Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling
City
Downtown Wheeling Independence Hall Wheeling station Oglebay Park Chapline Street
FIPS code		54-86452
GNIS feature ID	1548994[4]
Website	www.wheelingwv.gov

Wheeling is a city in

.

Wheeling was settled in 1769 on land contested between colonial Pennsylvania and Virginia, and later grew to become Virginia's largest city west of the Appalachians. During the American Civil War, Wheeling was the host of the Wheeling Conventions that led to the separation of West Virginia from Virginia and served as the state capital from 1861 to 1870, and again from 1875 to 1885. It became a manufacturing center in the late nineteenth century due to its location along major transportation routes, including the Ohio River, National Road, and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. After the decline of heavy industry and substantial population loss following World War II, Wheeling's major industries now include healthcare, education, law and legal services, entertainment and tourism, and energy.

The origins of the name "Wheeling" are disputed. One of the more credible explanations is that the word comes from the

, pushing out other tribes and maintaining the area as their hunting ground.

Originally explored by the French, Wheeling still has a lead plate remnant that the explorer Céloron de Blainville buried in 1749 at the mouth of Wheeling Creek to mark his claim. Later, Christopher Gist and George Washington surveyed the land, in 1751 and 1770, respectively.^[9]

During the fall of 1769,

).

Panoramic map

of Wheeling from Chapline Hill in 1854 with list of sites

In 1787, the United States gave Virginia this portion of lands west of the Appalachians, and some to Pennsylvania at its western edge, to settle their claims. By the Northwest Ordinance that year, it established the Northwest Territory to cover other lands north of the Ohio River and west to the Mississippi River. Settlers began to move into new areas along the Ohio.

In 1793, Ebenezer Zane divided the town into lots, and Wheeling was officially established as a town in 1795 by legislative enactment. The town was incorporated on January 16, 1805. On March 11, 1836, the town of Wheeling was incorporated into the city of Wheeling.

By an act of the Virginia General Assembly on December 27, 1797, Wheeling was named the county seat of Ohio County.^[10]

Originally dubbed Fort Fincastle in 1774, the fort was later renamed

. They hoped an alliance with the British would drive the colonial settlers out of their territory.

Local men defended the fort, later joined by recruits from Fort Shepherd (in Elm Grove) and Fort Holliday. The native force burned the surrounding cabins and destroyed livestock.

During the first attack of the year, Major Samuel McColloch led a small force of men from Fort Vanmetre along Short Creek to assist the besieged Fort Henry. Separated from his men, McColloch was chased by attacking natives. Upon his horse, McColloch charged up Wheeling Hill and made what is known as McColloch's Leap 300 feet (91 m) down its eastern side.

In 1782, a native army along with British soldiers attempted to take Fort Henry. During this siege, Fort Henry's supply of ammunition was exhausted. The defenders decided to dispatch a man to secure more ammunition from the Zane homestead. Betty Zane volunteered for the dangerous task. During her departing run, she was heckled by both native and British soldiers. After reaching the Zane homestead, she gathered a tablecloth and filled it with gunpowder. During her return, she was fired upon but was uninjured. As a result of her heroism, Fort Henry remained in American control.^[10]

The National Road arrived in Wheeling in 1818, linking the Ohio River to the Potomac River, and allowing goods from the Ohio Valley to flow through Wheeling and on to points east. As the endpoint of the National Road, Wheeling became a gateway to early westward expansion. In 1849 the Wheeling Suspension Bridge crossed the Ohio River and allowed the city to expand onto Wheeling Island. Lessons learned in constructing the bridge were used in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. Rail transportation reached Wheeling in 1853 when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad connected Wheeling to Pennsylvania, Maryland, and markets in the Northeast. A new bridge connected the city to Bellaire, Ohio, just across the river, and to western areas of the U.S.

