Today in Wheeling History: January 31—The Wheeling Sunday Register reported that the work of repairing City Hospital was about finished, with painters completing their work on the building at the head of Twentieth Street before its formal opening on February 9 (1892).
City Hospital began on January 1, 1890, following an initiative by Wheeling women's groups led by women of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, including "The Hospital Ten" of the King's Daughters and members of the Women's Union Benevolent Society. The incorporators—William A. Wilson, William E. Stifel, Morris Horkheimer, R. Rush Swope, and Henry M. Russell—established the City Hospital Association with $100,000 in capital stock.
The hospital occupied the former Wheeling Female Seminary, located at the head of Twentieth Street at one of the city's highest points. After extensive renovations, City Hospital opened to patients on February 9, 1892, with a capacity of 100 beds. Ward rates were $5 weekly (approximately $135 today), while private rooms cost $10 and upward weekly. The facility featured an operating room superior to anything in Pittsburgh or Cincinnati, equipped with over 200 instruments.
The City Hospital Training School for Nurses, West Virginia's first nursing school, opened simultaneously in 1892. From 1890 to 1911, the hospital was operated exclusively by women. In 1911, the original 60-bed building was declared unsafe and razed. A new 154-bed facility designed by architect Edward F. Stevens opened as Ohio Valley General Hospital on January 14, 1914. The institution evolved into Ohio Valley Medical Center in 1973. After Alecto Corporation's acquisition, the hospital closed in September 2019. The City of Wheeling took possession in 2021, and the complex was completely demolished in 2024, with WVU Medicine planning a regional cancer center on the site.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/yvunsexa), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/4pfbmkta), Weelunk (https://tinyurl.com/bdh28vu8), Wheeling News-Register (https://tinyurl.com/yeyavnjc), The West Virginia Encyclopedia (https://tinyurl.com/abyfan9x), Wheeling Register (https://tinyurl.com/7ufyam4x)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wikimedia Commons, Weelunk, Google Maps, Ohio Valley Medical Center
City Hospital began on January 1, 1890, following an initiative by Wheeling women's groups led by women of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, including "The Hospital Ten" of the King's Daughters and members of the Women's Union Benevolent Society. The incorporators—William A. Wilson, William E. Stifel, Morris Horkheimer, R. Rush Swope, and Henry M. Russell—established the City Hospital Association with $100,000 in capital stock.
The hospital occupied the former Wheeling Female Seminary, located at the head of Twentieth Street at one of the city's highest points. After extensive renovations, City Hospital opened to patients on February 9, 1892, with a capacity of 100 beds. Ward rates were $5 weekly (approximately $135 today), while private rooms cost $10 and upward weekly. The facility featured an operating room superior to anything in Pittsburgh or Cincinnati, equipped with over 200 instruments.
The City Hospital Training School for Nurses, West Virginia's first nursing school, opened simultaneously in 1892. From 1890 to 1911, the hospital was operated exclusively by women. In 1911, the original 60-bed building was declared unsafe and razed. A new 154-bed facility designed by architect Edward F. Stevens opened as Ohio Valley General Hospital on January 14, 1914. The institution evolved into Ohio Valley Medical Center in 1973. After Alecto Corporation's acquisition, the hospital closed in September 2019. The City of Wheeling took possession in 2021, and the complex was completely demolished in 2024, with WVU Medicine planning a regional cancer center on the site.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/yvunsexa), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/4pfbmkta), Weelunk (https://tinyurl.com/bdh28vu8), Wheeling News-Register (https://tinyurl.com/yeyavnjc), The West Virginia Encyclopedia (https://tinyurl.com/abyfan9x), Wheeling Register (https://tinyurl.com/7ufyam4x)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Wikimedia Commons, Weelunk, Google Maps, Ohio Valley Medical Center
RSS Feed