Internationally-renowned sculptor Augustus Lukeman designed the statue of a young pilot whose wings appear as a&nbsp;shield. The statue is one of the highlights of the campus of the Linsly School, a two-century-old preparatory school located in&nbsp;Wheeling. In 1927,&nbsp;Colonel Charles Lindbergh paid a visit to the school&nbsp;and placed a wreath on the bottom of the statue. The event was witnessed by a large crowd of spectators as&nbsp;Lindbergh had just become&nbsp;famous for making the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in May of 1927.&nbsp; Louis Bennett Jr. was born on September 22, 1894, in Weston, West Virginia. He was the third child of Lewis and Sallie Bennett, two members of locally&nbsp;prominent families. Louis showed signs of being mechanically inclined at an early age. At age twelve, he built a motorcycle and an automobile. Louis was educated in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He enrolled at Yale in 1913 where he was on the lacrosse and wrestling teams. In 1917 he graduated from Yale. Louis learned to fly at the Aero Club of America and the Burgess Company of Massachusetts. He read accounts of the war in Europe, and he realized aviation could be a factor in the war effort. &nbsp;Recognizing the military potential of the airplane, he established the West Virginia Flying Corps in Beech Bottom. He secured financing for the flight school from Governor John J. Cornwell, but the school folded owing to the expense. As a result, Louis enlisted in the British Royal Flying Corps. He received additional flight training in Taliaferro, Texas, which was sponsored by a U.S. Canadian agreement.&nbsp;

The statue was created to honor the memory of Louis Bennett and other American pilots who fought in World War One.

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Learn more about West Virginia in World War I

The Aviator is a monument that was commissioned by Sallie Maxwell Bennett, the mother of a young man killed during World War I on August 24th, 1918. Her son, Lt. Louis Bennett Jr., was serving in the Royal Air Force's 40th Squadron in France in the fall of 1918 when he was killed. Just before his death, he had destroyed three enemy planes and nine spy balloons from August 15th to August 24th. Before his decision to join a few hundred American pilots in England's Royal Air Force, Bennett was the captain of the West Virginia Flying Corp in Wheeling. The statue is located in front of the Linsly School, which became the oldest preparatory school west of the Alleghenies when it held its first classes in 1814. 

The Aviator and the Linsly School 

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&nbsp; &nbsp;After they moved to the Wheeling area in 1913 at the request of Bishop Patrick Donahue, planning was started to house a group of Discalced Carmelite Sisters. As members of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites, the sisters believed in a lifestyle of seclusion and piety. Many sisters remained in the Mt. Carmel Monastery for the remainder of their lives with little contact with the outside world.

&nbsp; &nbsp;The Mt. Carmel Monastery was named for the Carmelite Sisters for whom it was built. Designed by notable Wheeling architect Frederick Faris, the structure was completed and dedicated in 1917. The style of the monastery was unusual for the area and Faris. In honor of the Teresa de Ahumada, founder of the Discalced Carmelite Order, Faris designed the monastery in a Spanish style. St. Teresa created the Order in 1593 and began thirty-two monasteries in Spain.

&nbsp; &nbsp;For many years the only section of the monastery accessible to outsiders was the public chapel. The remainder was dedicated to the nuns and secluded to ensure their privacy. The nun’s cells were plain, and their beds were made of plywood without mattresses. Though they would not interact directly with their neighbors, the nuns were known to write prayer cards for them and their own newspaper which locals were welcome to read.

&nbsp; &nbsp;Though initially a very strict order with little room for deviation, by the 1960s the order was in decline and began to relax its policies on seclusion. The sisters were gradually allowed to interact more with the community and were even allowed outside of the monastery. As many of the sisters of the order were old and dying and the order was not obtaining new members, the sisters left the monastery in 1974. The surviving members of the order made arrangements to be relocated at other Carmelite monasteries.

&nbsp; &nbsp;The building was purchased by a developer in 1974 and converted to apartments. The building's current state reflects the age of the building and the expense of maintaining an aging historic structure. Despite crumbling banisters and cracked facades, Mt. Carmel Apartments clearly reflects the building's history as a former monastery.&nbsp;

Constructed in 1917 to house sisters of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites, Mount Carmel Monastery was named in honor of the order’s founder, St. Teresa of Avila. The monastery's Spanish style architecture recalls the origins of the order and is a unique structure in Wheeling. The founding of the monastery reflected the growth of the Catholic community in Wheeling in the early 20th century. At the height of the monastery's time in Wheeling, the sisters were isolated and had almost no contact with the outside world aside from a newsletter and selling handmade products. The monastery was in operation until 1974, when the last residents moved to another monastery and the building was sold to a real estate developer. Though the structure is now a crumbling apartment building, it was once the iconic home to the extremely secluded Carmelite Sisters. 

Mt. Carmel Monastery (1917-1974)

Driving on US 40 today, you are following the route of the National Road, one of the nation's first infrastructure projects. Shortly after the Revolution political leaders advocated for the construction of new roads and canals to connect the states in the east to economic opportunities in the Ohio Valley and further to the Mississippi. The National Road was constructed between Cumberland, MD and Wheeling, (W)Va in the early 1800s and later expanded to connect from Baltimore to Illinois. 

Discover US 40: The National Road

Lord Dunmore's War began in 1774, after the land of the Shawnee was slowly being taken away from them. The massacre of the Logan family, a Mingo group living and trading with settlers at the mouth of Yellow Creek near Steubenville, Ohio, was the tipping point for the Shawnee.&nbsp;The issues at stake in the conflict on the frontier from 1774 to&nbsp;1795 were ones of land ownership&nbsp;and control of trade routes. Lord Dunmore's War worried the settlers, and they built Fort Henry for protection.&nbsp;The first attack on Fort Henry started on&nbsp;September 1st, 1777, and lasted for three days and three nights. Fort Henry was defended by 60 men, and almost half of them were lured out of the fort and killed by the 200&nbsp;Wyandots and Mingos. Messengers were sent out to local forts and militias to request aid during this time, and McCulloch and his men went as soon as they received&nbsp;word.&nbsp; On September 2nd, 1777, as McCulloch and his men were in route to Fort Henry, McCulloch was cut off by Native Americans and separated from his men. McCulloch was well known by the Native Americans for his heavy involvement in battles, and for killing many of their own. Once McCulloch was cut off, he directed his horse towards Wheeling Hill, as it was his only means of escape. Two other groups of Native Americans cut him off, and McCulloch's only route of escape was to jump over a one hundred and fifty foot ledge that led to Wheeling Creek.&nbsp; <blockquote>"McCulloch still bore his rifle, which he had retained, in his right hand, and carefully gathering up the bridle in his left, he urged his noble animal forward, encouraging him by his voice, until they reached the edge of the bank, when, dashing his heels against his sides, they made the fearful leap into the air."1</blockquote>McCulloch and his horse slid and scrambled down the ledge of the hill, and landed at the river bank with extremely minor injuries. He then rushed to his home fort, gathered a force of 40 men, and returned to Fort Henry only to find that the Native Americans had already retreated across the Ohio River.&nbsp;However, the truth about McCulloch's Leap has been heavily disputed among historians. There is little documentation of Samual McCulloch prior to 1777, and most documented information. though sparse, is only about his leap.&nbsp;<blockquote>This deed is, unfortunately, not recorded in any documented report of the attack, or in accounts later related to historians. Nor does anyone record whether the leap took place at this time. Layman C. Draper believed that the leap occurred, but not as part of this siege. The leap is part of the history of this area, and, with the information we have about McColloch, seems to fit with recorded statements of his bravery. But, more factual information is not extant.2</blockquote>Whether or not McCulloch's leap was as dramatic or extravagant as folklore leads us to believe, it gives insight to battle tactics of both sides from the war. McCulloch later lost his arm in a hunting accident, and later died at the hands of Native Americans in 1782. There is a monument dedicated to his bravery and escape from the Native Americans on September 2nd, 1777.&nbsp;

