Today in Wheeling History: April 10--The cornerstone of the Old Court House was laid in downtown Wheeling (1839).
On April 10, 1839, members of Ohio Lodge No. 1 of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons (A.F. & A.M.) gathered to lay the cornerstone of what would become Wheeling's Old Court House. This significant civic structure was built at the southeast corner of 12th and Chapline Streets in downtown Wheeling, then still part of Virginia as West Virginia would not become a state until 1863.
The Old Court House served as the center of government and legal proceedings in Ohio County for over six decades. By 1900, the historic courthouse was razed to make way for the Board of Trade Building, an impressive six-story office and theater complex that cost more than $170,000 to construct.
Designed by local architect Edward Batee Franzheim, the Board of Trade Building included the Court Theatre on its first floor. The theater opened in September 1902 with "Miss Simplicity" and hosted performances by legends like the Barrymores and Harry Houdini before closing in 1982.
In 1996, Wheeling attorney Robert P. Fitzsimmons and business associates purchased the Board of Trade Building and undertook a full rehabilitation. The structure was eventually honored with inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, a historical marker stands at the site, commemorating both the original courthouse and the Board of Trade Building that replaced it, maintaining the location's significance in Wheeling's architectural and cultural heritage.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/2wf3xbz8) (https://tinyurl.com/3zja8nh9) (https://tinyurl.com/2ua66r5y) (https://tinyurl.com/bdezfs2a), The Historical Marker Database (https://tinyurl.com/y5jkw53f)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV, The Historical Marker Database
On April 10, 1839, members of Ohio Lodge No. 1 of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons (A.F. & A.M.) gathered to lay the cornerstone of what would become Wheeling's Old Court House. This significant civic structure was built at the southeast corner of 12th and Chapline Streets in downtown Wheeling, then still part of Virginia as West Virginia would not become a state until 1863.
The Old Court House served as the center of government and legal proceedings in Ohio County for over six decades. By 1900, the historic courthouse was razed to make way for the Board of Trade Building, an impressive six-story office and theater complex that cost more than $170,000 to construct.
Designed by local architect Edward Batee Franzheim, the Board of Trade Building included the Court Theatre on its first floor. The theater opened in September 1902 with "Miss Simplicity" and hosted performances by legends like the Barrymores and Harry Houdini before closing in 1982.
In 1996, Wheeling attorney Robert P. Fitzsimmons and business associates purchased the Board of Trade Building and undertook a full rehabilitation. The structure was eventually honored with inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, a historical marker stands at the site, commemorating both the original courthouse and the Board of Trade Building that replaced it, maintaining the location's significance in Wheeling's architectural and cultural heritage.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/2wf3xbz8) (https://tinyurl.com/3zja8nh9) (https://tinyurl.com/2ua66r5y) (https://tinyurl.com/bdezfs2a), The Historical Marker Database (https://tinyurl.com/y5jkw53f)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV, The Historical Marker Database
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