​Today in Wheeling History: February 1--First families moved into the new Hil-Dar community in Elm Grove, marking the beginning of a neighborhood that would serve Wheeling residents for over six decades (1963).
 
The Hil-Dar housing community opened in February 1963 as part of Wheeling's Urban Renewal initiative, providing much-needed housing for families displaced from the Center Wheeling area being transformed into a light industrial center. The $1.4 million project initially consisted of 100 units, with 50 units accepted in January 1963 and the remaining 50 completed by March. The first two families to move in were Mrs. Jeanette Fuller with her nine children and Mrs. Robert Javey with her five children, relocating from 2651 Market Street. Russell Mozena served as executive director of the Wheeling Housing Authority during the opening. Located in Elm Grove, Hil-Dar features townhouse-style apartments with washer-dryer hookups and includes the Exley Community Center for community gatherings and recreation. The complex currently houses approximately 100 families across 94 units ranging from one to five bedrooms, including two units on Bishop Street added in 2007. In 2024, thanks to $40,000 from the James B. Chambers Memorial Foundation and $25,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding from Ohio County Commissioners, the community received a completely renovated playground featuring new swings, slides, and modern equipment installed by Cunningham Recreation specialists.
 
To learn more: Wheeling News-Register (https://tinyurl.com/55y4cpt5) (https://tinyurl.com/55y4cpt5), Wheeling Housing Authority (https://tinyurl.com/ms5pydhn), LEDE News (https://tinyurl.com/y3uf55t9)
 
Photo credits: Wheeling News-Register, Wheeling Housing Authority, West Virginia & Regional History Center

​Today in Wheeling History: January 31—The Wheeling Sunday Register reported that the work of repairing City Hospital was about finished, with painters completing their work on the building at the head of Twentieth Street before its formal opening on February 9 (1892).
 
City Hospital began on January 1, 1890, following an initiative by Wheeling women's groups led by women of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, including "The Hospital Ten" of the King's Daughters and members of the Women's Union Benevolent Society. The incorporators—William A. Wilson, William E. Stifel, Morris Horkheimer, R. Rush Swope, and Henry M. Russell—established the City Hospital Association with $100,000 in capital stock.
 
The hospital occupied the former Wheeling Female Seminary, located at the head of Twentieth Street at one of the city's highest points. After extensive renovations, City Hospital opened to patients on February 9, 1892, with a capacity of 100 beds. Ward rates were $5 weekly (approximately $135 today), while private rooms cost $10 and upward weekly. The facility featured an operating room superior to anything in Pittsburgh or Cincinnati, equipped with over 200 instruments.
 
The City Hospital Training School for Nurses, West Virginia's first nursing school, opened simultaneously in 1892. From 1890 to 1911, the hospital was operated exclusively by women. In 1911, the original 60-bed building was declared unsafe and razed. A new 154-bed facility designed by architect Edward F. Stevens opened as Ohio Valley General Hospital on January 14, 1914. The institution evolved into Ohio Valley Medical Center in 1973. After Alecto Corporation's acquisition, the hospital closed in September 2019. The City of Wheeling took possession in 2021, and the complex was completely demolished in 2024, with WVU Medicine planning a regional cancer center on the site.
 
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/yvunsexa), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/4pfbmkta), Weelunk (https://tinyurl.com/bdh28vu8), Wheeling News-Register (https://tinyurl.com/yeyavnjc), The West Virginia Encyclopedia (https://tinyurl.com/abyfan9x), Wheeling Register (https://tinyurl.com/7ufyam4x)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wikimedia Commons, Weelunk, Google Maps, Ohio Valley Medical Center

Today in Wheeling History: January 30--Rev. Arthur D. McSwiggan, pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Warwood, was buried from Corpus Christi Church and laid to rest with fellow priests at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Wheeling (1934). 
 
Rev. Arthur Devine McSwiggan was born March 3, 1878, in Tyrcur, Omagh District, County Tyrone, Ireland, the son of Patrick McSwiggan and Isabella Devine. Trained for the priesthood in Ireland, he emigrated to the United States as part of the broader wave of Irish clergy serving growing Catholic communities in industrial towns. During the First World War era he was assigned to the Weirton area of Hancock County, where he became a formative spiritual and civic presence. There he directed the building of a church, rectory, and school “on the old county road” and, through his own efforts and funds, secured and developed Saint Paul Cemetery, giving local Catholics a dedicated burial ground that continues in use. Later, Bishop John Swint appointed him pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Warwood, then a rapidly developing northern suburb of Wheeling. From 1928 until his death in 1934, McSwiggan guided the parish through years of growth and Depression-era hardship. He died January 27, 1934, in a Baltimore hospital and was buried January 30 from Corpus Christi, with interment among fellow priests at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Wheeling; a cenotaph honors him at Saint Paul Cemetery in Weirton. 
 
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/3hteww3d); Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/58duspba)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Find a Grave, The Clio

​Today in Wheeling History: January 29--Charles C. Webb filed a patent application for an innovative bottle cap design (1936).
 
Charles Carrick Webb was born February 7, 1906, in Sparta, Tennessee, to William Hosea Webb and Sarah Etta Wright Webb. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Milwaukee University and relocated to Wheeling around 1933. Webb became assistant superintendent of the Wheeling Stamping Company, where he made significant contributions to industrial manufacturing. On January 29, 1936, he filed Patent No. 2,171,015 for an innovative plastic bottle cap design that revolutionized container closures. His invention addressed the problem of caps splitting when screwed tightly by incorporating flexible button-like projections instead of traditional threads, allowing the cap to assume an elliptical shape under pressure. This design made manufacturing more economical while preventing breakage. Webb was actively involved in Wheeling's cultural and educational life. On September 30, 1939, he married Miriam Bayha Doepken, daughter of Albert and Ethel Doepken of North Wheeling, in a home ceremony officiated by Dr. James Mease Potter. Webb taught at the YMCA night school, instructing courses in slide rule and dramatic presentations. He was also active in civic organizations and attended community cultural events, including Wheeling Symphony concerts. He passed away August 29, 1996, in Wilmington, Delaware, at age 90.
 
To learn more: Google Patents (https://tinyurl.com/c43mfcka), Wheeling News-Register (https://tinyurl.com/sn42zau8) (https://tinyurl.com/mtwre747) (https://tinyurl.com/3yk8n9sd) (https://tinyurl.com/yv3jn6fm), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/5es5u3xx) (https://tinyurl.com/n3sh2n8d) (https://tinyurl.com/45pn4kv7) (https://tinyurl.com/5y8ebbz9) (https://tinyurl.com/2r89xtza) (https://tinyurl.com/4ytj2mfn) (https://tinyurl.com/mtmbj6t2), Kepner Funeral Home (https://tinyurl.com/2mj9pn5n), Family Search (https://tinyurl.com/2m3bzwyu) (https://tinyurl.com/2m3bzwyu)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wheeling Intelligencer, Wheeling News-Register, FamilySearch, U.S. Patent Office, Google Maps

​Today in Wheeling History: January 28--The Ohio River crested at 44 feet in Wheeling, creating the city's eleventh largest flood and forcing evacuation of 500 Valley families (1952).
 
The January 1952 flood struck Wheeling with surprising speed after torrential rains Friday and Saturday, January 26-27, dumped two and a half inches of precipitation across the region. Initially predicted to crest at 47 feet, colder weather and freezing temperatures slowed the rise, bringing the peak to 44 feet by 3 p.m. on Monday, January 28. This mid-winter disaster affected areas unvisited by high water since 1948, forcing mass evacuations from Wheeling Island and South Wheeling neighborhoods. The American Red Cross, led by disaster chairman Andrew R. McClure, mobilized over 200 volunteers who established emergency shelters at Lincoln and Clay schools, plus the Salvation Army facility. A feeding station at St. James Lutheran Church served 500 sandwiches and gallons of coffee to workers and evacuees. Eight amateur radio operators proved invaluable for communications, particularly coordinating aid to Weirton. Eighteen valley industries shut down or curtailed operations, including Wheeling Steel's Steubenville works. Route 2 flooded at eight locations, and the Suspension and Aetnesville bridges closed. When temperatures plunged to 8 degrees on January 29, cleanup efforts were hampered as streets became sheets of ice, creating what News-Register reporter Joe Hoffmann described as "frozen worlds" across the flooded districts.
 
To learn more: Wheeling News-Register (https://tinyurl.com/8s7d24f) (https://tinyurl.com/594j34bj)
 
Photo credits: Wheeling News-Register

​Today in Wheeling History: January 27--The Mingo statue atop Wheeling Hill was cut at the ankles with a pickax and carried away by three men from Columbus, Ohio (1982).
 
The iconic Mingo statue atop Wheeling Hill at the intersection of National Road and Stone Boulevard was stolen in the early morning hours of January 27, 1982, when three Columbus, Ohio men severed the bronze figure at the ankles with a pickax and loaded it into their pickup truck. Robin McCoy, Antionelle E. McCoy, and George N. White had driven just a half-dozen blocks down Chapline Street extension when an anonymous caller alerted Wheeling police. Officers spotted the outstretched arm of friendship protruding from the truck bed and intercepted the thieves around 4:30 a.m. Police found the Indian and the pickax in the back of the pickup. All three men were jailed with bond set at $10,000 each and later convicted of grand larceny. The statue itself was recovered and held as evidence in the old city lockup. Interestingly, police had foiled an earlier attempted theft the previous summer when two men were found near the monument's base with mattresses and a tarp in their truck. Investigation revealed holes had been bored in the base during that attempt. The 1928 statue, created by German immigrant Henry Beu and presented to Wheeling by the Kiwanis Club and George W. Lutz, had stood as a welcoming symbol to visitors traveling the National Road. George Macek of Mull Foundry ultimately repaired the statue, which was rededicated on April 21, 1983.
 
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/37tc8hsp); Historic Wheeling (https://tinyurl.com/44uwaft5), Weelunk (https://tinyurl.com/yc6ppjz9), The Clio (https://tinyurl.com/5vkfr83j), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/588wbpx2) (https://tinyurl.com/3h6tr3zx) (https://tinyurl.com/wmh97p7w), Wheeling News-Register (https://tinyurl.com/4dyju3ab) (https://tinyurl.com/ms49hcju), Smithsonian American Art Museum (https://tinyurl.com/5n96fkkb), The Historical Marker Database (https://tinyurl.com/ybzd4e98)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wheeling News-Register, Wheeling Intelligencer, Weelunk, Wikimedia Commons, Historic Wheeling, The Clio, The Historical Marker Database

​Today in Wheeling History: January 25--David B. Meadows, former U.S. Navy SEAL and film and television actor, was born in Wheeling (1982). 
 
Born on January 25, 1982, in Wheeling, West Virginia, David B. Meadows grew up in the area, raised by a single mother and shaped by the region’s working‑class culture. He attended Wheeling Park High School, where he initially imagined futures in fields like architecture, psychology, or medicine before choosing a radically different path at graduation.  Determined to test himself against one of the world’s most demanding challenges, Meadows enlisted in the U.S. Navy and pursued SEAL training. After enduring BUD/S and its infamous Hell Week, he ultimately completed a 13‑year career in the Navy SEAL teams, serving primarily as a sniper and reconnaissance specialist on multiple combat deployments to Afghanistan.  
 
When his military service ended, Meadows discovered an unexpected calling in acting. He began formal training in Virginia, studying for two years at The Actors’ Place, where instructors noted his intense drive and discipline.  Building on stage work in regional theater, he transitioned into film and television, landing roles in projects such as “9‑1‑1: Lone Star” and other screen appearances that often draw on his tactical and physical background.  Meadows has since worked in larger markets, including Los Angeles and Europe, crafting a second career that bridges his Wheeling roots, combat experience, and creative ambitions, while frequently reflecting on resilience, purpose, and the costs of war in interviews and long‑form podcasts.  
 
To learn more: IMDb (https://tinyurl.com/yjawsk4s), Voyage LA Magazine (https://tinyurl.com/35hufdnj), Apple Podcasts (https://tinyurl.com/mrbw838h), The Actors’ Place - Facebook (https://tinyurl.com/y6n4nw23), YouTube (https://tinyurl.com/3cnew96p) (https://tinyurl.com/4bwfcfu2)
 
Photo caption and credit: David B. Meadows (IMDb)

​Today in Wheeling History: January 24—Edward Wagner, prominent Wheeling businessperson and president of the Edward Wagner Fireproof Storage Company, dies at his home, 54 Fifteenth Street, in his seventy‑third year (1929). 
 
Edward Wagner was born September 15, 1856, in Clarington, Monroe County, Ohio, and later moved to Wheeling, where he built one of the city’s most significant commercial enterprises. In 1884, he began modestly, selling fruits, vegetables, and produce from his residence, but within a few years he shifted to Main Street locations and expanded into wholesale trade. By the 1890s, his firm, Edward Wagner Wholesale Grocers, specialized in wholesale cheese and grocers’ specialties and continued to grow in scale and reputation. Eventually, Wagner’s operation was described as the largest wholesale grocery business controlled by an individual in the United States, a remarkable distinction for a Wheeling-based concern. In 1914, a seven‑story, reinforced concrete warehouse—later known as the Wagner Building—was constructed for his company, reflecting both modern industrial design and the firm’s success. Wagner later became president of the Edward Wagner Fireproof Storage Company. After surviving influenza that developed into bronchial pneumonia, he died on January 24, 1929, at his home at 54 Fifteenth Street in Wheeling. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia. 
 
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/bdkyy3z9) (https://tinyurl.com/efknpus5) (https://tinyurl.com/4ewajypn); Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/kwjhxtys), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/yc57pjb3)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Find a Grave, Google Maps, Wheeling Intelligencer

​Today in Wheeling History: January 23—Bryan “Boomer” Ewing, professional ice hockey forward and Wheeling Nailers scoring star, is born in Wheeling (1985).
 
Bryan “Boomer” Ewing, born January 23, 1985, in Wheeling, West Virginia, became one of the city’s most notable modern hockey figures, symbolizing the link between local fandom and professional play. Though raised in Wheeling, his formative hockey years unfolded in New England, where he attended Duxbury High School and then Cushing Academy in Massachusetts, earning recognition as a Second Team New England All-Star his senior year. Ewing continued his ascent at Boston University, skating four seasons (2004–2008) in Hockey East and steadily growing into a high-impact forward, culminating in a 43-point senior campaign. 
 
In 2008, Ewing returned to his hometown in a powerful way, signing with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. He delivered a remarkable 2008–09 rookie season, posting 91 points (43 goals, 48 assists) in 67 games, finishing near the top of the league scoring charts and thrilling fans at WesBanco Arena. His performance earned him opportunities in the American Hockey League with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and later the Rockford IceHogs, Springfield Falcons, and additional ECHL stints with Toledo and Reading before his career concluded around 2010. Ewing’s journey—from Wheeling-born fan to Wheeling Nailers star—remains a modern chapter in the city’s long sports story. 
 
To learn more: Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/yehzhp2x), hockeyDB.com (https://tinyurl.com/4u2vd9sn), Rockford Icehogs (https://tinyurl.com/mvp725jh), Alchetron (https://tinyurl.com/3bfjpfcu)
 
Photo caption and credit: Bryan Ewing (hockeyDB.com)

​Today in Wheeling History: January 22—The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia is formally established by Congress, creating a new federal judicial district with Wheeling as one of its seats (1901).
 
Created on January 22, 1901, the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia marked a major reorganization of federal judicial authority in the state, replacing the single District of West Virginia that had existed since the Civil War era. The new Northern District, with jurisdiction over much of the state’s industrial and coal-producing counties, became part of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, hearing federal civil and criminal cases while patent and certain claims against the United States go to the Federal Circuit. Wheeling quickly emerged as one of the court’s principal seats. The federal courthouse at 1125 Chapline Street—now the Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse—was completed in 1907 in a Beaux-Arts style and has remained in continuous judicial use, with major renovations in 1937 and 2004. Today, the Northern District holds court in Wheeling, Clarksburg, Elkins, and Martinsburg, with the Wheeling facility also housing the clerk’s office and serving as a key hub for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service. From naturalization ceremonies to complex federal litigation, the court’s Wheeling presence has woven national law and local life together for more than a century.
 
To learn more: United States District Court, Northern District of West Virginia (https://tinyurl.com/acn22dme), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/ynsvpach) (https://tinyurl.com/nwkbc96r), Federal Judicial Center (https://tinyurl.com/3vxx8nd7), United States District Court, Northern District of West Virginia (https://tinyurl.com/mmrwza4b)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; United States Bankruptcy Court--Northern District of West Virginia, General Services Administration