Wheeling Heritage Port Sternwheel Festival – 2009
Last weekend marked the 2009 Sternwheel Festival on the Wheeling waterfront. With food, live bands, exhibits, and a car show, this is just one of the many events held on the Wheeling waterfront. 
On a Friday afternoon you could find a wide array of historic Sternwheel boats that used to navigate the Ohio River. For more information about this years festival, and more about the Sternwheel Foundation, check out their web page: sternwheeling.org
Not only were the boats on display, but so was the city of Wheeling. The Wheeling Suspension Bridge, the calm waters of the river, and Wheeling Island provided a relaxing environment for the last weekend of the Summer season in the Ohio Valley. Walking the streets of Wheeling was like taking a step back in time with classic cars rumbling through the city. For a unique view of the Sternwheeler’s one could either travel across the channel to Wheeling Island, or walk the Wheeling Suspension Bridge (as I did) to marvel at the boats and the city.
- For another view of the waterfront, go here.
Check out the following photo’s which is a small sample of the cars on display.
- Classic pick up roaming the streets
- Pontiac Tempest
- Pontiac Tempest interior view
- Pontiac Tempest detail
- A one day historic Corvette
Bethany, West Virginia
Bethany, a small college town located in Brooke County West Virginia is proudly home to Bethany College. Just a few miles north of West Liberty University, the town is a quiet hamlet full of college professors and students, with a nice rural setting complete with rolling hills, farms, and small neighborhoods.
In one those neighborhoods sits an abandoned mansion. Although I’m not certain of its builder or original owners, I was told that it was later used as a fraternity house, and about 10 years ago was abandoned. Now nestled on a peaceful street, the house just seems to be waiting for someone to live in it once again. It’s said the house is currently owned by Bethany College.
One of the more interesting things I noticed was this stone, which appears to be a carriage step.
Fort Henry Days on flickr
To further advertise my photographs on flickr I’ll try to update and direct attention to what I’ve been photographing via this website.
Most recently I attended for Fort Henry Days at Oglebay Park and witnessed a re-enactment of Foreman’s massacre; a tragic event of the year 1777. Massacres such as this were common due to the unpredictable life style of living in the Ohio Valley. In fact, 1777 was nick named “the year of the bloody 7’s” due to a major attack of Fort Henry, and numerous Indian raids.
A special album has been dedicated to the 2009 Fort Henry Days.
You’ll also find photo albums of previous Fort Henry Days:
Flickr
For more information relating to the topics that have consumed this blog, please check out my photostream on flickr. From now on, I will be using flickr to document my historical projects/hobbies. From walking the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, to documenting various projects around Wheeling, I will be posting photographs and captions.
The following is the link to my photostream, or most recently uploaded photographs:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpstanton/
Once there, feel free to navigate by using the photo albums, or the numbers at the bottom of the page to see my uploads.
Celebrating West Virginia Day in Wheeling
June 20th marked the date that West Virginia broke away from the state of Virgina during the war between the states in 1863. To observe that historic date, the city of Wheeling (known at the time as the Gateway to the West) held numerous celebrations. Two occurred right next to one another on the Wheeling water front. 
The first was the dedication of the Congressional Metal of Honor monument of which 9 Ohio County residents were the recipients of. Governor Joe Manchin was present for the ceremony, along with other dignitaries such as mayor Andy Mckenzie and members of the city council.
The second dedication ceremony occurred just to the left of this monument to celebrate the Warwick China factory, its employees, and their fine china which also included restaurant ware. In business between the year of 1884-1951, Warwick China was a key player in the success of Wheeling during the late Victorian Era. A versatile company, Warwick produced a product that was both simple, such as every day dishes and table settings, to extravagant decorative pieces that today are highly collectible, and quite valuable.
Among other events was the unveiling of a historic flag display at Wheeling’s Independance Hall, the site were West Virginia’s stathood was born. The flag exhibit will be a permanet fixture in Wheeling which is a unqiue display of 13 rare Civil War battle flags, banners, and civil war memorbillia (expect a review at a later date!). Also, our southern neighbor, Marshall County held numerous events such as free tours of the Indian mound in Moundsville and the historic Cokayne house.
A Coal Project
In West Virginia there have been some gradual increases in coal production and mining, and one sign of that can be seen along Route 2 in West Virginia, just north of Moundsville, near Benwood. The Consol Shoemaker Mine has recently constructed a coal conveyor that runs directly over Route 2. 
The conveyor was put together in sections, and for awhile one of those sections lay near an on ramp near Benwood. If you’re wondering what the inside of a coal conveyor looks like, here’s your lucky chance!