Much of the area had been settled by yeoman farmers, few of whom owned slaves. With the railroad, a larger industrial or mercantile middle class developed that depended on free labor; it felt either disinterest or hostility to slavery. The Wheeling Intelligencer newspaper expressed the area's anti-secession sentiment as tensions rose over slavery and national issues. The city became part of the movement of western areas to secede from Virginia after the beginning of the Civil War, hosting the Wheeling Convention^[11] of 1861. It served as the provisional capital of the Restored Government of Virginia from 1861 to 1863, and became the first capital of West Virginia after the state seceded from Virginia and was admitted to the Union in its own right in 1863. From the acceptance of the new state of West Virginia into the union until the Restored Government of Virginia's move to Alexandria in August of the same year, Wheeling was the state capital of both West Virginia and Virginia.

The growing German population, which included immigrants after the 1848 Revolutions, was firmly anti-slavery. The Germans of Wheeling organized the "First West Virginia Artillery" to oppose the Confederacy and played a role in the initial movement to separate from Virginia.^[12] The Germans' culture influenced the city, such as their "German Singing Societies", the first of which began in 1855.^[13]

Although Wheeling lost its position as state capital in 1865, it continued to grow. In the late nineteenth century, Wheeling was the new state's prime industrial center. One early nickname (until an 1885 strike) was "Nail City", reflecting the iron manufacture in several mills, which dated from the 1840s. Mills transformed pig iron into sheets that could be cut, and some mills also produced boiler plates, stoves, barrel rings, and/or ornamental ironwork.^[14] Noted businesses of the era included the Bloch Brothers Tobacco Company (owned by state senator Jesse A. Bloch, who would in 1913 introduce legislation that became the state's Workmen's Compensation Act), and later steel concerns after development of the Bessemer process.^[15] Wheeling Steel Corporation was created in 1920 and grew after a 1927 strike caused J.P. Morgan and other investors to sell National Tube Company, which had been created in 1899, six years after local owners had consolidated five plants in the area as Wheeling Steel & Iron Company.^[16]

In 1866, Lincoln School opened in Wheeling to serve African American students.^[17] Lincoln High School was taught by Laura Grayson-Morison.^[18] A new building for Lincoln High School opened in the early 1940s;^[19] the school closed with desegregation in 1954.^[17]

Wheeling had considerable associations with the American labor movement. In 1904 it became the first city in the country to refuse a proposed

With industry, Wheeling reached its peak of population in 1930. As the city grew, prosperous Wheeling residents built fine houses, especially on Wheeling Island, but slums also expanded.^[21] As a result of that growth, an ordinance was passed regulating personal cesspools, including a ban on pipe communications with other homes and businesses unless offensive smells were properly trapped.^[22]

The Great Depression, and later changes and restructuring in heavy industry following World War II, led to a loss of working-class jobs and population. Capitalizing on its rich architectural heritage, Wheeling has worked to revive its Main Street with the Downtown Wheeling Streetscape project.^[23] Additionally, the city has been redeveloping the historic 1400 Market Street, just one block east of Main Street.^[24]

Wheeling is located at 40°4′13″N 80°41′55″W / 40.07028°N 80.69861°W / 40.07028; -80.69861 (40.070348, -80.698604).^[25] The city has a total area of 16.01 square miles (41.47 km²), of which 13.79 square miles (35.72 km²) is land and 2.22 square miles (5.75 km²) is water.^[26]

Wheeling is located in northern West Virginia, on what is known as the Northern Panhandle. The area lies within the

".

Wheeling Creek flows through the city, and meets the Ohio River in downtown Wheeling.

The city is located both on the West Virginia side of the Ohio River, and on an island in the middle of the river called Wheeling Island.

The following neighborhoods lie within the city limits:^[28]

Wheeling lies at the boundary between the humid subtropical and humid continental climate zones (Köppen:^[29] Cfa/Dfa, respectively). The annual precipitation is about 41.88 in (1,064 mm) inches, distributed evenly throughout the year.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	7,885		—
1850	11,435		45.0%
1860	14,083		23.2%
1870	19,280		36.9%
1880	30,737		59.4%
1890	34,522		12.3%
1900	38,878		12.6%
1910	41,641		7.1%
1920	56,208		35.0%
1930	61,659		9.7%
1940	61,099		−0.9%
1950	58,891		−3.6%
1960	53,400		−9.3%
1970	48,188		−9.8%
1980	43,070		−10.6%
1990	34,882		−19.0%
2000	31,419		−9.9%
2010	28,486		−9.3%
2020	27,062		−5.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[32]

As of the

of any race were 1.7% of the population.