Samuel McCulloch and his family moved from New Jersey to the area that is now Wheeling, WV in 1770. He went on to become the commander of Van Meter’s Fort, a member of the Virginia Legislature, and a major in the local militia. McCulloch rushed to help Fort Henry when it was under attack on September 2nd, 1777, but was cut off by Native Americans. To escape the Native Americans, it is said that McCulloch and his horse leaped from the ledge on the top of Wheeling Hill, and survived. 

McCulloch's Leap

The Mt. Wood Castle and Cemetery were largely forgotten by locals until 2012 when preservation efforts began to revitalize the site. In the decades prior, the area was used primarily for illicit behaviors. The misremembered history of the castle led to the popular belief that a man had been building it for his lover and left it unfinished when she suddenly died. Though this story is still popular among locals, the truth is less romantic.Dr. Andrew J. Harness was born to a poor Tennessee family in 1883 and worked his way from labor within area coal mines to attending medical school. Harness moved with his wife, Aubelle "Mabel" Souleyret, to Wheeling, WV in 1916. Harness bought the Mt. Wood property in July 1921 and appears to have started construction on the castle sometime between this purchase and the project’s abandonment in 1925. In November of that year, Harness was forced to quit construction as he was indicted for illegal sales of morphine and cocaine. He was subsequently sentenced to eighteen months of federal prison in Atlanta and received an early release in 1927. Following his release, the Harness family relocated to the Chelyan and Cabin Creek area of West Virginia before ultimately settling in Miami, Florida. Harness passed away on January 30, 1946 after a battle with throat cancer. After Harness’s arrest, the foundation of the unfinished castle was left largely untouched until cleanup efforts began in 2012. Mt. Wood Cemetery, the oldest surviving cemetery in Wheeling, is located across the street from Harness’s abandoned castle. First formally established in 1848, the cemetery was the leasing burial site for the city into the 20th century. The 14 acres of the cemetery include nearly 2,000 graves and 10 mausoleums. Echoes of the cemetery’s roots in the Romantic Movement are evident in the spacious layout and beautiful view of the Ohio River. As citizens increasingly interned family members in other cemeteries, fewer funds were available for the maintenance of this cemetery which fell victim to natural decline and vandalism. Eventually, maintenance was taken over by the city of Wheeling after severe damage to gravestones and mausoleums. Efforts at preservation of the cemetery began in 2013 after several citizens and local organizations became concerned about the condition of the cemetery.

Mt. Wood Castle, also known as Wheeling Castle, is located across the street from the historic Mt. Wood Cemetery. Though it is now a popular site for vandalism, the site was intended to be the extravagant home of a local doctor. The unfinished structure was owned by the disgraced doctor, Andrew J. Harness. Construction of the castle was abandoned after his 1925 arrest for selling substances like cocaine and morphine in violation of the 1914 Harrison Act. The Mt. Wood Cemetery is the oldest surviving cemetery in Wheeling and was established in 1848. The cemetery was falling into disrepair and like the castle was often vandalized until a volunteer effort began to restore the grounds in 2013.

Mt. Wood Castle, aka Wheeling Castle

The Mingo statue was revealed in 1928, prior to the construction of I-70. At the time, National Road was the only major road going through the area, and the statue was a welcoming figure. The Wheeling Chapter of the Kiwanis Club and George W. Lutz commissioned the statue. Artist Henry Beu of North Wheeling Pottery cast the statue out of bronze, and it was dedicated on January 21, 1928. The statue is of a Native American man with his right arm stretched out to greet visitors. A group of vandals broke the statue at the ankles and removed it from the pedestal in 1982. After it was recovered, the statue was mended by the Mull Foundry and was rededicated in April of 1983.The Mingos were an independent group in the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. The group was largely made of Senecas and Cayugas. The Mingos migrated to the Ohio Country in the mid-eighteenth century, as part of a movement of multiple Native American tribes to the region which had been an unpopulated Iroquois hunting ground for decades. The Mingos were not technically considered a tribe, as there was no official Mingo language or culture. Mingos were heavily involved in battles against white settlers during the late 1700s. Like their Shawnee and Delaware neighbors, and most Mingos relocated west after the collapse of native resistance in the 1790s. Today, the descendants of the Mingos can be found in Oklahoma and are known as Seneca-Cayugas.

The Mingo statue was built in 1928 to honor the Mingos, a group of Native Americans who inhabited the Ohio River Valley in the Wheeling area until the early 1800s. The statue welcomes visitors traveling over Wheeling Hill and represents the Native American history of the area. The Native American figure in the statue stretches his right hand out to greet travelers. 

The plaque on the base of the Mingo Statue

Mingo Indian

There was a time when Wheeling, WV had more&nbsp;millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the U.S.&nbsp;"Old Town Wheeling," located on North Main Street between 7th and 9th streets served as home to many of those millionaires.&nbsp;It was one of earliest settled areas of the town. The Zane Family&nbsp;settled in Wheeling in 1769, six years before the first shots of the Revolutionary War,&nbsp;and laid out the first lots in 1793, ten years after playing an important role in the last battle of the American Revolution at Fort Henry, just a couple city blocks south on Main. Ebenezer Zane built his brick home around 1800 at the corner of Main and 11th Street.The second brick house
in Wheeling was built on the corner of Main and 8th Street.With the arrival of the
National Road in 1818, Wheeling was made even more accessible for further settlement.&nbsp; In 1831, Congress designated the town a U.S. Port of entry, then, in 1849, the Suspension Bridge crossed the Ohio River. In 1853, the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad brought the first passenger train to Wheeling. By the 1870*s Wheeling
was known as the "Nail City," producing more kegs of iron, cut nails than any other
city in the United States. It was the launching point for many families headed west and construction supplies were in great demand. In 1882, it became the fourth city in the United States to
have electric lights and five years later, in 1887, Wheeling became the third city in the country to have an electric trolley system. By the early 90's, Wheeling had become an industrial center, known particularly for its specialized steel
products, with a population of over 34,500. It was during this period of economic growth that George Eckhart, a wealthy local banker, decided to build a house in the Old Town section of Wheeling.He originally had his sites set on property fronting the Ohio River which was considered prime. The problem was that Mr. Eckhart was relatively new to wealth and the more established families, one of which was headed by a competitive banker, worked to buy the lots and keep him out. While considered not quite as desirable&nbsp;a location, Eckhart's&nbsp;response was to buy property across the road, on the east side of Main Street, and build a more impressive house, taking special care to include the latest in technology. Technology in the 1890s was moving at lightening speed. In 1887, Tesla/Westinghouse made alternating current (AC) electricity available and the Eckhart House was the first in Wheeling to be fully wired for modern electricity. While city water was available to all, Eckhart's house included a shower in the bathroom. Most houses included fireplaces that burned wood or coal, but the Eckhart house was built with natural gas fire places, making it cleaner than other houses around it.&nbsp; The house&nbsp;was listed at $4000 for tax purposes but given an estimate of $6000, which many contractors considered only two-thirds the actual price. In today's money the cost would be 3-5 million dollars. As with many houses at the time, the dimensions included a rather narrow width, but very high and very deep. The first floor includes a reception hall, parlor, living room, dining room and kitchen. The second floor includes a parlor, four bedrooms and a bathroom. The third floor includes two bedrooms and a bathroom. There is also a raised basement. A garage was added behind the house some years later, built using prisoner labor. Today, the Eckhart House is owned by the Joseph Figaretti family. Tours are available as well as afternoon teas by appointment. The gift shop is open on Saturdays from 10:00 to 5:00, April through December.

Built in 1891 by George W. Eckhart, the Eckhart House was considered to be representative of Wheeling's progress during America's Gilded Age. The house is a 3-story, red brick Queen Anne building. An October 29, 1891, edition of the Wheeling Intelligencer, listed the house as one of the residential building achievements of the year with tasteful architecture that "has thoroughly impressed everybody who gets about over town much."

Today, the Eckhart House includes a Gift Shop, Tea Room (available for afternoon Teas, children's tea parties and special events) and House Tour.

The Eckhart House, located in "Victorian Old Town"

The Eckhart House

Lincoln High School was founded in 1866, and was one of the first publicly funded schools for African Americans in the United States. When the school opened, it was home to twenty colored students from the surrounding area who were taught in the two room facility. The most notable principal of Lincoln's history was&nbsp;James McHenry Jones, who&nbsp;was one of West Virginia’s most prominent African-American educators and community leaders during the half century after the Civil War.&nbsp;Jones' administration raised the school to a higher standard as he&nbsp;doubled the number of teachers and students, broadened the curriculum, and rebuilt the school after a fire in 1892. He later went on to be the president of the West Virginia Colored Institute after resigning from Lincoln in 1900. The school was moved to it's permanent location in 1875, which was formerly a&nbsp;white school for the children living&nbsp;on the Wheeling&nbsp;Island and between&nbsp;Ninth and Twelfth Streets. This school was known as Second Ward School, and the name was changed to Lincoln School after the shift in students. This building was completely destroyed by a fire in 1892, and a new school was immediately&nbsp;constructed&nbsp;in the same location, and opened in 1893. James Jones' brother, Flem, became Lincoln's principal in 1900, and the High School Department,&nbsp;Manual Training, and Domestic Science Departments were established under his&nbsp;administration. In 1914, Lincoln saw many improvements as the programs were expanded and improved so that more full time faculty could be hired, therefore more students enrolled. In 1943, Lincoln High School was once again revamped.&nbsp; <blockquote>"There are now&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/wheeling-history/4073">14 classrooms</a>, including a model apartment with dining room, living room, kitchen and laundry; two large rooms rooms for industrial arts courses; a well-equipped library and science rooms. The large assembly room, where the opening exercises will be held, will seat 200 people. Plans call for the post-war addition of an auditorium and gymnasium. When the third floor and auditorium have been added, the old red building will be entirely eliminated, as space will be inadequate to take care of the entire colored school population." -&nbsp;Souvenir Program, Dedication of the New Lincoln High School, Wheeling, W. Va 19431</blockquote> The school closed after desegregation, as the African American students were able to attend schools that were closer to their homes.&nbsp;The Lincoln High School building still remains today, and is home to the&nbsp;Ronald C. Mulholland Juvenile Center. This center is dedicated to&nbsp;serving youth who have been&nbsp;charged with law violations and also provides&nbsp;treatment and rehabilitation.&nbsp;

Founded in 1866 by Dr. Hupp and John Jackson, Lincoln School was one of the first schools in the United States to be established for African American children.  Located in Wheeling, West Virginia, it was first housed in a two room building on Twelfth Street in Ohio County.  In 1875 the school moved to Tenth and Chapline Street. A fire destroyed the building in 1892, and a new school was constructed in 1893 that housed first through sixth grades. The building for Lincoln High School was completed in 1943, and closed after desegregation. The building that housed Lincoln High School now serves as the Ronald C Mulholland Juvenile Center.

Dedication of the New Lincoln High School, Wheeling, W. Va. Sunday, December 5, 1943.
Photo contributed by the Ohio County Public Library, http://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/wheeling-history/faculty-of-lincoln-high-school-wheeling-wv-1943/4069.

Lincoln High School

The Second Ward Market House was building to accommodate the growing commercial economy in Wheeling which was quickly outgrowing the city’s original market, located at the east end of the Wheeling suspension bridge. Local landowner and entrepreneur Noah Zane donated the land to the city for the purpose of building a larger public market. Vendors rented the eight stalls on the first floor while the second floor served as the first home of Wheeling's City Hall. Prior to the Civil War, hundreds of enslaved persons were sold outside of the market on the corner of 10th Street.In 1911, the original building was torn down and replaced with the much larger Market Auditorium building in 1912. This new building was significantly larger and housed both market space and an auditorium. The building was designed to hold around 3,500 people with 64 indoor stalls and 23 outdoor spaces for venders. The market was expanded several times in the 19th century, growing to a total of 76 stalls. Like the original Second War Market House, this building had a second story with office space.In 1913, Wheeling suffragists Annie Caldwell Boyd, Dr. Harriet B. Jones, and Ellen Douglas Hoge marched in the suffrage parade in Washington, D.C. After their experiences at the capitol the three women spoke at a meeting in the Market Auditorium in Wheeling that revitalized the suffrage momentum in the city and led to the reformation of the suffrage old club as the Ohio County Equal Suffrage League.The West Virginia Republican Party held its state delegate convention on May 4, 1916 at the Market Auditorium to select delegates to attend the Republican National Convention in Chicago, IL. During the convention, women’s suffrage advocate Antoinette Funk of Illinois addressed the crowd in support of women’s rights and the Republican Party. In 1914 Funk was chair of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and in 1916 she was a member of the Associate Progressive Campaign Committee. She was a well-traveled speaker, and by 1925 she had traveled to every state to speak on women’s rights, politics, and the war effort. The Market Auditorium was demolished in 1964.

