​Today in Wheeling History: October 1—Ralph D. Nye filed a patent for an innovative manipulator for rolling mills, a machine with mechanical arms that safely moved and turned heavy hot metal in steel factories, improving industrial manufacturing equipment (1930).
 
Ralph D. Nye was a Wheeling, West Virginia inventor and engineer whose innovations advanced the steel and foundry industries during the early twentieth century. On October 1, 1930, Nye filed a patent application for a manipulator for rolling mills, which was granted on March 29, 1932 as U.S. Patent No. 1,851,921. His invention was a machine that helped steel mill workers handle heavy pieces of hot metal safely. In steel mills, workers needed to move and flip large metal bars while they were being shaped by giant rollers. These bars were extremely hot and very heavy, making them dangerous to handle by hand. Nye designed a machine with mechanical arms and fingers that could grab, lift, and turn the metal pieces automatically. His design improved earlier machines by making the moving parts connect better and adding a better oil system to keep everything running smoothly. This meant the machine lasted longer and broke down less often. Nye worked for Wheeling Mold & Foundry Division of the Continental Roll & Steel Foundry Company, and he gave them the rights to his invention.
 
Wheeling Mold & Foundry was organized in 1893 and became a major producer of heavy castings and steel mill equipment. The company was sold to Continental Roll and Steel Foundry Company in June 1930, the same year Nye filed his patent. His invention helped Wheeling's steel mills work better and safer, adding to the city's reputation as an important manufacturing center.
 
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (http://bit.ly/3KqlkPc) (https://tinyurl.com/mpd62cp4); Google Patents (https://tinyurl.com/mr3zjp5m)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; U.S. Patent Office

Today in Wheeling History: September 30--Kay Bullard, WTRF-TV's pioneering "Romper Room" teacher and early television personality, was born in Wheeling (1938).
 
Katharine "Kay" Virginia Bullard was born September 30, 1938, in Wheeling, West Virginia, to Luther Todd Bullard (1891-1982) and Virginia Nutting Bullard (1898-1993). The family, with roots dating to the American Revolution, lived at 114 Wheeling Avenue in Elm Grove. A brilliant straight-A student, Kay graduated from Triadelphia High School before attending West Liberty State College, majoring in English, Speech, and Education and graduating summa cum laude in 1960. At West Liberty, she distinguished herself through membership in Student Council, Hilltop Players, and honor societies Alpha Phi Sigma and Alpha Psi Omega. She edited the college annual "The Winding Road" and served as associate editor of "The Trumpet" newspaper. Kay performed with Wheeling's Little Theatre, playing the leading role in "Speaking of Murder."
 
On May 2, 1960, Kay made television history as WTRF-TV Channel 7's "Romper Room" teacher. The weekday program focused on early childhood development. She later hosted an afternoon interview program. In 1961, Kay met Maurice "Mac" McCaffrey, marrying him June 30, 1962. The couple eventually settled in Hudson, Ohio, where Kay opened The Hudson Nursery School, the town's first educational preschool, dedicating over 20 years to early childhood education. She remained active in the Daughters of the American Revolution and local elections. After retiring to Amelia Island, Florida in 2001, Kay passed away February 26, 2022, at age 83.
 
To learn more: Akron Beacon Journal (https://tinyurl.com/4kre3nub), Wheeling News-Register (https://tinyurl.com/55ene46h)
 
Photo credits: Akron Beacon Journal, Wheeling News-Register

​Today in Wheeling History: September 29--Martin Luther Connelley, prominent Ohio County farmer and insurance company founder who established his homestead in Liberty District ten miles northeast of Wheeling, was born in Richland District (1842).
 
Martin Luther Connelley was born September 29, 1842, in Richland District, Ohio County, to Elisha and Lorena (Eaton) Connelley. His father Elisha, originally from Maryland, settled in Ohio County after moving through Pennsylvania, becoming a successful farmer who owned four farms and was an early Republican supporter of Abraham Lincoln in 1860.
 
Martin received his education in local schools and attended West Liberty Academy before dedicating his life to farming. In 1870, he established his homestead farm of 110 acres in Liberty District, Ohio County, ten miles northeast of the City of Wheeling, specializing in sheep raising. The farm was historically significant, as one of the first cabins in that part of Ohio County had been erected on the property. Connelley chose to build his house near the fine natural springs in the vicinity.
 
