Today in Wheeling History: December 1 — The B&O discontinued the Chicago Night Express, also known as the West Virginia Night Express and the Wheeling Night Express, ending Wheeling’s direct overnight rail link to Chicago (1956).
 
The Chicago Night Express, later renamed the West Virginia Night Express and often referred to locally as the Wheeling Night Express, was a premier passenger train operated by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O). Beginning service on June 24, 1912, the train provided overnight travel between Wheeling, West Virginia, and Chicago, Illinois, reflecting Wheeling’s importance as a regional rail hub. Departing from Wheeling’s B&O Passenger Station, the train followed a streamlined route through Zanesville, Newark, Mansfield, and Willard, Ohio, before crossing into Indiana with a stop at Gary’s B&O station, and finally arriving at Chicago’s Grand Central Terminal.
 
Equipped with Pullman sleeping cars, coaches, and dining service, the Wheeling Night Express offered comfort and efficiency for business travelers, families, and tourists. For Wheeling residents, the train symbolized direct access to Chicago’s industrial and cultural opportunities, strengthening ties between the Ohio Valley and the Midwest. The service was especially valued by Wheeling’s business community, who relied on overnight rail connections for commerce and industry.
 
By the mid-20th century, however, passenger rail faced steep decline due to the rise of automobiles and commercial aviation. On December 1, 1956, the B&O discontinued the Wheeling Night Express, marking the end of Wheeling’s direct overnight rail service to Chicago. Its legacy endures as part of Wheeling’s rich railroad heritage, remembered for linking the city to one of America’s great urban centers.
 
To learn more: Chicago Night Express - Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/scmejn37), West Virginia Night Express – Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/y6j9zcwn), Trains and Railroads – West Virginia Night Express (https://tinyurl.com/dtjppcma), Ohio County Public Library – B&O Railroad in Wheeling (https://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/history/baltimore-and-ohio-railroad-in-wheeling/5273), WV Explorer – B&O Railroad completed to Wheeling (https://tinyurl.com/3z5rmpv2), YouTube – History of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (https://tinyurl.com/57vcjwan)
  
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wikimedia Commons

​Today in Wheeling History: November 30—Wheeling native J. William Grimes was inducted into the Wheeling Hall of Fame in recognition of his leadership at ESPN and contributions to national sports broadcasting (2008).
 
J. William Grimes was born and raised in Wheeling, West Virginia, where his early education and community ties shaped his career trajectory. After graduating from Wheeling Central Catholic High School, he pursued higher education at Wheeling Jesuit University before entering the media industry. Grimes began his professional career at CBS, Inc., working from 1968 to 1981 in various executive roles. In 1981, he joined ESPN, then a struggling five-year-old cable sports network. By 1982, Grimes was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, a position he held until 1988. 
 
Under his leadership, ESPN shifted from financial losses to profitability. Grimes pioneered the model of charging cable companies to carry ESPN, reversing the network’s fortunes. He also secured landmark broadcast deals with the NFL, NHL, and Major League Baseball, introducing Sunday Night Football and expanding ESPN’s reach into millions of homes. His vision helped establish ESPN as the premier sports broadcaster, setting the stage for its global dominance. After leaving ESPN, Grimes continued to serve in executive roles across the media industry, including at Multimedia, Inc. and other ventures. His contributions earned him induction into the Wheeling Hall of Fame in 2008, recognized in the category of Sports and Athletics for bringing national distinction to his hometown through his achievements in broadcasting.
 
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library – Wheeling Hall of Fame: J. William Grimes (https://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/document_center_uploads/zk_Grimes-Wheeling_HOF-2008.pdf), City of Wheeling Hall of Fame Induction Records (https://tinyurl.com/mryupupx), Prabook – J. William Grimes Biography (https://tinyurl.com/4kwaysuz)
 
Photo caption and credit: J. William Grimes (City of Wheeling)
 

​Today in Wheeling History: November 29--The Capitol Theatre, designed by architect Charles W. Bates, opened on Main Street with four Thanksgiving Day performances, becoming West Virginia’s largest theatre (1928).
 
Wheeling’s Capitol Theatre—formerly Capitol Music Hall—opened on Thanksgiving Day, November 29, 1928, with four stage-and-screen performances beneath a copper marquee and neon sign. Designed by Wheeling architect Charles W. Bates, the million‑dollar Beaux‑Arts venue boasted nearly 3,000 seats and a $50,000 Marr & Colton organ, establishing it as West Virginia’s largest theatre and a civic showplace at 1015 Main Street. Built with structural capacity for an eight‑story hotel that was never added, its interior featured mulberry and green tones, silken wall panels, dual balconies, and multiple projection systems bridging silent and sound film eras. The Capitol became home to Jamboree USA—WWVA’s live country music broadcast—and the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, cementing its regional cultural role for decades. After closure in May 2007, a local coalition led by the Wheeling Convention & Visitors Bureau, Wheeling Heritage, and the city’s sports and entertainment authority purchased and restored the theatre, reopening it in 2009 as a downtown anchor and economic catalyst. Recent renovations, including a modern fly system, plaster and safety upgrades, have expanded production capacity and improved patron experience, positioning the Capitol for larger touring shows while sustaining community access and heritage programming.
 
