Today in Wheeling History: June 1--Wheeling celebrated "Eleanor Steber Day" with a parade, an official welcome at City Hall where she received a key to the city, and Steber's sold-out 20th anniversary concert at the Capitol Theatre attended by the governor and other dignitaries (1960).
 
Eleanor Steber, born in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1914, was a renowned American opera singer who achieved great success at the Metropolitan Opera in New York after winning the Met's Auditions of the Air competition in 1940. She grew up in the Warwood neighborhood of Wheeling and graduated from Warwood High School before attending the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.
 
Steber's hometown of Wheeling played a significant role in fostering her love for music from a young age. By the time she was 12, the Wheeling Symphony had begun performing regularly, exposing her to classical music. She took piano lessons throughout her childhood in Wheeling and studied voice with her mother, an accomplished amateur singer. Wheeling's strong arts community, including venues like the Capitol Theatre and Oglebay Park, provided ample opportunities for Steber to experience and perform music.
 
After her Met debut, Steber frequently returned to Wheeling to share her talents with the community. Throughout the 1940s, she came back annually to perform at the Oglebay Summer Concert Series. The city celebrated her success with an "Eleanor Steber Day" on June 1, 1960, which included a parade up Market Street led by the Wheeling High School Band, an official welcome at the new City-County Building where Mayor John J. Gast presented her with a key to the city, and a sold-out 20th anniversary concert at the Capitol Theatre attended by the governor, college presidents, and other dignitaries.
 
Steber's family, including her mother Ida Nolte Steber, sister Lucile Steber Leslie, and brother William Charles Steber, Jr., remained in Wheeling and were introduced at the anniversary concert. She passed away in 1990 and was laid to rest in Wheeling's Greenwood Cemetery. Today, Steber is remembered as one of America's greatest opera stars and a beloved daughter of Wheeling who made her hometown proud.
 
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Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; The Clio

​Today in Wheeling History: May 31--Roman Catholic Bishop John Joseph Kain was born near Martinsburg (1841). As bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling, he was committed to meeting the needs of the newly arrived immigrants who came to work in West Virginia's mines and factories. (https://tinyurl.com/mvdn9m96) (https://tinyurl.com/bdz7uka9) 

Today in Wheeling History: May 31--Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy graduated its last class and closed after 160 years of operation (2008).
 
Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy was a private Catholic all-girls school in Wheeling, West Virginia, founded in 1848 by Bishop Richard V. Whelan. Initially named the Wheeling Female Academy and located at 14th and Eoff streets, the school moved to a new building on the former Steenrod Farm in 1865 and was renamed Mount de Chantal after Saint Jane de Chantal, co-founder of the Visitation Order. The school building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and Mount de Chantal was known for its strong academic and fine arts programs, operating as a boarding school until 1982. However, declining enrollment and financial support led to the school's closure in 2008 after 160 years of operation. Many notable women attended Mount de Chantal, including two future First Ladies of West Virginia, Carrie Watson Fleming and Edna Hall Scott Kump, as well as Judith Herndon, one of the first women to serve in the West Virginia Senate, renowned artist Virginia B. Evans, and famous singer and actress Oriska Worden. In 2011, Wheeling Hospital purchased the property, and despite being listed as a 2011 Endangered Property by the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, the school was demolished in November of that year. In honor of the Visitation Sisters of Mount de Chantal, Wheeling Jesuit University opened the Mount de Chantal Conservatory of Music in November 2013.
 
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Photo credits: Ohio County Library Archives, Wheeling WV; H.R. Page - Wheeling Illustrated; W.M.T. Nicoll
 

​Today in Wheeling History: May 31--The Wheeling Veterans Memorial, located on the waterfront, was dedicated (1993).
 
The Wheeling Veterans Memorial is a multi-war memorial located on the waterfront in Wheeling, West Virginia. The memorial features a central monument inscribed with "In Memoriam" and "Dedicated May 31, 1993," surrounded by smaller monuments dedicated to various wars, from the Revolutionary War to the ongoing Global War on Terrorism. Each smaller monument includes representative scenes and brief descriptions of the respective war. The memorial pays tribute to veterans who served in these conflicts and acknowledges significant events such as the last battle of the Revolutionary War in Wheeling and the September 11, 2001, attacks.
 
