Today in Wheeling History: December 1--Ellis R. Dungan, internationally acclaimed filmmaker who founded Ellis Dungan Productions in Wheeling, passed away (2001).
 
Ellis R. Dungan was born on May 11, 1906, in Barton, Ohio. He attended St. Clairsville High School, where he played football, was involved in music, and served as president of the Student Council and editor-in-chief of the school yearbook. After high school, Dungan studied at Long Beach State University, the American Library in Paris, and the University of Southern California, where he earned his undergraduate degree in cinematography.
 
In 1935, Dungan traveled to India to direct films. He spent 15 years there, directing 17 films in multiple languages and producing newsreels and training films for the British Indian government during WWII. In 1992, India welcomed Dungan back, honoring him as a “living legend and creative genius” in their film industry.
 
In 1960, Dungan founded his own production company, Ellis Dungan Productions, with offices in Wheeling, WV and Pittsburgh, PA. For Wheeling, he co-produced "Wheeling 1959 -- Wheels to Progress" in 1995. He lived on Brentwood Avenue in Wheeling.
 
In 1994, Dungan was inducted into the Wheeling Hall of Fame in the Music and Fine Arts category.
 
Dungan passed away on December 1, 2001, at age 95 in Wheeling. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Wheeling.
 
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/4s3av2tb) (https://tinyurl.com/2p9rd3a2) (https://tinyurl.com/bdhdnb6c) (https://tinyurl.com/mrdby6zk) (https://tinyurl.com/4kws4mf3)
 
Photo Credits: Wheeling Hall of Fame, Find a Grave; Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling WV

Today in Wheeling History: November 30--A portion of Ohio County was set aside to create Brooke County, named for Robert Brooke, who served as the governor of Virginia from 1794 to 1796 (1797).

Today in Wheeling History: November 30--Wheeling's original Washington Hall was destroyed by fire (1875).
 
On November 30, 1875, a fire broke out in Washington Hall in Wheeling, West Virginia while the state legislature was holding session there. The fire started small but grew out of control due to issues with lack of water and problems with the fire hoses and steam engines attempting to put it out. Three men were trapped on the third floor and had to be dramatically rescued, with one later dying from his injuries. The building was completely destroyed, leaving only bare walls by the afternoon. There was discussion later about potentially rebuilding. The state legislature was temporarily relocated but resumed sessions quickly thanks to arrangements made by the Capitol Committee to set up temporary quarters in the courthouse and a hotel.
 
Washington Hall in Wheeling, West Virginia was originally built in 1851 in the Gothic Revival style and played a role in West Virginia's statehood, hosting the first Wheeling Convention in 1861. The original structure was destroyed in a fire in 1875. A second Washington Hall with an opera house was built on the site in 1877 in a Victorian Gothic style. After being purchased by a bank in 1898, the building underwent a major redesign by architect Frederick Faris in 1911 into a Classical style which incorporated the original corner entrance. The 1911 structure still stands today under the name Laconia Building.
 
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/25dkf8p7) (https://tinyurl.com/bdh3vdxn) (https://tinyurl.com/bdpeykdc) (https://tinyurl.com/muwp79bj)
 
Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV

Today in Wheeling History: November 29--Ohio County residents William Sutherland, John Moore, Robert Stephenson, John McCormick, and William McKinley are pardoned by Virginia Governor Henry Lee for participation in the Whiskey Rebellion (1794).
 
The Whiskey Rebellion was a 1794 uprising of farmers and distillers in western Pennsylvania in protest of a whiskey tax enacted by the federal government. Following years of aggression with tax collectors, the region finally exploded in a confrontation that resulted in President Washington sending in troops to quell what some feared could become a full-blown revolution. Opposition to the whiskey tax and the rebellion itself built support for the Republicans, who overtook Washington’s Federalist Party for power in 1802. The Whiskey Rebellion is considered one of the first major tests of the authority of the newly formed U.S. government. (https://tinyurl.com/5dmzsabu) (https://tinyurl.com/36jrrzaz) (https://tinyurl.com/3ydkmxsw) 

​Today in Wheeling History: November 29--West Liberty, Ohio County, was incorporated (1787). West Liberty served as the county seat of Ohio County until it was moved to Wheeling in 1797.

Today in Wheeling History: November 29--Wheeling began to dig out from the blizzard caused by the Great Appalachian Storm, also known as the "Storm of the Century" (1950).
The massive extratropical cyclone that battered the Eastern U.S. in late November 1950 became known as the “Great Appalachian Storm." Bringing blizzards, floods, extreme winds and cold, it caused 383 deaths and $60 million in damage. The Ohio Valley endured some of the worst impacts with up to 36 inches of snow around Wheeling. Numerous plants and businesses in Wheeling, Ohio County and the Upper Ohio Valley closed due to transportation disruptions. Dairy and grocery supplies ran low while schools remained shuttered for days. As the region focused on clearing roads, restoring utilities and gradually resuming operations, the early-season storm disrupted life throughout the Ohio Valley. While Wheeling struggled through near-record snows, the "Appalachian Storm" remains one of the worst natural disasters ever for the Upper Ohio Valley.
 
