Today in Wheeling History: January 31--The "Wheeling Intelligencer" reported the Wheeling Library Association, established in 1859 as a subscription library, faced possible closure in 1880 without increased financial support from stockholders (1880).
 
The Ohio County Public Library originated from earlier subscription libraries in Wheeling, West Virginia, starting with the Wheeling Library Company in 1807. However, in 1880, the Wheeling Library Association’s library faced difficulties sustaining itself, with expenses exceeding revenues. Despite reducing staff salaries and acquisitions, by 1880, its future seemed uncertain without increased support. It reopened on October 12, 1882, as the free Wheeling Public Library, initially located over R.J. Smyth's grocery at 14th and Market Streets. It moved to the Masonic Temple (1894-1907) on Chapline Street, then the Schmulbach Building (1907-1910) at 12th and Market Streets, before relocating to the Delaplaine dry goods house on Main Street (1910-1911). In January 1911, it moved into a dedicated building at 2100 Market Street designed by Charles W. Bates. This served as the main library until May 1973, when the library moved to its current location at 52 16th Street. The library pioneered services like West Virginia's first bookmobile in 1935. Legislation in 1933 officially established the Ohio County Public Library as its own entity with a board of trustees, cementing its status as the state's oldest tax-supported public library.
 
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Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV

Today in Wheeling History: January 30—Hugh Sobieski Brady of Wheeling was appointed state treasurer, replacing John Burdett, who was impeached (1876). (https://rb.gy/lhg73) (https://rb.gy/6tbof) (https://rb.gy/nvgi2)
 
Hugh Sobieski Brady, born on November 28, 1816, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, started his banking career at 16 in Carlisle and then Philadelphia. Despite his young age, his financial skills led him to become cashier of the Merchants and Mechanics Bank in Wheeling, West Virginia. He later served as West Virginia State Treasurer under Governor John J. Jacob and was appointed Secretary of State by Governor Henry M. Matthews in March 1877.
 
Mr. Brady always took an active interest in the prosperity of Wheeling, and the many valuable services he has rendered this community as a private citizen, as a councilman, and as mayor for several consecutive terms.
 
In addition to his career, Brady was actively involved with Saint Matthews P.E. Church in Wheeling, serving as a vestryman for 40 years and as a senior warden for over 20 years. On August 28, 1838, in Wheeling, Hugh married Mary Elizabeth Caldwell, daughter of Judge Alexander Caldwell of Virginia, and they raised fifteen children.

​Today in Wheeling History: January 30--The new City-County Building was dedicated (1960).
 
The new Wheeling City-County Building was dedicated on January 30, 1960, replacing the former West Virginia State Capitol building that had served as the city-county building since 1885. The dedication ceremony featured remarks by local leaders like Mayor John J. Gast as well as West Virginia Governor Cecil H. Underwood, who cut the ribbon to officially open the $2.4 million building. Constructed over several years beginning in the late 1950s, the modernist brick and granite structure was designed by local architect Frederic Faris the younger to consolidate city and county government offices. While criticized by some as aesthetically uninspiring, the more functional building designed by Faris helped facilitate improved city and county services. The dedication marked an important milestone for Wheeling city infrastructure modernization.
 
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Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wheeling Intelligencer 

Today in Wheeling History: January 29--Dallas Johnson from Steubenville, Ohio, was arrested, fined, and jailed in Wheeling for causing a disturbance and resisting arrest at the B&O train depot (1903).
 
On January 29, 1903, Dallas Johnson, a roustabout from Steubenville, Ohio, was arrested in Wheeling, West Virginia, after picking quarrels with every person he passed. He then caused a disturbance at the B&O train depot. When Detective Moran attempted to arrest Johnson, he resisted and had to be subdued with force. Johnson was brought before Squire Fitzpatrick, who fined him $25 plus court costs and sentenced him to 30 days in jail for his unruly behavior and attempting to fight the officer.
 
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Photo Credits: Wheeling Daily Register

Today in Wheeling History: January 28--Major Samuel McColloch, the commander of Van Meter’s Fort, a member of the Virginia Legislature, and a major in the Ohio County militia, joined Colonel David Shepherd, Commanding Officer of the Virginia Milita at Wheeling, and other participants in a war council at Catfish Camp (now Washington, Pennsylvania) to discuss plans for retaliating against the Indians and compile essential information, including the counts of forts, men, and supplies crucial to the war effort (1777).
 
In January 1777, militia major Samuel McColloch attended a frontier war council at Catfish Camp (now Washington, Pennsylvania) called for by Virginia Governor Patrick Henry. The council, involving militia leaders from three counties, coordinated defense plans against expected Indian attacks. McColloch represented Ohio County along with County Lieutenant David Shepherd and others. The council decided on locations for ammunition stores, repairs for militia firearms, and deployment of troops to frontier forts. McColloch's attendance at this strategic council shows his importance as a frontier military leader in Virginia at the time.
 
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Photo Credits: Find a Grave, Google Books

Today in Wheeling History: January 27--Cliff Sligar, who served Wheeling for decades as fire chief and city councilman, was born (1933).
 