The Benwood Brewing Company
Of the old Wheeling breweries, Schmulbach, Reymann, and Uneeda are probably the most commonly thought of. But there are others, such as the Benwood Brewing Company and the Balzer (or K. Balzer) Brewing Company. Founded in 1906, the Benwood Brewing Company faced financial trouble and stiff competition from larger Wheeling breweries.
All that really exist from the brewery’s hey day is their hard to find bottles, and one surviving building that is located on Water Street in South Wheeling. The only identification to the buildings original purpose is a scared corner stone which reads “Erected 1906 – Benwood Brewing Co.”
The Lewis Wetzel Cave
As of late I have been reading a lot about the famed Indian hunter Lewis Wetzel, so I thought it appropriate to explore some of his old stomping grounds. Most notably, there is Lewis Wetzel’s Cave. It is said that Lewis Wetzel once tracked down an Indian who was hiding in the cave. The Indian would lure white settlers near the caves mouth by making the sound of a spirit or turkey call. As the whites neared the cave, the Indian would shoot the unsuspecting, a problem that plagued early residents of Wheeling. Lewis Wetzel, no fool, thought it to be an Indian, and patiently waited for the Indian to stick his head out from the cave. At that point, he shot the Indian dead. It’s also said that Wetzel would hide at this spot and kill unsuspecting Indians who passed on the nearby trial, and sometimes he would even use the turkey call trick himself.
So, on March 7, 2009 I parked near Rock Point Road and started walking west on the walking trial that once used to be home to the B&O Railroad. After passing through the Hempfield Tunnel (or Tunnel Green), and exiting the tunnel on the west side, I started up the little trial that takes you to the Wetzel Cave. The trial is very short, but quite steep, with very little room to balance yourself along the hillside. I found the cave, snapped a few quick photographs, and decided to proceed on the trail to what is called Wetzel’s shelter. I stopped, though, because I noticed a few people sitting near the rock shelter, and rather than bother them, I thought I would just come back on quieter day. As I walked away, I thought it funny that I was not the only person with Lewis Wetzel on my Saturday agenda. Thinking nothing of it, I went home, sprung my clock forward, and called it a day.
Then I awoke the next morning to the headline: Murder in Wetzel County. Robert Maine Jr. is accused of murdering his cousin Gregory G. Maine Jr. in Wetzel County West Virginia which is named after Lewis Wetzel. After the accused committed the act, he then looked for a place to hide out. Having family connections near the Hempfield Tunnel in Wheeling (Ohio County), he then decided to hide out… in Lewis Wetzel’s Cave! After the authorities were tipped off they found Maine sleeping in the cave.
(Officer) Laing said his search team initially looked for Robert Maine at a home in the Tunnel Green section
of Wheeling. According to Laing, Robert Maine later told investigators he needed rest, but he feared police would track him down if he slept in the East Wheeling home.
“We were actually able to apply the handcuffs without waking him up,” Laing said. “The tip was well founded, and citizens in East Wheeling were crucial in providing on-the-spot info that he’d departed prior to our arrival. That’s what set the manhunt on the trail and in the woods in motion. That’s when we began to tighten the noose.”
Lewis Wetzel was a known Indian murderer during the late 1770’s, 1780’s, and 1790’s in the Wheeling area and beyond. A sort of lesser known version of Danial Boone or Davy Crocket; he was a true frontiersman. Members of his family had been killed by Indians, he had been captured by Indians, and his occupation was to kill Indians, guilty or innocent. He was a cold blooded killer, but to the people of Wheeling, Lewis Wetzel was a hero because they lived their life in fear of the Indian. During the two battles of Fort Henry, it was the British and Indians who attempted to kill them, and Wetzel’s ruthless way of revenge was admired by those who had endured such attacks.
Indians feared him because they said that his gun was always loaded, and it was. He would put musket balls in his mouth, and while on the run he would spit the balls down the barrel of his gun, load, fire, and kill. Some Indians even thought Wetzel to be something of a supernatural spirit.
There’s so much to say about Lewis Wetzel, and that time will come. But today I think it’s interesting to go over the fact that while I innocently walked past the mouth of the cave, an accused killer was most likely inside, or was at least soon inside. Just a few hours after my passing of this cave, the others who were at the shelter, and countless walkers, joggers, and bikers on the paved trial, the suspect was aprehended.
Please click on the above photograph, and upon doing so you will be taken to my flickr page. Then scroll over the photograph. You will find notes that explain the location of the cave, shelter, etc.