Wheeling’s first market was built at this location in 1822 and consisted of a town hall on the second floor and a market that operated twice a week on the first floor. For many years prior to the Civil War, hundreds of enslaved persons were sold at the market. The market was demolished in 1911 and was replaced by the Market Auditorium shortly after. The Market Auditorium was in use from 1913 until it was demolished in 1964.

A turn-of-the-century view of the former town market which at that time also included a restaurant. Image from the Wheeling Public Library. 

Second Ward Market House (1822-1911) & New Market Auditorium (1913-1964)

Designed in the Beaux-Arts styles, the&nbsp;Capitol Theater in Wheeling&nbsp;is one of&nbsp;the oldest and largest performance venues in West Virginia. It hosted the "Wheeling Jamboree" which was the second longest-running national radio program, airing for more than 35 years.&nbsp; The building's original plans called for an eight-story hotel above the theater. However, the decision not to build the hotel was made after the theater was completed.&nbsp; The Capitol Theater was the idea of John Papulias. He served as President of Tri-State&nbsp;amusements and after&nbsp;building a theatre in nearby Steubenville, he felt Wheeling needed a place to have shows and&nbsp;performances. The Capitol Theatre Company was&nbsp;introduced. Lee C Paull served as president and with&nbsp;help from&nbsp;architecture master Charles W Bates made the Capitol Theatre possible. The name&nbsp;“The Capitol”&nbsp;could’ve been brought about&nbsp;two different ways. One, Wheeling was&nbsp;temporally the capital of West Virginia. Also,&nbsp;theaters&nbsp;around the nation were also famously being named&nbsp;“the Capitol.” On March 28, 1927, the land for the capitol theatre was sold and work begun. The products used to build the theatre steel etc were supplied by local&nbsp;Wheeling suppliers. The&nbsp;architect had also&nbsp;previously&nbsp;created other&nbsp;Wheeling landmarks. Two men were badly injured during the construction of the theatre. On November 29, 1928, the capitol opened letting the first customers in. 15,000 people&nbsp;attended the show that day. The Capitol theatre brought great joy.&nbsp;The lobby, along with its two box offices, was to be on the second floor and the entrance on the north side of the building.&nbsp;The theater was equipped&nbsp;with projectors designed for silent films as well as "talkies" and seats for the four shows cost a total of $0.60 in the early years of the Capitol. On October 6, 1929, the Wheeling Symphony Society played their first performance at the Capitol. On April 1, 1933, the first Jamboree was held and at the theater and broadcast live by WWVA radio. Theater also had a ballroom and hosted many weddings, dances, and other social events. After the theater reopened in October 2009 after being closed for two years and still provides nationally touring acts and local performances, like the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. &nbsp; The Capitol&nbsp;Theatre continues to bring great joy and has been&nbsp;up-kept by historians, conservationists, and Wheeling’s own.&nbsp;Performances continue to happen at the Capitol Theatre and it is still in great shape today.&nbsp;<div></div><div> </div>

One of the premiere performance venues in West Virginia, Wheeling's Capitol Theater awed thousands who were fortunate enough to attend the grand opening of the million-dollar theater on Thanksgiving Day, 1928. Like many of the leading theaters and hotels constructed in the early 20th century, this venue was designed to be "fireproof" using modern building techniques, durable fire-resistant materials, and numerous safety measures. The auditorium had 3,000 seats and two balconies. The theater saw decreasing attendance in the later 20th century and closed for several years. Local citizens, together with government leaders and tourism and preservation groups, came together to prevent the building from suffering the same fate of many other historic downtown theaters. After several years of raising funds and performing the work of restoration, the Capitol Theater reopened in 2009.

The Capitol Theatre opened in 1928. Thanks to the efforts of preservationists, it once again hosts events and performances. 

Capitol Theatre, Wheeling

The stogie first became popular when George W. Black started selling them to travelers of the National Road in 1827. Stogies are a type of cigar that are longer and thinner than the traditional cigar, and were named after Conestoga wagons that many of the wagoneers drove and traveled in. Stogies were traditionally hand rolled, and were less expensive than traditional cigars. In 1840, Mifflin Marsh, at the age of 22, began making and selling stogies to steamboat crews and passengers and Conestoga wagon drivers at the price of four for a penny. Marsh made these stogies in his home and sold them in a basket that he constantly carried with him. Since Black and Marsh sold their stogies to travelers of the National Road, they quickly became nationally known and had a high demand, especially during the Civil War era. In 1869, Marsh went into business with his son, William, and formed M. Marsh and Son. Mifflin. The stogie makers were one of the first trades to unionize in Wheeling in 1869. Marsh remained the company president until his death in 1901, and then his son took over until 1920. A good stogie roller could roll about 1,000 stogies a day, but with the mechanization of rolling cigars, the hand rolling soon became obsolete. In 1931, M. Marsh and Sons rented more than 40 machines, each producing more than 5,000 stogies a day. Women were hired, especially during World War II, as the operators of these machines. At the company's peak, the factory employed 600 workers. After the war, Marsh became the only large stogie manufacturer still in business. In 2001, National Cigar Corporation bought all of the brands owned by Marsh and the plant in Wheeling was closed as production was moved to Frankfort, Indiana.The brand of Marsh Wheeling Stogies became a popular face of the tobacco industry. The Marsh Wheeling box has showed up in television shows and movies such as The Green Mile, Jaws, and Mad Men.  Mifflin Marsh's tobacco empire was detrimental to the industrical success of Wheeling, and was elected to the Wheeling Hall of Fame in 1990.

Marsh Wheeling Stogies opened for business in 1840, making it the oldest cigar manufacturer in the United States. The company was founded by Mifflin Marsh, who at the age of 22 would sell stogies to steamboat crews and passengers, as well as Conestoga drivers, at the price of four for a penny. The Marsh Wheeling Stogies factory opened in this location in 1908, but has since closed after being bought out by National Cigar. Marsh Wheeling Stogies can still be purchased today, and are manufactured out of Indiana.