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/history/capitol-theatre-%7C-capitol-music-hall/5466), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/2hf75max), Weelunk (https://tinyurl.com/49hd6adr), Wheeling Heritage (https://tinyurl.com/4dwhshaw), Capitol Theatre Wheeling (https://tinyurl.com/23ekshvk), Cinema Treasures (https://tinyurl.com/4v6v4fd5), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/4xy9yczd), WTRF-TV (https://tinyurl.com/yw4t7ccc), How Wheeling Saved the Capitol Theatre - YouTube (https://tinyurl.com/ytmxzyuc)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wikimedia Commons, Weelunk, Library of Congress

​Today in Wheeling History: November 28 — Robert E. L. Strider, Wheeling native and 17th president of Colby College in Maine, died in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, at age 93 (2010).
 
Robert Edward Lee Strider II (1917–2010) was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, on April 8, 1917. His father, the Rev. Robert E. L. Strider, later became the third Episcopal bishop of West Virginia, while his mother, Mary Holroyd Strider, died shortly after his birth. Strider grew up in Wheeling and graduated as valedictorian from the Linsly Military Institute. He later studied at Episcopal High School in Virginia before enrolling at Harvard University, where he graduated cum laude in 1939.
 
At the onset of World War II, Strider entered the U.S. Navy, serving first as an ensign and later as a lieutenant in communications, stationed in Washington, D.C. After the war, he returned to Harvard to complete his PhD in English literature and began teaching.
 
In 1960, Strider was appointed the 17th president of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Over nearly two decades, he guided the institution through dramatic growth, tripling its endowment, expanding academic programs, and doubling investment in campus facilities. He retired in 1979. In recognition of his national prominence as a scholar of literature and his transformative leadership at Colby, Strider was inducted into the Wheeling Hall of Fame in 1982 in the category of Education and Religion. His induction was unique, as he entered alongside his father, making them one of the few father-son pairs honored together. Strider died on November 28, 2010, in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, at age 93.
 
To learn more: Robert E. L. Strider – Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/3bu34kfm), Wheeling Hall of Fame – Ohio County Public Library (https://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/history/-wheeling-hall-of-fame-robert-e.-lee-strider-ii/4154), Find a Grave – Robert E. L. Strider II (https://tinyurl.com/5n84bdyj)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wikimedia Commons, Find a Grave

​Today in Wheeling History: November 27 — Sarah Suzanne “Sally” Carroll, future seven-time West Virginia Women’s Amateur golf champion, was born in Wheeling (1926). 
 
Sarah Suzanne “Sally” Carroll (1926–2012) was one of Wheeling’s most accomplished athletes and a trailblazer in women’s golf. Born on November 27, 1926, in Wheeling to Dr. Frank N. and Mary E. Carroll, she grew up as the youngest of four sisters and attended parochial schools in Ohio County. Carroll graduated from St. Joseph Academy and later earned a degree in history and sociology from Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Introduced to golf at age ten at the Wheeling Country Club, she quickly became a standout, winning numerous club championships. 
 
Her competitive career was remarkable: Carroll captured the West Virginia Women’s Amateur Championship seven times and finished runner-up six times. She also won the West Virginia Senior Women’s Amateur in 1977, 1986, and 1987. On the national stage, she twice finished as the second-lowest amateur in the U.S. Women’s Open and reached the fourth round of the Women’s British Amateur in 1964. Beyond her playing career, Carroll served as national chairwoman of girls’ golf for ten years, influencing the growth of the sport for young women across the country. 
 
Carroll was inducted into both the Wheeling Hall of Fame (1994) and the West Virginia Golf Association Hall of Fame (2015). She died on June 3, 2012, at age 85 in Wheeling and was buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery. Her legacy endures as one of West Virginia’s greatest female athletes. 
 
