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
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
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