The Reymann Residence
Anton Reymann, like his competitor Henry Schmulbach was known as a beer baron, and one of Wheeling’s brightest 
entrepreneurs. Where they differed, though, would be in their moral character. Schmulbach, a roughneck, lived in the heart of the German section, South Wheeling. Reymann, a man of upstanding moral character lived at the corner of 15th and Eoff Street. At the corner was a massive stone mansion. Elegant in traditional Victorian style, the home itself was far from ordinary. It’s an empowering sight that no longer stands, and only a few images of the mansion can be easily found on-line, all in post card form.
Recently, Reymann was inducted into the Wheeling Hall of Fame for his contribution to the economic success of Wheeling during its heyday. Some of his more notable ventures where the Reymann Brewing Company, Wheeling Park Casino and Amusement Park, and the Altenheim Home for aged and friendless woman. Just like Schmulbach, Reyman invested in railroads, and served as vice president and president of various enterprises.
Henry Schmulbach and Anton Reyman were not simply millionaires of Wheeling, they helped build the city. As I’ve already briefly explored with Schmulbach, certain monuments to his life still stand in his memory, like the Schmulbach building. But, on the other hand, we have also seen the monuments to their legacy crumble in time, such as the Schmulbach mansion.
It’s said that Schmulbach and Reymann were fierce competitors during their time, and even in their death I suppose they are still competing. Whose accomplishments can outlast that of the other?
The Reymann residence no longer stands in its glory, but one structure of the property has remained standing, the carriage house. Constructed of red brick (that has a wonderful reddish orange glow). The second story is decorated with two round medallions and wonderful round windows. A feature that is quite well known to brewery architecture can be seen on the front, and that is the face.
One of the brew gods faces can be seen from the top of the carriage house. Coinciding with the Victorian Era and brewery architecture, faces on buildings was a common theme. As of right now, I am unable to identify the god depicted on the carriage house, and I would be grateful for any help in that subject. It’s also important to note the design of barley above the face.
The carriage house is all that remains of the old Reymann Residence. At some point an addition was added to the front of the structure which is now home to Padden’s Pharmacy, 1414 Eoff Street.
More detail of the building can be seen here:
The City Bank of Wheeling, W.VA.
My second post to feature the Richardsonian Romanesque style of architecture will describe what used to be the City Bank 
of Wheeling. The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer described its grand opening on November 11, 1891 as an event climaxed by the preceding weeks of bustling workers and onlookers…
“…crowds have congregated every day, busily engaged in watching the interesting work of elevating the immense pieces of granite used in the extremely handsome front of the new City Bank building. These varied from eleven tons down to a small block weighing but a few hundred pounds”
Built by Messrs. Renhalter & Co., in their construction the company used “gray granite from the quarries of Maine.” The ground floor is set off by pillars of polished Johnsbury granite, and the top of the structure is ornamented with Spanish tiles, and the very top is decorated with a fleur-de-lis. Traslated from French, “fleur-de-lis” means the design of either a lilly or iris. This ornament helped make it one of the tallest buildings in the state of West Virginia, rising 125 from the sidewalk to the fleur-de-lis.
The interior was just as elegant. A banking room on the first floor was finished in hard wood, while the main entrance was fitted with “large swinging doors, ornamented with antique bronze and trimmings of the very latest style of art hardware.” The upper floors were finished with marble wainscoting. Complete with the latest technology, a Otis hydraulic elevator was used to reach the upper floors which included 26 rooms that were used for office space. All were said to have been finished in Georgia pine.
Advertisment for the City Bank of Wheeling. Dates from around 1915.
Lavatories, or restrooms were included on each floor, each complete with cold and hot water. Rather uniquely, the water was gathered from an artesian well beneath the building. What makes an artesian well unique is that no pumping is required. The water gathers pressure from the rock where it’s stored (which absorbs the water from its original source), and the water actually flows up instead of down when the water finds an outlet.
Said to be composed of fire proof material, the bank was outfitted with Bostwick fire proof steel laths from a Wheeling steel manufacturer (the first building ever to do so), and the joist of the building are “very heavy and far apart, which makes the best of fire-proofs, in spite of all the devices so loudly praised in the East.”
As the National Bank of West Virginia, the City Bank of Wheeling would undergo major changes as the city and its role in the economy changed. What a treat it would be if the building was still used as a bank, but instead it is now commonly referred to as the Professional Building, and has been used partly used as a doctors office.
Last year, the Friends of Wheeling toured this building, and I invite you to view some photographs from that tour which provides a sample of the buildings interior (like the Otis Elevator). The original cost of the building was $80,000. Today it’s currently for sale and can be purchased for $250,0o0. For more history and more photographs, check out http://www.wheelingwvinvestmentproperty.com/index.html. Use the link to the left to navigate towards the pictures, history, floor plan, etc. When you view the photographs, you can view photographs from each floor of the building.
Flickr
|