Cliff Sligar dedicated over four decades of his life to serving the Wheeling, West Virginia community as a firefighter and city council member. He first joined the Wheeling Fire Department in 1955 after serving in the Army, rising through the ranks to become Chief in 1971. As Chief from 1971-1995, Sligar pioneered paramedic services and developed the city's 911 system, modernizing the department. After retiring as Chief in 1995, he immediately transitioned to public service as a Wheeling City Council member from 1996-2004. Sligar then went on to lead the 911 system in Belmont County, Ohio until finally fully retiring in 2017 at age 84. Throughout his long career spanning both firefighting and city leadership positions, Sligar was remembered by colleagues for his passion, visionary leadership, and deep commitment to public service and the Wheeling community. Whether as fire chief or city councilman, he always fought for the "little guy" and to make Wheeling a better place. Sligar passed away on March 17, 2021 at the age of 88.
 
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Photo Credits: Wheeling Fire Department, Kepner Funeral Homes

Today in Wheeling History: January 26--Noah Linsly, lawyer, mayor, and founder of The Linsly School, was born at Branford, Connecticut (1772).
 
Noah Linsly was born in Branford, Connecticut, on January 26, 1772. After graduating from Yale in 1791, he moved to Virginia (now West Virginia) in the late 1790s to practice law. Linsly settled in Wheeling, where he served as a council member, prosecuting attorney, and mayor before passing away on March 25, 1814, at the age of 42. He is buried in Mount Wood Cemetery in Wheeling. In his will, Linsly left funds to establish a Lancastrian-style academy in Wheeling that educated both boys and girls and was named the Wheeling Lancastrian Academy when it opened in 1814. However, within a few years, the school had restricted admission to only boys. The academy struggled after Virginia adopted public education in 1846. It was renamed the Linsly Institute in 1859 when it moved into a new building at 15th and Eoff Streets. This building served as West Virginia's first state capitol from 1863 to 1870. Under a new principal, John Birch, the school became a military academy in 1877 and was renamed Linsly Military Institute in 1942. The school moved to Thedah Place in 1925 before relocating to its current campus at Knox Lane in 1968. The military program ended in 1979, and girls were readmitted in 1988 after over 100 years of being prohibited. Today the school is known as The Linsly School.
 
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Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wheeling Hall of Fame, Find a Grave, The Clio

Today in Wheeling History: January 25--A gang of ten Confederate prisoners who were recently captured in Braxton and neighboring counties and known to have engaged in stealing and bushwhacking, with one having taken the oath of allegiance twice before and being a horse thief and barn burner, arrived under guard in the city and were committed to the Atheneum military prison (1865).
 
The Atheneum (also spelled Athenaeum) was a four-story building in Wheeling constructed in 1853-54 that housed a warehouse, theater, and later a Civil War military prison. It was originally built to store iron supplies and host theater productions, becoming a popular venue that attracted famous performers. During the war, the Union converted it into a prison known as "Lincoln's Bastille" that held Confederate prisoners, civilians, deserters, and bushwhackers. A hospital was added to care for sick prisoners. After the war it was used for storage again until being destroyed in a major fire in 1868, prompting Wheeling to improve its fire department. The site later became a small private park.
 
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Photo Credits: Wheeling Intelligencer, West Virginia Archives & History, West Virginia Civil War Trails  

Today in Wheeling History: January 24--The Wheeling Female Seminary, best known for providing academic and artistic education for Protestant women, was incorporated (1848).
 
The Wheeling Female Seminary was a school for women in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was incorporated as Wheeling Female Seminary on January 24, 1848, by the Virginia General Assembly (Wheeling was part of the state of Virginia until 1863.) The school offered courses in academic subjects, music (including piano and guitar), and art (including painting and drawing). Its president was Samuel Ott and the largely female teachers were led by principal Sarah R. Hanna. The school closed in June 1865. A group purchased the school's assets and reopened the school in September as Wheeling Female College. The school offered a similar curriculum "to furnish first class instruction in all departments of education; in the elegant and artistic as well as the elementary and substantial". The school served Protestant women, positioning itself as an alternative to nearby Catholic schools like Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy at a time when there was significant anti-Catholic sentiment locally. In January 1891, the College's president Reverend H.R. Blaisdell suddenly resigned, citing low pay and harsh local winters. The school closed permanently and was purchased by the Woman's Hospital Association, which opened the Wheeling City Hospital. The Hospital became the Ohio Valley General Hospital, then the Ohio Valley Medical Center, which closed in 2019.
 
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Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV

Today in Wheeling History: January 23—Rob Scott Garrison, actor and writer, was born in Wheeling (1960).
​
Garrison was known for his role as Tommy in the film "The Karate Kid" (1984) and its spinoff series "Cobra Kai." He began acting at Wheeling Park High School (Class of 1978) and later studied theater on a full scholarship at Ohio University. He continued his acting career in the 1980s and 1990s, appearing in various films and TV shows such as "Brubaker," "The Karate Kid Part II," and "MacGyver." Garrison passed away on September 27, 2019, at the age of 59, after battling kidney and liver issues. (https://rb.gy/zzgyr) (https://rb.gy/dz5vg)