Today in Wheeling History: April 9--Robert E. Lee Strider, the Third Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia who served as rector of St. Matthew's Church in Wheeling for 40 years, was born in Leetown, West Virginia (1887).
Robert Edward Lee Strider, a native of Leetown, Virginia, became the rector of St. Matthew's Church in Wheeling in 1915 and remained a resident of the city for about 40 years. He rose to become the Bishop Coadjutor under Bishop William L. Gravatt in 1923 and, later, the diocesan head and the Third Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia in 1939. Known for his modesty, dignity, rectitude, and engaging personality, Bishop Strider was a respected and beloved leader who tirelessly worked for the progress of the Episcopalian Church in West Virginia, overseeing the establishment of the Peterkin Conference Center near Romney and the acquisition of the Sandscrest estate in Wheeling as a retreat and conference center. In 1955, at the age of 68, Bishop Strider retired to his ancestral home, "Rose Hill," in Leetown, where he resided until his passing in 1969. He was laid to rest in the cemetery of Zion Episcopal Church in Charles Town, West Virginia.
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/3pmb54vt) (https://tinyurl.com/yepyer3w) (https://tinyurl.com/2hwrmmw5)
Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling WV; Wheeling Hall of Fame, Find a Grave
Robert Edward Lee Strider, a native of Leetown, Virginia, became the rector of St. Matthew's Church in Wheeling in 1915 and remained a resident of the city for about 40 years. He rose to become the Bishop Coadjutor under Bishop William L. Gravatt in 1923 and, later, the diocesan head and the Third Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia in 1939. Known for his modesty, dignity, rectitude, and engaging personality, Bishop Strider was a respected and beloved leader who tirelessly worked for the progress of the Episcopalian Church in West Virginia, overseeing the establishment of the Peterkin Conference Center near Romney and the acquisition of the Sandscrest estate in Wheeling as a retreat and conference center. In 1955, at the age of 68, Bishop Strider retired to his ancestral home, "Rose Hill," in Leetown, where he resided until his passing in 1969. He was laid to rest in the cemetery of Zion Episcopal Church in Charles Town, West Virginia.
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/3pmb54vt) (https://tinyurl.com/yepyer3w) (https://tinyurl.com/2hwrmmw5)
Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling WV; Wheeling Hall of Fame, Find a Grave
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