Of the 11,737 households, 34.5% were married couples living together, 37.4% had a female householder with no spouse present, 23% had a male householder with no spouse present. The average household and family size was 3.16. The median age in the city was 43.6 years with 20.2% of the city's population under 18. The median income for a household in the city was $43,483 and the poverty rate was 16.5%[33]

As of the

people of any race were 0.9% of the population.

There were 12,816 households, of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.8% were non-families. 40.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.84.

The median age in the city was 45.2 years. 18.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 to 44; 29.8% were from 45 to 64; and 20.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.

As of the

people of any race were 0.58% of the population.

There were 13,719 households, of which 23.4% included children under the age of 18, 41.8% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was at least 65 years of age. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.89.

The median age was 42 years. 20.6% of residents were under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% at least 65 years old. For every 100 females 84.1 males were present, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males.

The median household income was $27,388, and the median family income was $38,708. Males had a median income of $30,750 versus $22,099 for females. The

, including 23.3% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those at least 65 years old.

The city of Wheeling has a rich and varied history.

Wheeling is home to Centre Market, formerly Wheeling's market house. Built in 1853,^[37] the market house and the surrounding area have been adapted for use as retail shops and restaurants.

The first official memorial monument in the state of West Virginia dedicated specifically to men killed in the Vietnam War, was dedicated in Wheeling, with full military honors, in a Memorial Day 1986 ceremony. The monument was erected in front of the flagpole near the main shelter of Bethlehem Community Park in the village of Bethlehem, just southeast of Wheeling. The roughly 6-foot-high granite memorial consists of a large bronze dedication plaque with the names of KIAs from the Wheeling/Ohio County region. Below the dedication plaque is a bronze map of South Vietnam, complete with names of 28 major cities.

Fans of theater have several options in Wheeling. The Capitol Theatre hosts numerous touring musical performances. The Oglebay Institute's Towngate Theatre in Center Wheeling has produced plays for over 35 years.^[38]

Wheeling has a long tradition of live musical performance and radio broadcasting. With over 2,500 seats, The

.

The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra is housed at the Capitol Theatre and performs a range of contemporary, classical, and seasonal arrangements.

Wheeling is also home to the

.

Live music emanates from the amphitheatre at the Wheeling Heritage Port several nights per week from mid-spring through late fall. The waterfront park area hosts festivals, concerts, movie nights, celebrations, a regatta, and numerous visits from the Delta, Mississippi and American Queen riverboats. The Port holds over 8,000 spectators and has become a city focal point.

Formerly held in nearby Belmont County, Ohio, Jamboree In The Hills draws over 100,000 country music fans to the Wheeling area every July.

Wheeling, known as Nail City, is home to the

.

Wheeling is also home of the Mountain East Conference basketball championship tournament, an NCAA Division II conference that launched in the 2013–14 school year. Wheeling University and West Liberty are both charter members of the new conference, an offshoot of the now-disbanded West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Wheeling features several municipal parks, including Oglebay Resort & Conference Center and Wheeling Park. Ohio County has six golf courses, including designs by renowned golfer Arnold Palmer and architect Robert Trent Jones.

In October 2007 the City of Wheeling opened the state's first concrete

. The park consists of 60% bowls and 40% street elements; it is located within the Chambers Ballfield Complex in the Elm Grove section of the city. An addition to the street section of the park was completed by Grindline in November 2009. A covered shelter, restrooms, and webcam are installed. The park is lighted and open 24/7.

Wheeling is the home of Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack, located on Wheeling Island. Formerly known as Wheeling Downs, the facility features live greyhound racing, slots, poker games, and casino-style table games.

In accordance with House Bill 271,^[41] adopted on March 8, 2007, Ohio County and Jefferson County held special elections on June 9, 2007, to approve the legalization of table games within the respective counties. The Ohio County measure passed, but the Jefferson County one failed. A similar measure was successfully adopted in Hancock County on June 30, 2007.^[42]

Under West Virginia law, cities may adopt a form of government called the Manager-Mayor Plan, under which Wheeling operates. The elected mayor presides over meetings of the Wheeling City Council, which has six members elected from geographic wards. City Council members serve four-year terms. The City Council also confirms executive nominations for members to various boards, which have limited regulatory authority, including the Planning Commission, the Board of Zoning Appeals, and the Traffic Commission.^[43] The City Manager serves as Chief Executive and Administrative Officer for the city.^[44]

The current mayor of Wheeling is Denny Magruder, and the current city manager is Robert Herron. The current members of the City Council are Tony Assarro (1st Ward), Ben Seidler (2nd Ward), Connie Cain (3rd Ward), Vice-Mayor Jerry Sklavounakis (4th Ward), Ty Thorngate (5th Ward), and Dave Palmer (6th Ward).^[43] City elections were held on May 14, 2024, and the current term began on July 1, 2024. City elections will be held again on May 14, 2028.

The current flag for the city was adopted on September 4, 2018, in conjunction with the celebration of the city's 250th anniversary the following year.^[57] Its design and symbolism are credited to the Wheeling Committee on Retention and the Wheeling 250 subcommittee.

The flag features two horizontal blue bars to represent Wheeling Creek and the Ohio River, with a white bar in between. The three bars also symbolize the three major modes of transportation found in Wheeling history: river, road, and rail. Representing five distinct eras of Wheeling history, five stars are centered in a row in the white bar: The Indigenous Star, The Frontier Star, The Transportation Star, The Statehood Star, and The Industrial Star.^[58]

As elsewhere in West Virginia, K–12 schools are organized at the county level of government. The public school system, Ohio County Schools, consists of 14 schools: nine elementary schools; four middle schools, which include Triadelphia Middle, nominated for the blue ribbon school award; and the nationally recognized

, and Wheeling Country Day School are located in the city.

Wheeling is the hub of higher education in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. Wheeling University, a private university and the only Catholic college in the state of West Virginia, is located here.^[59]

The main campus of West Virginia Northern Community College has recently been expanding with centers in downtown Wheeling; it focuses on job training and community development. Also located in close proximity to the city are West Liberty University (formerly West Liberty State College), a four-year university, and private Bethany College, giving area residents a wide variety of educational options.

Located close to

as its "home" sports and information sources.

In addition to the Pittsburgh outlets, the Wheeling television market is served by ABC/CBS affiliate WTRF-TV Channel 7, PBS member station W30CO-D Channel 30, and NBC/FOX affiliate WTOV-TV Channel 9 in nearby Steubenville, Ohio. Cable television provider Comcast serves the city, parts of which Centre TV also services.

Wheeling is home to

networks. Wheeling also has a student-run radio station, WPHP 91.9, operated by Wheeling Park High School students. WPHP plays top 40 songs and also covers all of the Wheeling Park Patriots' football and basketball games.

The city is home to

Transportation

Roads and bridges

Interstate 470 run through the city east–west and link it with suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the east and Ohio to the west. U.S. Route 40/National Road links downtown with residential neighborhoods to the east. West Virginia Route 2 connects Wheeling with Moundsville to the south and Weirton to the north. U.S. Route 250

also runs through the city.

The Fort Henry Bridge and Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge carry I-70 and I-470, respectively, over the Ohio River. The historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge, completed in 1849, which was part of National Road, connects downtown and Wheeling Island; currently it is closed for safety reasons, by order of the state highway department, to vehicular traffic. I-70 passes under Wheeling Hill through the Wheeling Tunnel.

Bus

Bus transportation to points throughout North America is available from Wheeling through Greyhound Lines. The bus terminal, the Robert C. Byrd Intermodal Transportation Center, was built with $11.1 million in federal funds.^[63]

The East Ohio Authority and the Ohio Valley Regional Transit Authority (OVRTA), which share the Intermodal Transportation Center as the hub for hub-and-spoke routes, provide regional transportation through West Virginia and Eastern Ohio.^[64]

Wheeling operated streetcars from the 1880s until 1943 under the Wheeling Traction Company and Co-operative Transit Company. Buses replaced streetcar operations due to operating costs.^[65]

Air

The city is served by the Wheeling Ohio County Airport for general aviation and by Pittsburgh International Airport for passenger service.