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://shorturl.at/B9fmk); West Virginia Golf Association – Sally Carroll (https://tinyurl.com/5esnwrtd), Find a Grave – Sarah Suzanne “Sally” Carroll (https://tinyurl.com/2dv44kcj), Wheeling Hall of Fame Induction 1994 (City of Wheeling PDF) (https://tinyurl.com/mr6fsk8p), The Intelligencer – WVGA Hall of Fame Announcement (https://tinyurl.com/545jp9ks)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Find a Grave, West Virginia Golf Association, Google Maps

​Today in Wheeling History: December 2 — Army Air Corps Second Lieutenant William Edward Neuman of Warwood, age 21, was killed in action when his B-24 bomber was shot down over Germany during World War II (1944).
 
Second Lieutenant William Edward Neuman was born on April 25, 1923, in Wheeling, West Virginia, and grew up in the city’s Catholic community. He attended Wheeling Central Catholic High School, where he was remembered as a bright and dedicated student. Following America’s entry into World War II, Neuman enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces, training as a bombardier. His assignment placed him with the 447th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, operating B-24 Liberator heavy bombers from bases in England. 
 
On December 2, 1944, Neuman was serving aboard B-24 #42-51207 during a mission over Germany. The aircraft was shot down, and Neuman was killed in action at the age of 21. His sacrifice placed him among the many young men from Wheeling who gave their lives during the war. His death was commemorated with solemn requiem services at St. Joseph’s Cathedral and his name was inscribed on the memorial board honoring Central Catholic alumni killed in World War II. 
 
Neuman was returned home and buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, where his grave remains a site of remembrance. His story reflects both Wheeling’s deep wartime contributions and the tragic loss of promising young lives. Today, Neuman is honored as part of Wheeling’s enduring legacy of service and sacrifice. 
 
To learn more: Find a Grave – William E. Neuman (https://tinyurl.com/ydc75pfh), Honor States – William E. Neuman (https://tinyurl.com/7774jyn3), Archiving Wheeling – Central Catholic WWII Memorial (https://tinyurl.com/2ut9p5n3), American Air Museum – William E. Neuman (https://tinyurl.com/yck4dtsf)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV, Find a Grave, Archdiocese of Wheeling Charleston

​Today in Wheeling History: November 26—Archibald Woods Paull, industrialist and president of Nail City Lantern Company, was born in Wheeling (1845). 
 
Archibald Woods Paull (1845–1898) emerged as a key figure in Wheeling’s late 19th-century manufacturing boom. The son of Judge James Paull, he was born in Wheeling on November 26, 1845, and educated locally at the Linsly Institute and Professor Wilson Harding’s select school. He continued his studies at Washington College in Washington, Pennsylvania from 1861 to 1865; surviving lecture notes place him in Wheeling’s educated mercantile class at the Civil War’s end. In 1877, Paull founded the Nail City Lantern Company on Water Street, producing double-globe lanterns in a four-story brick factory downtown; the firm later expanded into glass products and stamped goods, reflecting Wheeling’s diversification beyond iron and nail production. He served as company president, and in 1897 his son, Archibald W. Paull II, took over and rebranded the enterprise as Wheeling Stamping Company, shifting toward kerosene lanterns and lamp burners—an evolution that kept the firm aligned with changing technologies and markets. Paull married Caroline Brant Ott in Wheeling on October 15, 1868, and the couple’s family connections linked them to multiple generations of Paulls in local business, law, and civic leadership. He died in Wheeling on December 2, 1898, and was laid to rest in Greenwood Cemetery, where the Paull family plot and the nearby Woods mausoleum stand as enduring reminders of the family’s long-standing prominence in the city’s history.
 
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling WV (https://shorturl.at/M0k1f) (https://shorturl.at/W74kz) (https://shorturl.at/Hwr8C), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/yc6vdx26), WVU Library (https://tinyurl.com/yu72hjyz), The Clio (https://tinyurl.com/bdf7ykny), Wheeling Intelligencer  (https://tinyurl.com/3zvca6fh), Wikitree (https://tinyurl.com/4t34ev9v), GreeneScene Community Magazine (https://tinyurl.com/397pmrtv)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Find a Grave, Reddit

​Today in Wheeling History: November 24--La Belle Iron Works was added to the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its significance as a rare surviving example of 19th-century industrial technology and Wheeling's dominance of the American cut nail industry (1997).
 
La Belle Iron Works was founded in 1852 by Bailey, Woodward and Company, a partnership of 22 ironworkers and nailers who left Pittsburgh after a devastating fire destroyed the Schoenberger Iron mills. The four-acre site at 31st and Wood Streets was strategically chosen for its proximity to the Ohio River and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Named after the French term for the Ohio River, "La Belle Riviere" (beautiful river), the company started with 25 nail-making machines and employed innovative cost accounting methods that revolutionized the industry.
 
By 1875, La Belle became the largest nail-producing company in America, employing 900 workers and operating 167 cut nail machines. Wheeling earned the nickname "Nail City" as its production represented nearly one-quarter of national output. The company survived the devastating Great Nail Strike of 1885-1886, though wire nails subsequently dominated the market. La Belle's original 1852 brick Italianate buildings and 1860s nail machinery continued operating into the 21st century, making it a unique preservation of 19th-century industrial technology. After closure in 2010, equipment was auctioned in 2015, with some machines saved by museums, including one for West Virginia Independence Hall. Wheeling Heritage purchased the factory's paper records for $5, preserving nearly 100 linear feet of documents. The buildings were demolished in 2017, and Woda Cooper Companies redeveloped the site into LaBelle Greene, a mixed-income housing development.
 
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Wheeling WV (https://shorturl.at/WMtTO) (https://shorturl.at/ccCai) (https://shorturl.at/NSIVG) (https://shorturl.at/4CyqH)
, Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/4cmb2975) (https://tinyurl.com/bddffhnz), Weelunk (https://tinyurl.com/5xbu5544) (https://tinyurl.com/2j9rvyew), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/wjj6u8yj) (https://tinyurl.com/3vyxxkm7), U.S. Department of the Interior National Park (https://tinyurl.com/5yd82n74), e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia Online (https://tinyurl.com/4t47sn9b), Library of Congress (https://tinyurl.com/bdfx2m5p), Archiving Wheeling (https://tinyurl.com/yk64mwps)
 
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling WV; Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons, Google Maps

​Today in Wheeling History: November 22 — Adelbert Rinaldo Buffington, U.S. Army Brigadier General and Chief of Ordnance, was born in Wheeling (1837). 
 
Adelbert Rinaldo Buffington was born on November 22, 1837, in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia). He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1856 and graduated in May 1861, ranking seventh in his class. Immediately assigned to the Ordnance Corps, Buffington trained volunteer soldiers in Washington, D.C., before being posted to the St. Louis Arsenal. In April 1862, he was promoted to Colonel of Volunteers and briefly helped defend Pilot Knob, Missouri. On October 25, 1862, Buffington returned to Wheeling to command the ordnance depot and serve as Chief Ordnance Officer for the District of West Virginia. His career spanned numerous arsenals, including New York, Baton Rouge, and Detroit. He was also tasked with dismantling Confederate ordnance facilities after the Civil War. Buffington was a prolific inventor, developing the depressing carriage for seacoast cannons and later co-inventing the disappearing carriage with William Crozier. These innovations became standard in U.S. coastal defenses from 1890 to 1925. He served as the 10th Chief of Ordnance from 1899 to 1901. Buffington died on July 10, 1922, in Madison, New Jersey, and was buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery. His legacy includes both military service and technological advancement in artillery design.
 
To learn more: Wikipedia biography (https://tinyurl.com/25ct4u24), Disappearing gun (https://tinyurl.com/msanrvrp), U.S. Army Ordnance Corps history (https://tinyurl.com/3ehstuwe), Find a Grave memorial (https://tinyurl.com/2b72v7xb), Harper’s Encyclopedia entry (Perseus) (https://tinyurl.com/5yv6tdr2)
 
Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons, Find a Grave

​Today in Wheeling History: November 20 — Silas Bent, frontier jurist and land surveyor who studied law in Wheeling, died in St. Louis, Missouri (1827).
 
Silas Bent Jr. was born on April 4, 1768, in Rutland, Massachusetts. His father, Silas Bent Sr., was involved with the Ohio Company, which aimed to settle the western frontier. In 1789, young Silas traveled west to scout land and eventually settled in Marietta, Ohio. By the early 1790s, Bent moved to Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), where he studied law under the influential attorney Philip Doddridge. Though Bent found limited prospects in law at the time, his Wheeling experience laid the foundation for his later legal career. He moved to Charleston, Virginia, where he married Martha Kerr in 1798. Bent later relocated to Missouri, where he became a respected land surveyor and served as a judge on the Missouri Supreme Court from 1817 to 1821. He and Martha had eleven children, including Charles Bent, the first territorial governor of New Mexico. Silas Bent died on November 20, 1827, in St. Louis, Missouri, and was buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery. His Wheeling years were formative, connecting him to frontier legal networks and shaping a legacy that extended across the American West.
 
To learn more: Wikipedia – Silas Bent (judge) (https://tinyurl.com/yajft6zh), FamilySearch – Silas Bent (https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/KTHP-QZM/silas-bent-1768-1827) (https://tinyurl.com/362n8fn3), Brooke County WV Genealogy (https://tinyurl.com/bdcs7ram), Find a Grave – Silas Bent (https://tinyurl.com/3nw88fn7)
 
Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons