Today in Wheeling History: January 12--The opening of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Wheeling, Virginia attracted thousands to commemorate the completion of the railroad connecting the Chesapeake with the Ohio River in a day-long ceremony with governors, legislators, officials, military, fire companies, and brilliant illumination of the Suspension Bridge (1853).
The opening of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in Wheeling, Virginia, on January 12, 1853, was a grand event that attracted thousands of people from near and far. The completion of the B&O Railroad was considered one of the greatest works of the age, as it connected the Chesapeake with the waters of the Ohio. The event was commemorated with a day-long ceremony that included 400 passengers from the B&O, the governors of Maryland and Virginia, members of both legislatures, and various elected officials. The streets were thronged with a multitude of all ages, sexes, and conditions, which was increased by the successive arrivals of various steamers crowded with passengers. The military, the First Ward Hose, and the Hope Fire Companies formed into line and were conducted by the Marshals to the line of the track on the south side of the creek. The formal reception of the President and Directors of the Road, and the City's guests, took place at the Court House. The Suspension Bridge was brilliantly illuminated along its entire length with 1010 lights, and its long curve of radiance stretching in mid-air against the dark vaulted heavens looked really like a triumphal Rainbow spanning the storms which have beat in vain against its majestic form.
To learn more: (http://tinyurl.com/3b3vn4za) (http://tinyurl.com/espvfd2e) (http://tinyurl.com/37sn36c9)
Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV
The opening of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in Wheeling, Virginia, on January 12, 1853, was a grand event that attracted thousands of people from near and far. The completion of the B&O Railroad was considered one of the greatest works of the age, as it connected the Chesapeake with the waters of the Ohio. The event was commemorated with a day-long ceremony that included 400 passengers from the B&O, the governors of Maryland and Virginia, members of both legislatures, and various elected officials. The streets were thronged with a multitude of all ages, sexes, and conditions, which was increased by the successive arrivals of various steamers crowded with passengers. The military, the First Ward Hose, and the Hope Fire Companies formed into line and were conducted by the Marshals to the line of the track on the south side of the creek. The formal reception of the President and Directors of the Road, and the City's guests, took place at the Court House. The Suspension Bridge was brilliantly illuminated along its entire length with 1010 lights, and its long curve of radiance stretching in mid-air against the dark vaulted heavens looked really like a triumphal Rainbow spanning the storms which have beat in vain against its majestic form.
To learn more: (http://tinyurl.com/3b3vn4za) (http://tinyurl.com/espvfd2e) (http://tinyurl.com/37sn36c9)
Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV
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