Today in Wheeling History: December 25--In a testament to civic spirit, a group of Wheeling residents purchased the 102-acre former Wheeling Public Service Company tract and presented it to the city as Wheeling Park (1924).
Wheeling Park originated as part of an estate owned by English immigrant Thomas Hornbrook in the late 1800s. It opened to visitors and became known as "Hornbrook's Park." In the 1880s, Reymann Brewing Company acquired the property and developed it into an amusement park modeled after German beer gardens, featuring arcades, rides, a swimming pool, and a casino entertainment venue. After closing around 1918 due to Prohibition and economic factors, the park was purchased in 1924 by Charles Sonneborn and Louis Haller, who offered to sell it to the city to preserve it as a public park. Enough funds were pledged by Christmas Eve 1924, including major donations by prominent businessmen W.E. Stone and Earl Oglebay, for the city to acquire the 102 acres. The Wheeling Park Commission formed in January 1925 to manage the park. On its May 30, 1925, opening day, over 10,000 people attended. New amenities like a golf course and White Palace pavilion were added in 1926 after a fire destroyed the former casino building. Other additions over the decades included statues, gardens, a 1937 swimming pool, ice rink in 1959, Stone Memorial Pool complex in 1968, and hilltop sports facilities in the 1970s-1980s. Today the 406-acre Wheeling Park continues operating as a popular year-round public recreation area.
To learn more: (http://tinyurl.com/326352jh) (http://tinyurl.com/mrybpm2m) (http://tinyurl.com/2w693j5v) (http://tinyurl.com/2z4wks7w) (http://tinyurl.com/yck8x427) (http://tinyurl.com/2vmmysp4)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; City of Wheeling, Weelunk, theclio.com, Oglebay.com
Wheeling Park originated as part of an estate owned by English immigrant Thomas Hornbrook in the late 1800s. It opened to visitors and became known as "Hornbrook's Park." In the 1880s, Reymann Brewing Company acquired the property and developed it into an amusement park modeled after German beer gardens, featuring arcades, rides, a swimming pool, and a casino entertainment venue. After closing around 1918 due to Prohibition and economic factors, the park was purchased in 1924 by Charles Sonneborn and Louis Haller, who offered to sell it to the city to preserve it as a public park. Enough funds were pledged by Christmas Eve 1924, including major donations by prominent businessmen W.E. Stone and Earl Oglebay, for the city to acquire the 102 acres. The Wheeling Park Commission formed in January 1925 to manage the park. On its May 30, 1925, opening day, over 10,000 people attended. New amenities like a golf course and White Palace pavilion were added in 1926 after a fire destroyed the former casino building. Other additions over the decades included statues, gardens, a 1937 swimming pool, ice rink in 1959, Stone Memorial Pool complex in 1968, and hilltop sports facilities in the 1970s-1980s. Today the 406-acre Wheeling Park continues operating as a popular year-round public recreation area.
To learn more: (http://tinyurl.com/326352jh) (http://tinyurl.com/mrybpm2m) (http://tinyurl.com/2w693j5v) (http://tinyurl.com/2z4wks7w) (http://tinyurl.com/yck8x427) (http://tinyurl.com/2vmmysp4)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; City of Wheeling, Weelunk, theclio.com, Oglebay.com
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