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/2p98v4fd0) (https://tinyurl.com/mrxdyjz6) (https://tinyurl.com/msbwbt6y) (https://tinyurl.com/c8zbp3kr)
 
Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV

Today in Wheeling History: November 28--Charles W. Bates, prominent Wheeling architect who designed many iconic buildings, passed away (1931)
 
Charles Winning Bates (1879-1931) was a prominent Wheeling, West Virginia architect. Born in Wheeling, he attended Linsly Military Institute before studying engineering and design at Chicago's Armour Institute of Technology and Art Institute. Bates practiced architecture in Chicago and Pittsburgh before returning to Wheeling in 1909. Known for fireproof reinforced concrete designs, Bates' Neoclassical buildings include Wheeling's Capitol Theatre, Hazel-Atlas Glass Building, Wheeling Public Library, Windsor Hotel, and more. On November 28, 1931, at age 51, Bates suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Rushed towards the Cleveland Clinic, he died en route in the ambulance. Bates left an architectural legacy on the Wheeling skyline before his sudden passing at a young age.
 
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/2s6p4ee9) (https://tinyurl.com/mwabvbyd) (https://tinyurl.com/mwabvbyd) (https://tinyurl.com/yeypfxnt)
 
Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV

​Today in Wheeling History: November 28—Under a proclamation issued by Francis Pierpont, Governor of the Restored Government of Virginia, seated in Wheeling, citizens observed a day of Thanksgiving, a local observance that predated the national tradition proclaimed on October 3, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln that the fourth Thursday of every November would be the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday (1861).
 
Governor Francis Pierpont issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation in Virginia or West Virginia in 1861, despite the Civil War raging. He designated November 28th as a day of gratitude and prayer. Pierpont acknowledged God's providence in blessings like agriculture amidst the conflict's grief. The proclamation preceded national Thanksgiving holidays started in 1863. Though simple, Pierpont's Thanksgiving aimed to inspire optimism and unity during grim times, boosting morale as West Virginia moved towards statehood. The occasion was a forerunner to modern Thanksgiving traditions.
 
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/45chbyaa) (https://tinyurl.com/472pddzy)
 
Photo Credits: Library of Congress

​Today in Wheeling History: November 27--J.J. Young, a railroad photographer and educator from Wheeling, passed away in Charleston, West Virginia (2004).
 
John J. "J.J." Young (1929-2004) was a celebrated railroad photographer who documented trains in and around Wheeling, West Virginia from the 1930s through the 1950s. Born at 977 McColloch Street in Wheeling's Goosetown neighborhood, he grew up surrounded by trains near the Tunnel Green viaduct. Young began photographing Wheeling's trains at age 5 and captured the last days of steam locomotives before their demise. Though later teaching photography in New York, Young returned often to Wheeling. His images preserve pivotal railroad history in Wheeling, including the people, places, and trains that made the city an industrial hub. Young received recognition as a West Virginia state hero for his prolific visual chronicle of his hometown's railroads.
 
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/mrxfsh7m) (https://tinyurl.com/hm6hpt7n) (https://tinyurl.com/ywwmckt6)
 
Photo Credits: West Virginia Northern Community College, Wheeling WV; Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling, WV

Today in Wheeling History: November 26—Washington Hall, a multi-purpose public building constructed by the Washington Hall Association to house retail shops, events, concerts and exhibitions, and which later served as the birthplace of West Virginia statehood, opens (1853).

Washington Hall in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) opened on November 26, 1853, at the Northeast Corner of 12th and Market, with a concert by Mr. Turner attended by a large crowd. The building was constructed by the Washington Hall Association, incorporated in 1850, with the intent to use the first floor for retail shops, the second floor for public events like lectures, concerts and exhibitions, and the third floor for other unspecified purposes. The original Washington Hall building, designed in a Gothic Revival style, was destroyed in a fire in 1875. A second Washington Hall with a Grand Opera House was then constructed in 1877 in a High Victorian Gothic style. After being purchased by a bank in 1898, the building underwent a major redesign by architect Frederick Faris in 1911 into a Classical style structure that still stands today as the Laconia Building. Most famously, Washington Hall was the site of the First Wheeling Convention from May 13-15, 1861, a key event leading to West Virginia statehood during the American Civil War.
 
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/2wy2tnz5) (https://tinyurl.com/muwp79bj) (https://tinyurl.com/5ccmkucf)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV