Today in Wheeling History: November 11—News of the Armistice ending World War I reached Wheeling, sparking jubilant celebrations across the city as citizens poured into the streets to mark the end of the "War to End All Wars" (1918).
At 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, the armistice ending World War I took effect, bringing an end to the Great War that had raged in Europe for over four years. When news reached Wheeling at 3:50 a.m., the city erupted in spontaneous celebration that lasted all day and into the night. Within thirty seconds of receiving the Associated Press flash, Officer Edward Gohring fired five celebratory shots from his revolver, joined quickly by other officers. Policemen fired their guns into the air, firehouses rang their bells, factories all along the Ohio River blew their steam whistles, and 20,000 joyous people jammed the streets of downtown Wheeling. The Creek Mill plant of the Wheeling Corrugating Works was the first to sound its whistle, soon joined by factories in Martins Ferry, Bridgeport, Warwood, Benwood, McMechen, and Moundsville, creating a deafening chorus. Streets filled with automobiles and trucks laden with cheering citizens parading down Market and Main Streets. Confetti covered the pavements like snow, and businesses closed as the entire city celebrated. More than 3,000 Ohio County residents had served in the war, with between 70 and 100 killed. Most Wheeling soldiers served in the Army's 80th Division and trained at Camp Lee, Virginia. The Wheeling Intelligencer estimated 20,000 people filled the streets during what residents remembered as the greatest day in Wheeling's history.
To learn more: Archiving Wheeling – WWI Memorials (https://tinyurl.com/mrxwprv3), WV News – Armistice Day History (https://tinyurl.com/4uw4a5s5), Wikipedia – Armistice Day (https://tinyurl.com/2e6syk2p), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/bdewt664), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/mry5jztt) (https://tinyurl.com/8mvz2uvb), Wheeling News-Register (https://tinyurl.com/pa4wc7zk) (https://tinyurl.com/m3a952rf), Wheeling Daily Register (https://tinyurl.com/2s4vsjwv)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wheeling News-Register, Wheeling Daily Register, Wheeling Intelligencer, Wikimedia Commons
At 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, the armistice ending World War I took effect, bringing an end to the Great War that had raged in Europe for over four years. When news reached Wheeling at 3:50 a.m., the city erupted in spontaneous celebration that lasted all day and into the night. Within thirty seconds of receiving the Associated Press flash, Officer Edward Gohring fired five celebratory shots from his revolver, joined quickly by other officers. Policemen fired their guns into the air, firehouses rang their bells, factories all along the Ohio River blew their steam whistles, and 20,000 joyous people jammed the streets of downtown Wheeling. The Creek Mill plant of the Wheeling Corrugating Works was the first to sound its whistle, soon joined by factories in Martins Ferry, Bridgeport, Warwood, Benwood, McMechen, and Moundsville, creating a deafening chorus. Streets filled with automobiles and trucks laden with cheering citizens parading down Market and Main Streets. Confetti covered the pavements like snow, and businesses closed as the entire city celebrated. More than 3,000 Ohio County residents had served in the war, with between 70 and 100 killed. Most Wheeling soldiers served in the Army's 80th Division and trained at Camp Lee, Virginia. The Wheeling Intelligencer estimated 20,000 people filled the streets during what residents remembered as the greatest day in Wheeling's history.
To learn more: Archiving Wheeling – WWI Memorials (https://tinyurl.com/mrxwprv3), WV News – Armistice Day History (https://tinyurl.com/4uw4a5s5), Wikipedia – Armistice Day (https://tinyurl.com/2e6syk2p), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/bdewt664), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/mry5jztt) (https://tinyurl.com/8mvz2uvb), Wheeling News-Register (https://tinyurl.com/pa4wc7zk) (https://tinyurl.com/m3a952rf), Wheeling Daily Register (https://tinyurl.com/2s4vsjwv)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wheeling News-Register, Wheeling Daily Register, Wheeling Intelligencer, Wikimedia Commons
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