Popular culture

• The second track in Freekstyle took place in Wheeling.^[66]

Notable people

• Austin E. Renforth
  , Major General, USMC
• Jodi Applegate, TV news anchor
• Leon "Chu" Berry, jazz saxophonist
• Thais Blatnik, West Virginia journalist and politician
• John Bluem, soccer player and coach^[67]
• Leo Brady, playwright, novelist, and director
• U.S. Army
  general
• Jesse Burkett, Hall of Fame baseball player
• Bobby Campo, actor
• Jack Canfield, motivational speaker
• John Corbett, actor
• Billy Cox, bassist
• Jesse Cox, internet personality
• Henrietta Crosman, actress
• Belle Caldwell Culbertson, author and philanthropist
• Annie Sinclair Cunningham (1832–1897), religious worker, Wheeling Hall of Fame
• Faith Daniels, network broadcaster
• Rebecca Harding Davis, author
• Joseph M. Devine, Governor of North Dakota, 1898–1899^[68]
• Joyce DeWitt, actress
• Joanne Dru, actress
• William L. Elkins, 19th-century business tycoon
• Doug Fetherling
  , writer
• Walter L. Fisher, U.S. Secretary of the Interior
• Mike Florio, sportswriter
• Kelsey Fowler, Broadway actress
• Virginia Fox, actress
• Gene Freese, baseball player
• Rosemary Front, disability rights advocate
• Rob Garrison, actor
• Cynthia Germanotta, philanthropist and businesswoman, mother of Lady Gaga
• Jack Glasscock, Major League Baseball player^[69]
• Michael Grove, baseball player
• George Herbig, astronomer
• Chuck Howley, NFL linebacker for Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys
• Lois Kibbee, actress
• Everett Lee, orchestral conductor
• Slim Lehart, country music singer
• Alvan Macauley, president of Packard 1916–1939
• Keith Maillard, writer
• Bill Mazeroski, Hall of Fame second baseman
• William J. Mitsch, Stockholm Water Prize laureate, ecology professor and author
• Cy Morgan, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Marion Moses, physician, labor activist
• Bob Ney, U.S. Representative from Ohio
• Robert Nutting and family, principal owners of the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Mollie O'Brien, Grammy-winning bluegrass singer
• Tim O'Brien, Grammy-winning bluegrass musician, brother of Mollie O'Brien
• Joe Pettini, former shortstop for the San Francisco Giants.
• Mark Prosser, college basketball coach
• Jesse L. Reno, Civil War general; namesake of Reno, Nevada
• Walter Reuther, labor leader
• Rick Schneider-Calabash
  , animation producer, writer, and director
• Eleanor Steber, operatic soprano associated with Metropolitan Opera
• Fox News Channel
• Robert E. L. Strider, President of Colby College
• 1948 BAA Draft
• Edith Lake Wilkinson (1868–1957), artist^[70]
• Dave Wojcik, college basketball coach
• Doug Wojcik, college basketball coach
• Nan Wynn, big band singer and actress
• John Yarnall, naval officer during War of 1812

See also

• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River

References

Further reading

See also: Bibliography of the history of Wheeling, West Virginia

• Duffy, Sean, & Rinkes, Paul. Wheeling: Then & Now. Mount Pleasant, S. Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2010.
• "Wheeling". Commercial Directory of the Western States. St. Louis: Richard Edwards. 1867.
• Fones-Wolf, Ken, "'Traitors in Wheeling': Secessionism in an Appalachian Unionist City" Archived December 6, 2019, at the
  JSTOR 41446778
  .
• "Ohio River: Wheeling". James' River Guide ... Mississippi Valley. Cincinnati: U. P. James. 1871.
• Minder, Mike. Wheeling's Gambling History to 1976. Wheeling: Nail City Publishing, 1997.
• Schramm, Robert W. The Linsly School. Mount Pleasant, S. Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2003.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wheeling, West Virginia.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Wheeling.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Wheeling".

• Official website of the City of Wheeling, West Virginia
• Wheeling Convention and Visitor's Bureau