Today in Wheeling History: May 24–Riverside Park Monument (Schmulbach Fountain), a granite drinking-fountain monument honoring Ohio River rivermen, is donated to the City of Wheeling by brewer Henry Schmulbach and dedicated in Riverside Park along Water Street (1900).
The Riverside Park Monument—better known to many as the Schmulbach Fountain—embodies Wheeling’s deep connection to the Ohio River and the workers who made their living on its waters. Conceived in the late 1890s as a public drinking fountain by Charles E. Van Keuren, the project quickly grew when prominent brewer and businessman Henry Schmulbach offered to fund an impressive monument instead. Dedicated on May 24, 1900, in Riverside Park (the riverfront green that once stood where Heritage Port is today), the granite monument features a large anchor wrapped in heavy marine rope, flanked by projecting basins that originally dispensed drinking water. A bronze plaque on the rear shows an eagle clutching a wreath, underscoring its commemorative purpose. Contemporary accounts describe a festive dedication with a parade from the McLure Hotel, Mayer’s Brass Band, and speeches by Congressman B.B. Dovener, Mayor A.T. Sweeney, Charles J. Schuck, and Frank W. Nesbitt, who framed the fountain as both tribute and civic improvement. Over the twentieth century, the monument was relocated from Riverside Park to the 29th Street area, then to the Wheeling Island Marina in 1976 during interstate construction. Today, it stands once again along the downtown riverfront at Wheeling Heritage Port, a surviving landmark of Wheeling’s rivermen and riverfront civic pride.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library – Riverside Park Monument (https://tinyurl.com/2r5b8rus), Ohio County Public Library - Historic Landmarks of Wheeling (https://tinyurl.com/bjvbys25), Weelunk – “Why Were There Water Fountains On This Wheeling Monument?” (https://tinyurl.com/4tuxcrjy), YouTube – “Riverside Park (Schmulbach Fountain) Monument Wheeling, WV” (https://tinyurl.com/36cx5b3v)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Weelunk, City of Wheeling
The Riverside Park Monument—better known to many as the Schmulbach Fountain—embodies Wheeling’s deep connection to the Ohio River and the workers who made their living on its waters. Conceived in the late 1890s as a public drinking fountain by Charles E. Van Keuren, the project quickly grew when prominent brewer and businessman Henry Schmulbach offered to fund an impressive monument instead. Dedicated on May 24, 1900, in Riverside Park (the riverfront green that once stood where Heritage Port is today), the granite monument features a large anchor wrapped in heavy marine rope, flanked by projecting basins that originally dispensed drinking water. A bronze plaque on the rear shows an eagle clutching a wreath, underscoring its commemorative purpose. Contemporary accounts describe a festive dedication with a parade from the McLure Hotel, Mayer’s Brass Band, and speeches by Congressman B.B. Dovener, Mayor A.T. Sweeney, Charles J. Schuck, and Frank W. Nesbitt, who framed the fountain as both tribute and civic improvement. Over the twentieth century, the monument was relocated from Riverside Park to the 29th Street area, then to the Wheeling Island Marina in 1976 during interstate construction. Today, it stands once again along the downtown riverfront at Wheeling Heritage Port, a surviving landmark of Wheeling’s rivermen and riverfront civic pride.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library – Riverside Park Monument (https://tinyurl.com/2r5b8rus), Ohio County Public Library - Historic Landmarks of Wheeling (https://tinyurl.com/bjvbys25), Weelunk – “Why Were There Water Fountains On This Wheeling Monument?” (https://tinyurl.com/4tuxcrjy), YouTube – “Riverside Park (Schmulbach Fountain) Monument Wheeling, WV” (https://tinyurl.com/36cx5b3v)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Weelunk, City of Wheeling
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