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/4h64fs6s) (https://tinyurl.com/mvawn7ap)
 
Photo credits: Waymarking.com

Today in Wheeling History: May 30--Wheeling Park officially opened to the public as Wheeling's first public park, welcoming more than ten thousand people who enjoyed a band concert, picnicking, the playground, and various informal activities (1925).
 
Wheeling Park, situated in Wheeling, West Virginia, boasts a rich history dating back to the late 1800s when it was part of an estate owned by English immigrant Thomas Hornbrook. The park underwent various transformations, including serving as a private amusement park with rides, a swimming pool, and a gambling casino operated by the Reymann Brewing Company in the early 1900s. In 1924, Charles Sonneborn and Louis Haller purchased the property with the intention of subdividing it into residential lots. However, they offered to sell it back to the city for public use if sufficient funds could be raised. Thanks to the efforts of local businessmen and philanthropists, such as W.E. Stone and Earl W. Oglebay, Wheeling Park was established as a public park and officially opened on May 30, 1925.
 
Throughout the years, Wheeling Park has seen numerous additions and improvements. The White Palace, officially named the Otto Schenk Memorial Pavilion, was constructed in 1926 on the site of the former casino that had been destroyed by fire. The park's nine-hole golf course opened in the same year. In 1928, the Daughters of the American Revolution erected the "Madonna of the Trail" statue, and the Frank Rock Garden was created in 1929. The park's recreational facilities continued to expand with the opening of the Memorial Ice Rink in 1959, which transformed Wheeling Park into a year-round destination. The W.E. Stone Memorial Clubhouse and Pool, featuring a Z-shaped pool with fifty-meter lanes, a diving well, and a toddler area, was dedicated in 1968, with a water slide added to the complex in 1979.
 
Further developments in the 1970s and 1980s included the addition of a boathouse, dock, and miniature golf course to the Good Lake in 1972, as well as the construction of a tennis air dome for indoor play. The hilltop area of the park saw the development of the Sonneborn group picnic shelter in 1973, followed by the addition of six Har-Tru tennis courts and the Boyce Tennis Shelter in 1984. The late 1980s witnessed the construction of a complex of soccer fields, further enhancing the park's recreational offerings.
 
Today, Wheeling Park spans 406 acres and features a wide array of attractions and amenities, including the Otto Schenk Memorial Pavilion (White Palace), the Memorial Ice Rink, the W.E. Stone Memorial Clubhouse and Pool, the Good Lake with pedal boats and a snack bar, the Sonneborn group picnic shelter, the Stifel Playground, and the Schwertfeger Shelter. The park also offers a nine-hole golf course, an eighteen-hole miniature golf course, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, an outdoor amphitheater, and numerous picnic sites and shelters. With its diverse range of facilities and activities, Wheeling Park continues to serve as a beloved year-round destination for residents and visitors alike, fulfilling the vision of its early advocates, such as Otto Schenk and W.E. Stone.
 
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Photo credits: Ohio County Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wheeling Park

Today in Wheeling History: May 29--The Hub Clothier Department Store, owned by Wheeling businessman Moses Sonneborn, opened at the northeast corner of 14th and Market streets (1891).
 
The Hub Department Store, owned by Wheeling businessman Moses Sonneborn, opened on May 29, 1891, at the northeast corner of 14th and Market Streets (1324-30 Market Street). In 1913, the store expanded by purchasing the adjacent Hill and Richards property on the Chapline Street side of the block, razing the building, and erecting a new four-floor building that joined the original Market Street store, creating a "thoroughfare from Market to Chapline streets."
 
Between 1914 and 1915, an annex called the Sonneborn Building (more commonly known today as King's Jewelers) was added next door to the Market Street storefront. The Hub served the Wheeling area for 75 years before closing in 1966. Today, the site where The Hub once stood is a parking lot.
 
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Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV

Today in Wheeling History: May 28--The Augustus Pollack monument was dedicated in Wheeling with 10,000 people in attendance (1916).
 