He served fourteen years on his district's school board, demonstrating his commitment to education. In 1893, Connelley lost his left arm below the elbow while operating the first corn husking machine brought across the Ohio River into West Virginia. Despite this setback, he continued his agricultural pursuits and co-founded the Farmers Mutual Insurance Company with A.R. Jacob, serving as secretary and treasurer from incorporation until 1920. The company grew from $150,000 to over $5,000,000 in coverage.
 
Connelley married Mary E. Giffin on March 29, 1870, and they had four children: Lena Jane, Frank Edwin, Laura L., and Joseph Luther Benjamin. Mary died in 1884. A devoted member of Roney's Point United Presbyterian Church for fifty years and lifelong Prohibition Party supporter, Connelley died July 3, 1928, at Valley Grove.
 
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library – Martin Luther Connelley (https://tinyurl.com/yj3cufjy), USGenWeb Archives – Biography of Martin Luther Connelley (https://tinyurl.com/56xe3uad), Ohio County Public Library – Wheeling History Online (https://tinyurl.com/3t957ffm), Family Search - Martin Luther Connelley (https://tinyurl.com/yc5ck4c4), Ancestry - Martin Connelly Family History Records (https://tinyurl.com/359nyesn), Find a Grave Martin Luther Connelley (https://tinyurl.com/2pyb5s3s)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Find a Grave

​Today in Wheeling History: September 28—Keith Maillard, acclaimed novelist and Wheeling native, receives the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence in British Columbia, Canada (2024).
 
Keith Lee Maillard was born on February 28, 1942, in Wheeling, West Virginia, and raised on Front Street on Wheeling Island. His early life was shaped by financial hardship following his parents’ divorce. He attended Madison Elementary School and earned a scholarship to Linsly Military Institute, graduating third in his class in 1960. Maillard later studied at West Virginia University, the University of Michigan, and Vancouver Community College School of Music. From 1968 to 1970, he worked in Boston as a writer and producer for an anti-Vietnam War radio program. Importantly, Maillard was not eligible for the draft and identified as a war resister rather than a draft dodger—a distinction he has emphasized in interviews and writings. Disillusioned after the Kent State shootings, he emigrated to Canada in 1970 and became a citizen in 1976. His literary career spans over five decades, with more than 20 published works including novels, poetry, and memoirs. Many are set in the fictional town of Raysburg, modeled after Wheeling, and feature landmarks like the Suspension Bridge and National Road. On September 28, 2024, Maillard received the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence in British Columbia, honoring his contributions as a writer, teacher, and mentor. He resides in West Vancouver with his wife and two daughters.
 
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library (https://tinyurl.com/3vra32ut), Wikipedia – Keith Maillard (https://tinyurl.com/2hf8yxme), BC & Yukon Book Prizes (https://tinyurl.com/3r5afc59), UBC Creative Writing (https://tinyurl.com/3x5cvc95), Weelunk Review of "The Clarinet Polka" (https://tinyurl.com/3fnce65z)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Amazon, University of British Columbia

​Today in Wheeling History: September 27—C. Franklin Brookhart Jr., longtime rector of Lawrencefield Parish Church near Wheeling and scripture instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University, was consecrated as Bishop of Montana (2003).
 
Charles Franklin Brookhart Jr., born August 30, 1948, in Parkersburg, West Virginia, spent formative years in both West Virginia and Ohio. His deep ties to Wheeling began with his tenure as rector of Lawrencefield Parish Church, where he served prior to his election as the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Montana. Brookhart earned his undergraduate degree from Wittenberg University in Ohio and pursued theological studies at Vanderbilt University before receiving his Master of Divinity from United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia. He later completed a Doctor of Ministry in homiletics at United Theological Seminary in 1984.
 
In Wheeling, Brookhart was known for his ecumenical leadership, serving as the bishop’s deputy for ecumenism and contributing to the “Call to Common Mission,” which established full communion between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He taught scripture at Wheeling Jesuit University and served four churches across Ohio and West Virginia. Consecrated on September 27, 2003, in Helena, Montana, he led the diocese until his retirement in 2018. His tenure emphasized Native American ministry, financial restructuring, and revitalization of the diaconate. Brookhart authored four theological books and continues to preach and teach in Los Angeles, where he resides with his wife, Dr. Susan Moyer Brookhart.
 
To learn more: Wikipedia – C. Franklin Brookhart Jr. (https://tinyurl.com/432fpc5f), Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles – Visiting Bishops (https://tinyurl.com/3std8tsd), Church of the Epiphany – Brookhart Profile (https://tinyurl.com/3fh7jrtc), YouTube Sermon – Brookhart (https://tinyurl.com/2syt8zzr)
 
Photo credits: Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, faithstreet

​Today in Wheeling History: September 26—August Neuhausen of Wheeling received a U.S. patent for his innovative candy whistle design (1871).
 
August Neuhausen, a confectioner in Wheeling, West Virginia, revolutionized candy manufacturing on September 26, 1871, when he received U.S. Patent No. 119,392 for his "Improvement in the Manufacture of Candy Whistles." Born in Germany around 1845, Neuhausen immigrated to America and established himself as part of the wholesale confectionery firm Schulz & Neuhausen in Wheeling. His patent introduced a revolutionary three-part flask system that allowed candy whistles to be cast in one complete piece, eliminating the previous labor-intensive process of casting whistles in two separate parts that had to be joined together. This innovation saved considerable time and labor costs in candy production. The patent covered not only the manufacturing process but also the molds and the finished candy whistles themselves. Following the patent's approval, Schulz & Neuhausen began extensive manufacturing of these whistles, receiving orders from most states in the Union, including a massive order from New York City alone. Neuhausen married Lina Welty, daughter of Sebastian Welty, in an elaborate German community wedding at St. Alphonsus Church in May 1874. By 1882, he had relocated to Steubenville, Ohio, where newspaper accounts show he was visiting Wheeling on business. By 1890, he was involved in a business dispute with the Wheeling Ice and Storage Company. He eventually moved to California, where he died on January 3, 1906, in Los Angeles at age 60-61 and was buried at Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles.
 
To learn more: Google Patents (https://tinyurl.com/mpb4suyb), Patent Document – U.S. Patent No. 119,392 (https://tinyurl.com/7bbyxm6u), Hagley Museum – Patent Model (https://tinyurl.com/mnkdtchj), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/r822pak3), Wheeling Daily Register (https://tinyurl.com/32d4rna9) (https://tinyurl.com/bd9s5mmp) (https://tinyurl.com/2ej2z76y) (https://tinyurl.com/4uhenvpc)
 
Photo credits: U.S. Patent Office, Hagley Museum and Library, Wheeling Register, Find a Grave

​Today in Wheeling History: September 25—Wheeling College was officially incorporated, marking the birth of West Virginia’s only Catholic institution of higher learning (1954).
 
Wheeling College, now known as Wheeling University, was officially incorporated on September 25, 1954, following years of vision and planning led by Archbishop John J. Swint of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. The idea of a Catholic college in West Virginia had circulated since the late 19th century, but it was Swint who revived the concept in 1951 and partnered with the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) to bring it to life. The Diocese purchased land from the Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy, and construction began in late 1953. The college’s first president, Rev. Lawrence McHugh, S.J., was appointed the day after incorporation. Initially housed in temporary quarters at St. Michael’s Church on Edgington Lane, the college opened its doors to students on September 26, 1955, with 90 enrollees and a faculty of 12 Jesuit priests and four lay professors. Donahue Hall’s cornerstone was laid in November 1954, and the college was formally dedicated in October 1955. Over the decades, Wheeling College evolved into Wheeling Jesuit University and later Wheeling University, maintaining its Catholic identity and expanding its academic offerings. It remains a vital educational and spiritual institution in the Ohio Valley.
 
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/m2v7s8zb); Wheeling University History (https://tinyurl.com/3rehcj3y), Wheeling University Wikipedia Entry (https://tinyurl.com/mpmea9tz), e-WV Encyclopedia: Wheeling University (https://tinyurl.com/3bxp96w2), Find a Grave - Rev Laurence Charles McHugh (https://tinyurl.com/4yezyzcb)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wikimedia Commons, Google Maps, Find a Grave

​Today in Wheeling History: September 25—Shawn Holmes, a filmmaker known for his innovative storytelling, was born in Wheeling (1986).
 
