Today in Wheeling History: June 27--The cornerstone is laid for the new Children's Home of Wheeling on Hamilton Avenue in Woodsdale (1901).
On June 27, 1901, the cornerstone was laid for the new Children's Home of Wheeling at Woodsdale with impressive ceremonies attended by community leaders, civic organizations, and supporters. The Children's Home, founded in 1870 by the Young Men's Christian Association under the leadership of Rev. S. B. Barnitz, had been operating from a building at Thirteenth and Jacob Streets since 1872.
The ceremony featured speeches by prominent Wheeling figures including Attorney Henry M. Russell, Rev. S. T. Westhafer of Fourth Street M.E. Church, and Prosecuting Attorney F. W. Nesbitt. President W. B. Simpson presided over the event, with music provided by the Opera House band and performances by the children of the home. The cornerstone contained a lead box with historical documents, newspapers, reports from various institutions, and items commemorating the occasion.
The new building, designed by architects Giesey & Faris and constructed by W. A. Wilson & Sons, cost $42,500 total including the land. The building was completed and occupied on April 28, 1902. For nearly nine decades, the home served both boys and girls until 1989, when it shifted focus exclusively to adolescent males. Today, the Children's Home operates as a licensed behavioral health center providing residential treatment for West Virginia's troubled youth. In 2023, it expanded its mission by opening the Orchard Park Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Hospital, a 30-bed facility addressing the region's critical need for acute psychiatric care for children ages 5-17.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/y5nwf3ht); Children’s Home of Wheeling official website (https://tinyurl.com/4234d8sy), Historic Wheeling: Hamilton Avenue (https://tinyurl.com/yx82ym6h), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/48yyt2jd) (https://tinyurl.com/4ytva2jj) (https://tinyurl.com/5f95dyr6), Wheeling Daily Register (https://tinyurl.com/3vbwd7zv) (https://tinyurl.com/ms52dyca)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV
On June 27, 1901, the cornerstone was laid for the new Children's Home of Wheeling at Woodsdale with impressive ceremonies attended by community leaders, civic organizations, and supporters. The Children's Home, founded in 1870 by the Young Men's Christian Association under the leadership of Rev. S. B. Barnitz, had been operating from a building at Thirteenth and Jacob Streets since 1872.
The ceremony featured speeches by prominent Wheeling figures including Attorney Henry M. Russell, Rev. S. T. Westhafer of Fourth Street M.E. Church, and Prosecuting Attorney F. W. Nesbitt. President W. B. Simpson presided over the event, with music provided by the Opera House band and performances by the children of the home. The cornerstone contained a lead box with historical documents, newspapers, reports from various institutions, and items commemorating the occasion.
The new building, designed by architects Giesey & Faris and constructed by W. A. Wilson & Sons, cost $42,500 total including the land. The building was completed and occupied on April 28, 1902. For nearly nine decades, the home served both boys and girls until 1989, when it shifted focus exclusively to adolescent males. Today, the Children's Home operates as a licensed behavioral health center providing residential treatment for West Virginia's troubled youth. In 2023, it expanded its mission by opening the Orchard Park Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Hospital, a 30-bed facility addressing the region's critical need for acute psychiatric care for children ages 5-17.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/y5nwf3ht); Children’s Home of Wheeling official website (https://tinyurl.com/4234d8sy), Historic Wheeling: Hamilton Avenue (https://tinyurl.com/yx82ym6h), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/48yyt2jd) (https://tinyurl.com/4ytva2jj) (https://tinyurl.com/5f95dyr6), Wheeling Daily Register (https://tinyurl.com/3vbwd7zv) (https://tinyurl.com/ms52dyca)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV
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