Today in Wheeling History: February 3--In a historic session at the state capitol in Wheeling, the West Virginia Legislature votes nearly unanimously (17-1) to formally abolish slavery throughout the new state (1865).
The abolishment of slavery in Wheeling and West Virginia represented a complex journey that reflected the city's unique position as a border community between North and South. Though Wheeling was part of Virginia, the largest slave-exporting state in America, its slave population remained relatively small - only 100 slaves were recorded in the 1860 census, representing 0.4% of the population. However, Wheeling played a significant role in the slave trade due to its strategic location at the intersection of the National Road and Ohio River, serving as a major transit point for enslaved people being moved south. The Second Ward Market House at 10th and Market Streets contained a slave auction block where human beings were bought and sold. The site also became associated with resistance, as some enslaved people escaped across the Ohio River to freedom with help from abolitionists and free blacks. During the Civil War, Wheeling became the birthplace of West Virginia when the northwestern counties broke away from Confederate Virginia in 1863. Though the new state initially allowed slavery to continue in limited form through the Willey Amendment, on February 3, 1865, the West Virginia Legislature passed a bill declaring "All persons held to service or labor as slaves in this State are hereby declared free." The measure passed nearly unanimously - 17-1 in the Senate - marking a decisive shift toward freedom.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/45vya4ev); Archiving Wheeling (https://tinyurl.com/3ccevety), Wheeling Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register (https://tinyurl.com/ybcmek3j), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/v9zx8bxz), West Virginia University (https://tinyurl.com/y57fuaer), expatalachians.com (https://tinyurl.com/d3yxc6a8), Wheeling National Heritage Area (https://tinyurl.com/555wjxdn), Historical Marker Database (https://tinyurl.com/kn8nzmjn), Weelunk (https://tinyurl.com/5ystdb79), West Virginia Archives & History (https://tinyurl.com/39tsuvkc) (https://tinyurl.com/3yzw49e4)
Photo credits: Weelunk, Wikimedia Commons, Devry Becker Jones via Creative Commons
The abolishment of slavery in Wheeling and West Virginia represented a complex journey that reflected the city's unique position as a border community between North and South. Though Wheeling was part of Virginia, the largest slave-exporting state in America, its slave population remained relatively small - only 100 slaves were recorded in the 1860 census, representing 0.4% of the population. However, Wheeling played a significant role in the slave trade due to its strategic location at the intersection of the National Road and Ohio River, serving as a major transit point for enslaved people being moved south. The Second Ward Market House at 10th and Market Streets contained a slave auction block where human beings were bought and sold. The site also became associated with resistance, as some enslaved people escaped across the Ohio River to freedom with help from abolitionists and free blacks. During the Civil War, Wheeling became the birthplace of West Virginia when the northwestern counties broke away from Confederate Virginia in 1863. Though the new state initially allowed slavery to continue in limited form through the Willey Amendment, on February 3, 1865, the West Virginia Legislature passed a bill declaring "All persons held to service or labor as slaves in this State are hereby declared free." The measure passed nearly unanimously - 17-1 in the Senate - marking a decisive shift toward freedom.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/45vya4ev); Archiving Wheeling (https://tinyurl.com/3ccevety), Wheeling Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register (https://tinyurl.com/ybcmek3j), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/v9zx8bxz), West Virginia University (https://tinyurl.com/y57fuaer), expatalachians.com (https://tinyurl.com/d3yxc6a8), Wheeling National Heritage Area (https://tinyurl.com/555wjxdn), Historical Marker Database (https://tinyurl.com/kn8nzmjn), Weelunk (https://tinyurl.com/5ystdb79), West Virginia Archives & History (https://tinyurl.com/39tsuvkc) (https://tinyurl.com/3yzw49e4)
Photo credits: Weelunk, Wikimedia Commons, Devry Becker Jones via Creative Commons
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