Shawn Holmes is a celebrated filmmaker born on September 25, 1986, in Wheeling, West Virginia. Raised by a single mother in Martins Ferry, Ohio, Holmes attended The Linsly School in Wheeling before briefly studying at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. His mentor at Loyola was actor and director Barry Primus. Holmes' filmmaking journey began with his debut feature film, "Memory Lane," a science fiction thriller he wrote, directed, produced, and edited. The film, shot in Martins Ferry and Wheeling, premiered at the Sci-Fi-London film festival on May 6, 2012. Despite a budget of less than three hundred dollars, "Memory Lane" received praise for its innovative storytelling and tight pacing, drawing comparisons to the works of David Fincher and Christopher Nolan. Holmes' success with "Memory Lane" led to further opportunities, including his post-apocalyptic thriller "Rockabye," optioned by Ashton Kutcher’s Katalyst Films, and his psychological thriller screenplay "The Knife Salesman," a finalist in the Screencraft Feature Screenwriting Competition. Holmes has also directed the award-winning short film "How to Tie a Tie" and worked on Lifetime movies such as "A Rose for Her Grave" and "Christmas at the Greenbrier." Recognized as one of the youngest nominees for the West Virginia Filmmaker of the Year award, Holmes continues to bring captivating and thought-provoking narratives to screens worldwide.
 
To learn more: IMDb (https://tinyurl.com/tbvsx7yy), Shawn Holmes Official Website (https://tinyurl.com/3ktwn8vw), WTRF (https://tinyurl.com/2rstsewn)
 
Photo credit: Weelunk

​Today in Wheeling History: September 24—Margaret McCluskey Schiffler, pioneering businesswoman and philanthropist, was born in Wheeling (1895).
 
Margaret C. McCluskey Schiffler was born on September 24, 1895, in Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia. Raised in a modest household, she attended St. Joseph’s Academy in Wheeling, where she received a commercial education. Graduating in 1912 at age 17, she was recommended by Sister Annunciata Owens for a clerical position at Centre Foundry, then located near today’s post office. Despite her father’s objections, economic necessity and his subsequent death compelled Margaret to support her mother and herself. She quickly rose through the company ranks, eventually becoming secretary-treasurer—a rare achievement for a woman in early 20th-century America. Her financial acumen enabled her to build a substantial personal fortune and contribute to the foundry’s growth, which relocated to Warwood in 1939.
 
In 1959, Margaret married Andrew C. Schiffler, a Wheeling attorney and former U.S. Congressman. After his death in 1970, she continued their shared philanthropic vision. Upon her death on October 4, 1976, at age 81, she left over $2 million to Wheeling Hospital, aiding its move to Medical Park. She also donated to the Roman Catholic Diocese for priestly education and honored Sister Owens with a bequest to the Sisters of St. Joseph. Margaret is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Wheeling.
 
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Hall of Fame profile (https://tinyurl.com/4rprsz9h), Find a Grave memorial page (https://tinyurl.com/yk85z6z2)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV, Find a Grave, Google Maps

​Today in Wheeling History: September 23—Capitol Theatre officially reopened after extensive renovations, restoring its role as Wheeling’s cultural centerpiece (2009).
 
The Capitol Theatre, located at 1015 Main Street in downtown Wheeling, West Virginia, is the largest theatre in the state and a cultural cornerstone of the Ohio Valley. Designed by Wheeling architect Charles W. Bates and constructed by contractor Ralph Kitchen, the theatre opened on November 29, 1928, with four performances and tickets priced at sixty cents. Built at a cost of over $1 million, the Beaux-Arts style building featured 3,000 seats, a $50,000 Marr & Colton organ, and ornate plasterwork. Originally intended to support an eight-story hotel above, the foundation was reinforced with steel from J.E. Moss Iron Works, though the hotel was never built.
 
The Capitol quickly became a hub for entertainment, hosting movies, stage shows, and concerts. In 1933, WWVA radio launched its Jamboree program at the theatre, which evolved into Jamboree USA—America’s second-longest running country music broadcast. The venue welcomed legends like Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn. After closing in 2007 due to safety violations, the theatre underwent major renovations. On September 23, 2009, it triumphantly reopened with a performance by country star Brad Paisley, marking a new era for the historic venue. Today, it hosts the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and touring acts, preserving nearly a century of artistic legacy.
 
To learn more: Capitol Theatre official history page (https://tinyurl.com/mrkv4695), Historic Wheeling’s Capitol Theatre profile (https://tinyurl.com/4nykm8m4), Capitol Theatre concert archive (https://tinyurl.com/yc7xm6k5)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wikimedia Commons, The Clio, Weelunk