Marsh Wheeling Stogies

This two and a half story&nbsp;Greek Revival home was built between 1839 and 1845,&nbsp;and is located in Wheeling, West Virginia. This home was built by&nbsp;prominent businessman, Robert C. Woods, and represents the success of local merchants early in Wheeling's industrial&nbsp;history.&nbsp;In his father's will, Robert C. Woods was left the property that the house currently sits on, and after receiving the deed to the lot Woods began building his home along the National Road. Robert C. Woods is most well known for&nbsp;establishing the Marshall and Ohio county lines in 1835.1 It is said that Robert C. Woods never actually occupied this house, and the first occupant was prominent businessman John S. Rhodes in 1848 who purchased the house for $3,000. Woods invested in real estate, like his father before him, and saw the both the property and house as an investment.&nbsp;Rhodes had a dry-goods business in Wheeling, J.S. Rhodes &amp; Co., which was one of the largest businesses in the area.1 &nbsp;In 1865,&nbsp;another prominent businessman by the name of Morgan Ott purchased the home for $6,000. Ott owned a successful hardware store in Wheeling and is the last historically significant person to have occupied the house.

Home of notable businessman Robert C. Woods, this Greek Revival house was built in the 1800s prior to the construction of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. At various times, this building was owned by three prominent businessmen in Wheeling, West Virginia. The Robert C. Woods House is one of the only standing buildings in the city that was constructed prior to the 1849 suspension bridge, and although the exterior and interior have been altered, many of the original details can still be seen. Today the house is a private drinking club, the West Virginia Snakes Club Inc.

Robert C. Woods House

After a rivalry between Pittsburgh and Wheeling to become the city to bridge the Ohio River, a charter was granted to the Wheeling and Belmont Bridge Company in 1816. This charter was to construct a bridge to extend the Cumberland Pike, which was to be completed in 1818, to Ohio. After some delays and opposition, a new bridge charter was obtained in 1847. Charles Ellet and John A. Roebling were invited to submit designs and estimates for a bridge over the east channel of the river to Wheeling Island. In doing so, the design was set as a suspension bridge, as Ellet and Roebling were the foremost authorities on the topic. Ellet received the contract award in 1847 and began the same year. The bridge was completed in 1849.<blockquote>"The firing of cannon continued for a great portion of the day, and the crowds along the Bridge sensibly increased until 3 o'clock, when the ladies assembled, and with their escorts passed over to the Island and returned. With them the hour seemed given up to enjoyment, friend met friend, and gaiety and good feeling reigned supreme. We had there the pleasure of meeting more lovely and happy faces than we have seen before for months. A continuous train of human beings moved along the work from 3 o'clock until dark.</blockquote><blockquote>At 6 o'clock, the thousand lamps, hung up on the wires, were lighted almost simultaneously and presented an elegant and graceful curve of fire, high above the river, that was never excelled in beauty. It forcibly reminded one of Mr. Clay's remarks, a few days since, when looking at the work from a distance, while his face glowed with pride and exultation — "Take that down! you might as well try to take down the rainbow."2 - The Daily Wheeling Gazette, Nov. 17, 1849</blockquote>The span of the bridge is 1010 feet, measured from the center of the two supporting towers – the longest clear-span bridge in the world at the time. All materials for the bridge, including the drawn iron wire used to create the cables, were produced locally. The main cables rest upon iron rollers at the summits of each tower. The rollers relieve the strain on the cables caused by expansion and contraction with changes in temperature. In 1854, high winds set up an oscillation in the deck structure that resulted in severe damage to the bridge. Once again, Pittsburgh rivaled Wheeling for the reconstruction of the bridge. The Wheeling Bridge Case went to the Supreme Court and lasted from 1854 to 1856 with a judgment in favor of Wheeling.  Under the supervision of Ellet, reconstruction work began almost immediately and the bridge was reopened in just three months. In 1867, the Citizen Railway Company was granted permission to lay tracks on the bridge to accommodate horse-drawn streetcars; a possibility indicated earlier by Ellet. In 1872, Washington Roebling, son of John Roebling, was commissioned to provide upgrades to the bridge which included the installation of the diagonal cable stays. The bridge remained essentially unchanged until 1956 when a new steel deck system was installed. The most recent work on the bridge was completed in 1999 with repairs to the stiffening truss and wire rope stays, complete inspection and re-wrapping of the cables, and the installation of new illumination. Today, the bridge stands as one of the finest examples of pre-Civil War engineering and is considered as one of the world’s most significant and historic bridges. Wheeling and the Suspension Bridge is home to one of the greatest engineering achievements in American History. The nearly 170-year-old Wheeling Suspension Bridge is the oldest operating suspension bridge in the world. The bridge was the first to span a main channel of the Ohio River. In 1836, a two-span covered bridge opened over the back channel of the Ohio in Wheeling. This bridge crossed at the site of an 1893 truss and modern day bridge that carries Route 40 over the back channel to this day.

One of the last construction projects associated with the National Road, Wheeling Suspension Bridge opened on November 15th, 1849. At that time, this was the only bridge across the Ohio River and the largest suspension bridge in the world. The bridge was designed by Charles Ellet Jr. and covers 1,010 feet from tower to tower. The east tower rests on the Wheeling shore, while the west tower is on Wheeling Island. The bridge provided a link between two sections of the National Road before the Civil War and while it only retained the title of the world's largest suspension bridge for two years, today it is the oldest suspension bridge approved for vehicular traffic. Given its importance to transportation, and its significance as a mid-19th-century engineering marvel, the bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark on May 15, 1975.

View from the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, 1977. Photo taken from City of Wheeling side, looking West toward Wheeling Island.

Wheeling Suspension Bridge

Downtown Wheeling

In the period after the Revolutionary War, Americans wanted to rapidly spread into the land west of the Appalachian Mountains. White exploration and settlement of that region had been occurring for some time, but access was usually through the network of trails and pathways used by Native Americans, limiting the opportunity for large-scale settlement and economic development. Shortly after the Revolution political leaders such as George Washington, Albert Gallatin, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Clay advocated for the construction of new roads and canals to connect the states in the east to economic opportunities in the Ohio Valley and further to the Mississippi. This expansion of transportation and economic opportunity for the new nation became a primary goal for Thomas Jefferson during his presidency. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Congress authorized the construction of a roadway to connect the Potomac to the Ohio River in 1806. This first section of what would become the National Road was called the Cumberland Road, which connected Cumberland, MD and Wheeling, WV. Much of the route followed the earlier Braddock Road, opened in 1751 between Fort Cumberland and Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh). The new road would follow the Braddock Road until around Uniontown, PA where it would turn west to Wheeling instead of continuing north to Pittsburgh. Construction of the Cumberland Road was completed between 1811 and 1818, with the road reaching Wheeling in August of that year. Additional extensions connected the National Road east to Baltimore by 1824 and west to Illinois in the 1830s. Congress planned to extend the National Road all the way to Jefferson City, MO (they authorized this in 1820 and the extension into Illinois was part of this plan), but construction largely ended in 1839 and the road did not reach the Mississippi.  Heavy traffic quickly wore down the original road and in 1825 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took over management of the road and repaired and rebuild the roadway. After this the federal government passed management of the road to the individual states for upkeep (federal attention was moving towards new canal and railroad projects). Once the Baltimore &amp; Ohio (B &amp; O) Railroad extended to Wheeling in the 1850s, the National Road saw a period of decline as rail travel became more popular. In the 1900s when travel by car overtook rail travel, the National Road saw a new resurgence and it was incorporated into U.S. 40 which extends cross-country from Atlantic City to San Francisco. It remains a popular scenic route for travelers, although nearby Interstate 68 has largely replaced it as the main route for east-west travel. Mile markers were placed every mile along the National Road to orient travelers. As mentioned in the description from the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, the markers include the distance to Wheeling on the east side and the distance to Cumberland on the other side. These markers are cast iron, painted white with Black lettering and give the mileage to Cumberland and Wheeling. Markers in other states oriented travelers to different cities, such as Baltimore, Frostburg, or Washington. The markers in West Virginia were cast by the Snowden Foundry in Brownsville, PA and placed in the 1830s.

This is one of the mile markers originally placed along the National Road in the 1830s. The National Road (now part of U.S. 40) was constructed in the early 1800s to connect Cumberland to Wheeling, and allow for better mobility from the east to western areas in the newly formed United States. Mile markers were placed every mile and the six that remain in their original locations are located between Mt. Echo and Triadelphia. The markers that are still in their original positions are nos. 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, and 14. Four other original markers exist, but have been relocated from their original locations.

National Road Mile Marker 11

Shepherd Hall, also known as Stone Mansion and Monument Place, was built in 1798 by Moses Shepherd as a home for himself and his wife, Lydia Shepherd (née Boggs) in 1798. Shepherd’s father, David, originally owned the land and built a fort on the site. This fort served as a refuge to families living around the Wheeling Creeks; however, the Shepherd’s Fort was caught fire and burnt down by Native Americans. Following David Shepherd’s death in 1795 Moses inherited the land. At the time of construction, the house was a part of a large plantation. The Shepherds, especially Lydia, were prolific socialites and played host to several prominent guests during their lifetimes. The Shepherds often visited Washington DC and soon became friends with many politicians, such as Henry Clay, James Polk, and Andrew Jackson. While some of these politicians, especially Clay, passed through Wheeling they would often stay with the Shepherds at Monument Place; it is rumored that Marquis de Lafayette even stayed there while traveling through Wheeling. Due to the Shepherd’s great relationship with Henry Clay they managed to convince him to have National Road pass directly past Monument Place, which benefited a nearby general store that the Shepherds owned. Moses Shepherd became very wealthy by building two bridges that span over Wheeling Creek to allow the National Road to pass their estate. Monument Place gets its nickname due to Lydia Shepherd Cruger erecting a statue honoring Henry Clay for bringing the National Road to the area (the monument no longer stands). Despite the fame of their guests, the house acquired most of its renown from the long life of Lydia Boggs Shepherd Cruger. Born in 1766, Lydia lived long enough to see both the American Revolution and the Civil War. When her first husband died of cholera in 1832, she remarried to Daniel Cruger one year later, though he died of apoplexy in 1843. Though she later became a recluse, Lydia would entertain the occasional guest that wished to pick her brain about something she had experienced in her long life. She remained in the house for the rest of her life, passing away in 1867 at the age of 101. As Lydia died without issue, the land around the house was sold off in lots and would eventually become Elm Grove. The mansion itself was sold to the Loring family in 1870 and would stay in the family until 1926. The Osiris Shrine Temple would purchase the house from the estate of Lucy Loring Milton, where it has been since. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. Shepherd Hall estate, as it stands today, occupies five acres of land. Until 1926, only a few changes were made to the land and structure. The central building is 2 1/2 stories, with a stone exterior. A small cottage stands to the left of the main building and was constructed by the Loring family. However, the Osiris Temple has made the most changes to the house itself, extending the back of the building to accommodate large rooms for banquets and meetings. At 215 years old, Shepherd Hall stands as the oldest house in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Shepherd Hall was built in 1798 by Moses Shepherd as a home for himself and his wife, Lydia Shepherd (née Boggs). The house has played host to numerous famous guests during their lifetimes, such as the Marquis de Lafayette, James Polk, and Andrew Jackson. However, much of the house's fame comes from the long life of Lydia Shepherd, who lived to see both the American Revolution and the Civil War. After changing hands following her death, it came into the care of the Osiris Shrine Temple in 1926, where it has remained since. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

Shepherd Hall (Also known as Monument Place)

Shepherd Hall/Monument Place

The construction of the National Road between Cumberland, MD and Wheeling, WV necessitated the construction of several bridges to cross Little Wheeling Creek and Wheeling Creek. Several bridges were built in 1817-1818 and were typically stone arch bridges built with local stone, with the exception of one wooden bridge that was built on Main Street in Wheeling. The 1817 Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge is the only remaining bridge from this period of construction, and it is the oldest bridge still in use in the state. The bridge is limestone and is a three-span stone arch bridge, build with ellipse instead of circular arches to prevent the bridge from being too high in the middle. The span is 208 feet and it was widened in 1931 to its width of 48 feet. It is one of two remaining bridges connected to the National Road, the other being the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. Until the National Road crossings over creeks and rivers were largely nonexistent, so the construction of these bridges in 1817-1818 were significant in increasing mobility in the Wheeling area. The construction of the Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge was due to the influence of Moses and Lydia Shepard, who lived in Shepherd Hall (today the Osiris Shrine Temple). Moses Shepherd was the builder of this unique bridge. Historians believe that Moses got his start in Wheeling, West Virginia when he was around eight years of age. His father, David Shepherd, planted his roots right in the middle of the Little Wheeling Creek. Growing up in Wheeling, a rural part at the time, was very beneficial to Moses. He began to become a very skilled woodworker and hunter. After he built the bridge, he became a very successful congressman. The couple’s friendship with Henry Clay helped secure the route of the National Road to Wheeling. The Shepards wanted the new road to pass by their estate and their influence caused the National Road’s route to be altered slightly to do to. This required the construction of two bridges, one at Triadelphia (which no longer stands) and the Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge. Moses Shepherd received the contract to construct both bridges. To honor Henry Clay and his role in securing the National Road to Wheeling, the Shepherd’s erected a monument to Clay on their estate in 1820 (the monument no longer stands). Thus, Shepherd Hall was also known as Monument Place and the Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge as Monument Place Bridge.  Today the bridge is still being traveled and used everyday. A flaw that the bridge had was in 1958 people were beginning to notice cracks in the bridges foundation. With this being a famous bridge people wanted to do the best they could in order to preserve it. With that being said in the later seasons of 1958 the bridge was sprayed with gunnite not only to preserve the bridge, but to also strengthen it.

The Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge is a very significant and popular bridge in West Virginia. It is also known as the Monument Place Bridge. It was built in 1817 and is the oldest extant bridge in West Virginia. The bridge connects US Route 40 over Little Wheeling Creek in Elm Grove, part of the construction of the National Road from Cumberland, MD to Wheeling, WV. It is one of two bridges that remain from the National Road and it was was later placed on the National Register for Historic Places in 1981.

Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge

In the period after the Revolutionary War, Americans wanted to rapidly spread into the land west of the Appalachian Mountains. White exploration and settlement of that region had been occurring for some time, but access was usually through the network of trails and pathways used by Native Americans, limiting the opportunity for large-scale settlement and economic development. Shortly after the Revolution political leaders such as George Washington, Albert Gallatin, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Clay advocated for the construction of new roads and canals to connect the states in the east to economic opportunities in the Ohio Valley and further to the Mississippi. This expansion of transportation and economic opportunity for the new nation became a primary goal for Thomas Jefferson during his presidency. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Congress authorized the construction of a roadway to connect the Potomac to the Ohio River in 1806. This first section of what would become the National Road was called the Cumberland Road, which connected Cumberland, MD and Wheeling, WV. Much of the route followed the earlier Braddock Road, opened in 1751 between Fort Cumberland and Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh). The new road would follow the Braddock Road until around Uniontown, PA where it would turn west to Wheeling instead of continuing north to Pittsburgh. Construction of the Cumberland Road was completed between 1811 and 1818, with the road reaching Wheeling in August of that year. Additional extensions connected the National Road east to Baltimore by 1824 and west to Illinois in the 1830s. Congress planned to extend the National Road all the way to Jefferson City, MO (they authorized this in 1820 and the extension into Illinois was part of this plan), but construction largely ended in 1839 and the road did not reach the Mississippi. Heavy traffic quickly wore down the original road and in 1825 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took over management of the road and repaired and rebuild the roadway. After this the federal government passed management of the road to the individual states for upkeep (federal attention was moving towards new canal and railroad projects). Once the Baltimore &amp; Ohio (B &amp; O) Railroad extended to Wheeling in the 1850s, the National Road saw a period of decline as rail travel became more popular. In the 1900s when travel by car overtook rail travel, the National Road saw a new resurgence and it was incorporated into U.S. 40 which extends cross-country from Atlantic City to San Francisco. It remains a popular scenic route for travelers, although nearby Interstate 68 has largely replaced it as the main route for east-west travel.

This marker shares the history of the National Road which was constructed through the efforts of the federal government between 1811 and 1818. One of the most significant infrastructure projects of the early 19th century, the National Road connected Cumberland, Maryland to Wheeling, West Virginia, and continued to expand west. The National Road was one of the nation's first federal internal improvement projects and was designed to connect the eastern port cities to the key inland ports of western states and territories. Congress approved expansions to stretch between Baltimore and Jefferson City, Missouri, but by the 1830s, it was clear that railroads were the future of inland transportation and construction on the National Road had only reached Illinois when the project was suspended. Due to the National Road's route into Wheeling, the city grew in size and importance and several other improvements were constructed, such as the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. 

The National Road/National Pike Historical Marker 

With more and more Model T's rolling off the assembly line, people began to fear that society may forget about the old trails that so many people traveled. In the 1920s, a band of women petitioned their state representative, William P. Borland, to pass a bill that designated all historic trails as the National Old Trails Road.  The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), a separate entity from the group in Missouri, wanted the current National Road that only covered the length of Cumberland, Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois to expand westward to San Francisco California. The members of the DAR set out with red, white, and blue paint with which they began to designate historical trails by painting telephone poles and fence posts. The newly established National Old Trail Road Association assisted them with this task. The bylaws of this organization stated: "the object of the Association shall be to assist the Daughters of the American Revolution in marking Old Trails and to promote the construction of an Ocean-to-Ocean Highway of modern type worthy of its memorial character." At the 1914 Annual American Road Congress, the DAR made the pioneer woman gazing over yonder to the National Road  their symbol and resolved to begin the process of erecting an appropriate memorial. However,  World War I (WWI) halted their progress for nine years. After WWI ended, future president of the United States, Harry S. Truman, was actually President of the National Old Trail Road Association. Truman had an intense interest in cars and road systems; in fact, while serving in France in WWI, he was fascinated by their infrastructure for the automobile and sold memberships to Kansas City Automobile, until he was appointed a sit on the bench as a Missouri judge for Jackson County in 1926.  Partnered with DAR chair Arlene Moss, Truman and Moss decided to forgo the idea of planting iron markers along the National Trail in 1924. Three years later, the DAR made a decision they would have a statue: Madonna of the Trail.  Moss was inspired by a Sacajawea statue that she had seen while traveling in Portland, Oregon. Moss picked twelve spots along the National Road to plant statues over the next two years, 1928-1929. The locations of the statues are: Springfield, Ohio; Wheeling, West Virginia; Council Grove, Kansas; Lexington, Missouri; Lamar, Colorado; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Springerville, Arizona; Vandalia, Illinois; Richmond, Indiana; Washington County, Pennsylvania; Upland, California; and finally, Bethesda, Maryland.Otto Schneck, the chairman of the Wheeling Park Commission, accepted the statue on behalf of the city, and according to the minutes from the Commission's February 10, 1928 meeting, the Commission signed a contract with the National Old Trails Association and authorized a payment of $500 for the statue. Apparently, the commission faced a dilemma in choosing the inscriptions for the base of the statue, because member George W. Lutz suggested a contest for students at Wheeling Park High School to pick two inscriptions for the base of the monument. Two winners would each be awarded $15 in gold donated by Lutz, but nothing of this came to fruition. Eventually, the inscriptions for all sides of the base were decided upon. The East Face reads: "THE NATIONAL OLD TRAILS ROAD" and the West face reads: "MADONNA OF THE TRAIL N.S.D.A.R.MEMORIAL TO THE PIONEER MOTHERS OF THE COVERED WAGON DAYS.” The North Face's inscription is: "BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND CHIEFLY THROUGH THE STATESMANSHIP OF HENRY CLAY. THIS ROAD WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN 1806” The South Face reads: "TO THE PIONEER MOTHERS OF OUR MOUNTAIN STATE WHOSE COURAGE, OPTIMISM, LOVE AND SACRIFICE MADE POSSIBLE THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY THAT UNITED THE EAST AND WEST.” The statue was constructed from a Missouri granite, called an algonite stone that contains a mixture of granite, lead, marble, stone, and cement. The statue weighs around twelve tons. Since the Madonna of the Trail Statue was dedicated, the DAR has ensured that a spotlight shines upon her at all times. In 2013, the statue went through a $30,000 repair and restoration with funds raised by the Wheeling Chapter of the DAR. Moss had begun to grow on the statue, there were cracks from weathering, and missing corners. Madonna of the Trail was repaired and rededicated in August 2013.

