohio on July 4, 1882 Taylor Abbott July 20, 2020 On July 4th, 1882, the steamboat Scioto would make its final journey down the Ohio River. Taylor Abbott, a descendant of the boat's captain, tells the story of the disaster that would grip the nation.
April 1865: A Burst of Historic Events Barb Pirhalla July 13, 2020 April 1865, was a month long remembered in history. Richmond, Virginia, fell; April 9, Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. U.S. Grant; April 15, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated; April 26, John Wil...
A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT: A Tale of Two Capitals Taylor Abbott June 20, 2020 Editor's note: Throughout Wheeling's history, one aspect has remained a constant — the Ohio River. From the birthplace of the first western-style steamboat to laying claim to the Ohio River's first suspension b...