Augustus Pollack was a prominent German Jewish businessman in Wheeling, West Virginia in the late 19th century. He founded the Crown Stogies cigar company in 1871, which grew to become one of the largest cigar manufacturers in the world. Pollack was known for his progressive labor practices, treating his employees fairly and supporting labor unions at a time when this was very uncommon.
 
After Pollack's death in 1906, Wheeling's labor unions, led by the Garfield Assembly of International Stogie Makers, raised over $8,000 from their members to erect a large granite monument in Pollack's honor. Depicting a handshake between employee and employer, the monument was originally placed on the grounds of the old Wheeling City-County Building at the corner of 15th and Chapline Streets and dedicated on May 28, 1916 with 10,000 people in attendance. In 1956, when that building was demolished, the monument was moved to a grassy area along Main Street in North Wheeling near the on-ramp to the Fort Henry Bridge. Most recently, in 2013, the Pollack monument was restored and relocated again to Wheeling's Heritage Port area on the riverfront. The Pollack monument is thought to be the only memorial ever built by labor unions to honor an employer they respected and appreciated for his support of workers' rights and organized labor.
 
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Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV

Today in Wheeling History: May 27--The 1st Virginia Infantry (Union), composed mainly of recruits from the northern panhandle of western Virginia, departed Wheeling via the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to engage Confederate forces, marking the beginning of their three-month term of service in the Civil War (1861).
 
The 1st Virginia Infantry (Union), later known as the 1st West Virginia Infantry, was organized in Wheeling in May 1861, drawing recruits primarily from the northern panhandle counties of Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, and Marshall. The regiment, under Colonel Benjamin F. Kelley, was the first loyal regiment formed on Southern soil and played a significant role in the early campaigns of the Civil War in western Virginia. They departed Wheeling on May 27, 1861, and participated in the Battle of Philippi on June 3, where Col. Kelley was wounded, marking him as the first Union officer injured in the war.
 
The regiment served its three-month term in the mountains of western Virginia, helping to secure the region for the Union. Many of these soldiers later re-enlisted for three years' service in the 1st West Virginia Infantry, which went on to fight in several major engagements, including the battles of Winchester, Port Republic, and Cedar Creek. Though the majority of the regiment's soldiers were native West Virginians (39%), a significant portion came from neighboring states like Ohio (23%) and Pennsylvania (18%), as well as immigrant populations (11%). The 1st West Virginia Infantry played a vital role in the Union war effort and contributed to the eventual creation of the state of West Virginia in 1863.
 
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Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wheeling National Heritage Area

​Today in Wheeling History: May 26--George W. Jeffers elected Judge of the Municipal Court of Wheeling (1880). (https://rb.gy/d8evo) (https://rb.gy/724sf) 

Today in Wheeling History: May 26--The cornerstone was laid for St. John's Evangelical Protestant Church's third building at 41 22nd Street at the corner of 22nd and Chapline Streets (1907).
 
St. John's Evangelical Protestant Church in Wheeling, West Virginia has a long history dating back to 1835, when a small group of German pioneers began holding religious services in a frame building on Main Street. Sometime in late 1835 or early 1836, a formal congregation was established with Andrew Schwartz as the first resident pastor.
 
In 1836, the congregation built its first church building on 18th Street between Jacob and Wood Streets, where The Laughlin Memorial Chapel stands today.
 
In 1872, a second larger church was built at the corner of 17th and Market Streets near the Market Street Bridge to accommodate the growing congregation.
 
However, in 1906 the church had to sell the 17th and Market Streets property to the B&O Railroad and began construction on its current building at 41 22nd Street at the corner of 22nd and Chapline Streets. On May 26, 1907, the cornerstone was laid for this new church building, which was dedicated on September 20, 1908.
 
The church went through several name changes over the years as it merged with other congregations and denominations. The church became known as St. John's United Church of Christ in 1961 after denominational mergers.
 
In 2006, it disaffiliated from the UCC and returned to its former name of St. John's Evangelical Protestant Church. In 2016, the name was changed to St. John's Centre Wheeling Fellowship.
 
In 2019, the name was changed to Centre Wheeling Fellowship. The church continues to have an active presence in the community from its location at 41 22nd Street, operating ministries like the Free Bike Depot to assist those in need.
 
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Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Google Maps