Today in Wheeling History: January 25--A gang of ten Confederate prisoners who were recently captured in Braxton and neighboring counties and known to have engaged in stealing and bushwhacking, with one having taken the oath of allegiance twice before and being a horse thief and barn burner, arrived under guard in the city and were committed to the Atheneum military prison (1865).
The Atheneum (also spelled Athenaeum) was a four-story building in Wheeling constructed in 1853-54 that housed a warehouse, theater, and later a Civil War military prison. It was originally built to store iron supplies and host theater productions, becoming a popular venue that attracted famous performers. During the war, the Union converted it into a prison known as "Lincoln's Bastille" that held Confederate prisoners, civilians, deserters, and bushwhackers. A hospital was added to care for sick prisoners. After the war it was used for storage again until being destroyed in a major fire in 1868, prompting Wheeling to improve its fire department. The site later became a small private park.
To learn more: (http://tinyurl.com/4hk4pxjt) (http://tinyurl.com/wrfm238w) (http://tinyurl.com/tcjhf253) (http://tinyurl.com/y3hf3a7j) (http://tinyurl.com/yp3km9zj)
Photo Credits: Wheeling Intelligencer, West Virginia Archives & History, West Virginia Civil War Trails
The Atheneum (also spelled Athenaeum) was a four-story building in Wheeling constructed in 1853-54 that housed a warehouse, theater, and later a Civil War military prison. It was originally built to store iron supplies and host theater productions, becoming a popular venue that attracted famous performers. During the war, the Union converted it into a prison known as "Lincoln's Bastille" that held Confederate prisoners, civilians, deserters, and bushwhackers. A hospital was added to care for sick prisoners. After the war it was used for storage again until being destroyed in a major fire in 1868, prompting Wheeling to improve its fire department. The site later became a small private park.
To learn more: (http://tinyurl.com/4hk4pxjt) (http://tinyurl.com/wrfm238w) (http://tinyurl.com/tcjhf253) (http://tinyurl.com/y3hf3a7j) (http://tinyurl.com/yp3km9zj)
Photo Credits: Wheeling Intelligencer, West Virginia Archives & History, West Virginia Civil War Trails
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