Standing ten feet tall, clutching a baby to her breast, and holding a rifle in the opposite hand, Madonna of the Trail is a strikingly resolute monument. A bonnet rests atop the figure’s head and hiking boots cover her feet. A young boy tugs at her skirts. One of twelve Madonna of the Trail statues erected along U.S. Route 40, these monuments are a celebration of and pay tribute to the tenacity of pioneer women and their contribution to American colonialism. The National Society of the Daughters of the Revolution commissioned sculptor August Leimbach to design the statues. This statue located at the edge of Wheeling Park was the second of the twelve created. It was dedicated on July 7, 1928.

Madonna of the Trail (Wheeling, WV)

Before Wheeling Park was deeded to the newly formed Wheeling Park Commission in 1925, the area served as a private park. The grounds were owned by an English immigrant named Thomas Hornbrook, who welcomed the visitors that traveled from miles away to see the estate. Even after the property was auctioned to private investors in May 1883, locals continued to refer to it as Hornbrook’s Park for years. The grounds were transformed into an amusement park, and featured arcades, rides, a swimming pool, and The Casino, an entertainment center. At its peak, the park was owned by Reymann Brewing Company. The company designed the park to look like a German beer garden, which attracted visitors from Pittsburgh, northern Ohio, and the Washington D.C. area. The French actress Sarah Bernhardt even appeared at The Casino in 1905. However, due to the threat of prohibition and World War I, the park closed in the late 1910s. The first attempt by the city of Wheeling government and Chamber of Commerce to raise funds and purchase the park failed in 1923. In December 1924, two businessmen, Charles Sonneborn and Louis Haller, offered the public the option to raise $350,000 for park equipment, or the businessmen would purchase the 130-acre lot and sub-divide it. W.E. Stone, a prominent businessman and philanthropist, offered to give the first $100,000 if several conditions were met. The most important of these conditions was the stipulation that control of the park was to be under a non-partisan commission. Stone's offer encouraged other large donations by prominent citizens, including notable industrialist Earl W. Oglebay. By Christmas Eve of 1924, their goal was reached, so the newspaper headline on Christmas day read, “Wheeling Park is a Christmas Gift to the Wheeling Public.”Upon being officially christened as Wheeling Park, the outdoor space opened to the public on Memorial Day 1925. More than 10,000 people attended the opening ceremonies. While Wheeling Park was heavily improved and expanded in 1925, a fire burned down The Casino. By 1926, public funds had already been raised to replace this building. A pavilion popularly called the White Palace, but officially known as the Otto Schenk Memorial Pavilion was erected in the previous building's place.Wheeling Park, known as the people’s park by Wheeling residents, was a tremendous success. On the Fourth of July, 1926, twenty thousand people gathered in the park to celebrate the holiday — particularly impressive as Wheeling’s population at the time was between fifty and sixty thousand! Wheeling Park’s amenities in its first few years included a golf course, the White Palace, and over one hundred acres of green space.Improvements continued to be made to the park over the years. The first addition came in 1928 thanks to the Daughters of the American Revolution, who erected the Madonna of the Trail statue to honor pioneer women. The Frank Rock Garden was added in 1929. Public Works Administration funds allowed for the construction of a new swimming pool in 1937, which was the largest and most modern in the area. The Schwertfeger Shelter and Stifel Playground opened concurrently in 1948. In 1959, Wheeling Park became a year-round attraction with the opening of the Memorial Ice Rink. The most dramatic change to the recreational area was not due to new construction, but new acquisition. The purchase of three hundred acres of nearby property in 1960 almost quadrupled the size of Wheeling Park and provided fresh areas for expansion. The 1968 renovation of the swimming pool resulted in a new clubhouse known as the W.E. Stone Memorial Clubhouse and Pool. A few years later in 1972, additions to Good Lake included a boathouse, dock, and miniature golf course. A tennis air dome was also erected near the White Palace. In the 1970s and 80s, hilltop property was developed to include tennis courts, soccer fields, and the Sonneborn picnic shelter.No new major buildings have been added to Wheeling Park since the 1980s. However, renovations, updates to recreation spaces, and grounds improvements are all ongoing. Wheeling Park’s journey from private estate to public park has culminated in a space by which the Wheeling public is proud to be represented. The now 406-acre park remains one of the most popular outdoor spaces in the city.

Originally the private estate of Thomas Hornbrook, people travelled for miles to visit the grounds on which Wheeling Park is now located. The land was later owned by Reymann Brewing Company, who operated an amusement park at the site. The park was closed in the late 1910s and later acquired by the city of Wheeling. Wheeling Park officially opened in 1925, and quickly became a beloved component of the community. Over the next several decades Wheeling Park was constantly expanded and renovated and several major facilities were opened. In 1960, the size of Wheeling Park almost quadrupled when the total acreage was increased to 406. Today, the park features a number of statues, historic buildings, and recreational activities that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

Wheeling Park

Dedicated to Union soldiers who died in service of their
country, the Soldiers Aid Society of Wheeling erected the Soldiers and Sailors
Monument in 1880. Originally, the monument was located on the corner of 16th
and Chapline Streets upon the grounds of the old county courthouse that is no
longer there today. When the courthouse was demolished in April of 1926, it was
moved to Leatherwood Cloverleaf. However, the monument was never assembled at
this location because of controversy associated with the location itself. For
30 years, the monument was left unassembled while it remained at the
Leatherwood Cloverleaf. In June of 1956, the monument was moved to Linly
Military Institute, which was located at Thebdah Place. Just over two years
later, the monument was again moved and this time reassembled at Wheeling Park
on October 30, 1958. Over the years, the monument became quite worn and
vandalized with graffiti. Thanks to the efforts of Courtney Micker, a senior at
the Linsly School, the monument was refurbished beginning in 2002 with the
permission of Ken Morgan of the Wheeling Park Commission.

At the top of the monument, Liberty in female form stands
poised. She wears a crown that circles her head along with a Roman Toga, cloth
garment, and metal breastplate. On her left arm, she carries a shield, and in
her right hand, she bears a sword. Directly beneath her in the center of the
monument, the image from the West Virginia State Seal and its accompanying
phrase of “Montani Semper Liberi” lie proudly. To Liberty’s proper right and
beside the West Virginia State Seal, an infantryman sits in his military attire.
Oppositely, a sailor sits on Liberty’s proper left in his full attire.
Inscribed on the back of the monument is the dedication, which includes a quote
that reads, “To the defenders of the Union 1861 – 1865. They counted their
lives not dear unto them.”

Dedicated to Union soldiers who died in service of their country, the Soldiers Aid Society of Wheeling erected the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in 1880. Currently, the monument resides in Wheeling Park in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Discover US 40: The National Road

The Aviator and the Linsly School

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information