Economy/Transportation - Frontier to the Future
Wheeling is arguably one of the few American cities which can boast having celebrated three turns-of-the-century. Its spirit and strength have sustained it from its frontier days to its present standing as a vibrant metropolitan area.
 French explorers first claimed the area in 1749, but 20 years later Ebenezer Zane and his brothers built the first settlement, ignoring the warning behind Wheeling's name - an anglicized version of a Native American word meaning '"place of the skull."
Zane's settlement grew to include a log enclosure, Fort Henry, that came under several attacks during the American Revolution. An enduring story that reveals much about the city's character tells of Betty Zane's barefoot run for more gunpowder that enabled the besieged fort to hold off its attackers.
 Although Wheeling became a port for pioneers heading west on the Ohio River to the Mississippi, the arrival of the National Road from Cumberland, Md., in 1818 secured Wheeling's reputation as Gateway to the West.
By the mid-1800s, Wheeling had also become a major stop in the Underground Railroad for escaping slaves. The abolitionist sentiment was realized fully, however, in the emotional debate concerning the counties who wished to secede from Virginia over the slave issue.
In 1861, Wheeling became the capital of the Restored Government of Virginia with the Custom House as its seat. Statehood was finally declared on June 20, 1863 under the motto, "Mountaineers Are Always Free," and the new State of West Virginia joined the Union, with Wheeling as its seat. The capital was later moved to Charleston in central West Virginia.
Perhaps its frontier status encouraged Wheeling to be in the forefront for many achievements. The Wheeling Suspension Bridge, finished in 1849, was the first bridge to span the Ohio and was, for a time, the longest bridge of its kind in the world. Now a National Historic Landmark, the bridge is still in use.
In 1850, Wheeling had the first chartered gas company in Virginia, and in 1879 it received one of the nation's first telephone exchanges. The arrival of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1853 further enhanced Wheeling's reputation as a shipping terminal. In 1882, it was the fourth city in the nation to have electric lights. West Virginia's first skyscraper was built in 1905 in Wheeling and today is headquarters of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation. Wheeling saw the founding of the Ogden Newspaper Group and the Sterling Drug Company, makers of Bayer Aspirin. The first American Legion Post in the country was founded in Wheeling in 1919.
Iron and steel mills lined the river banks and coal mines burrowed into the earth. Other factories sprang up: glassworks, cigar factories, and breweries. Companies produced calico, furniture, meat, shoes and clothing. Thousands were employed in all these undertakings.
With all these developments, it is no surprise that Wheeling became the richest city per capita in America. This wealth endures in the grand mansions that live on as fine homes and businesses through renovation and adaptive restoration.
The city's wealth and prominence brought other riches over the years: the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1929 and today makes the city the nation's smallest with a metropolitan-class orchestra. In 1930, Oglebay Institute, the country's oldest community arts council, was founded. In 1933, Radio Station WWVA began the weekly broadcast of its country music stage show, "Jamboree USA." Wheeling was home to dozens of live theaters. In 1924, the city took over the formerly private amusement park, Wheeling Park. Soon after, the city inherited the property that became Oglebay.
In recent decades, the economic base has gradually shifted to service industries. Wheeling has also begun to rediscover its proud heritage, at the same time welcoming a new wave of visitors who have discovered Wheeling as a place both to play and to explore the cherished portions of the past that have vanished in so many other cities
|
