WHEELING, hwelIng, W. Va., city, county seat of Ohio County, on the east bank of the Ohio Riser, in the northern pan-handle and to the same latitude as Philadelphia. 60 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. It is on the Balti more and Ohio Railroad, and its branch lines; the Pennsylvania System; the Wheeling and Lake Frie Railroad of the Wabash System; the Ohio River and Western Railroad and the Wheeling Terminal Railway, a belt line con necting all the roads. It is the largest and most important city in West Virginia. The land area is 2,050 acres and it has an elevation of 660 feet above sea-kvel. Part of the city, a beautiful residential section, is on Wheeling Island, which is over a mile long and contains 400 acres. A historic suspension bridge con nects the island (the Seventh Ward) with the main part of the city, and two other steel bridges span the west channel of the river from the island to the Ohio side. Eghry miles of trolley lines in Wheeling and suburbs place a population of 75,000 in West Virginia, eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania in connection with the city as a commercial centre. It has steamer connections with the Ohio and Kana wha river points and commands a large river trade. Among the features of interest are the courthouse and city hall combined (fo the State Capitol), the new government=i ing, the site of old Fort Henry, the Henry Clay monument, Wheeling and Mozart parks, Roman Catholic cathedral, Elks Home, Y. M. C and Y. W. C. A. buildings, Market auditorium, Board of Trade building, the high school and the Home for the Aged. The excellent trans portation facilities of the city, the large supply of natural gas piped from West Virginia and Pennsylvania fields, the extensive coal fields of the vicinity and the abundance of raw material nearby have served to make Wheeling an im portant manufacturing city. In 1918 Whee had over 200 manufacturing establishments, capitalized at $40,000,000, in which were em ployed 18,003 persons, receiving annual wages of $24,000,000. The yearly cost of raw material used was $38,000,000 and the finished products were valued at $75,000,000. The chief manu factures are iron and steel products, pottery, glass, tobacco, leather, lumber products. Wagelti and carriages. There are also print works. tanneries, packing-houses, canning factories of national reputation and the largest proprietary remedy company in the world.
Wheeling has 42 churches, embracing 13 denominations. It is the seat of the Roman
Catholic diocese of Wheeling. Besides a mod ern public school system. including high school, opened in 1897, there are tbe Linsly Institute, Mount de Chantal Academy (Roman Catholic), two business colleges, several parish schools and a public library with 40,000 volumes. Bethany College and the West Liberty State Normal School are located a few miles to the north. There are in all 51 schools, valued at $3,000,000. The city has the North Wheeling and City hospitals, two private hospitals, sev eral orphanages, a day nursery and homes for the aged and friendless. There are 16 banks, with total clearings in 1918 of V06.985.000; four clubs occupying their own buildings, four theatres, 16 banks, four daily newspapers, a flourishing Y. M. C. A., with a commodious building, an active chamber of commerce and numerous secret and fraternal organirations. The commission form of government went into effect in 1917. The waterworks cost $1,500,000 and are maintained at a cost of $100,000 ann. ally. The city's annual budget is about $ The assessed valuation of real 782,2Y10. There are 30.3) miles of paved streets and 2025 miles of paved alleys, and several miles of macadamized and graded streets Wheeling was one of the first towns founded on the Ohio River and is to have derived its name from the Wheeling or me andering character of Wheeling Creek, The first settlement was made in 17M by Ebenezer Zane. In 1774 a stockade fort — Fort Henry. named in honor of Patrick Henry— was built here as a defense against the Indium. On 1 Sept 1777 this fort was attacked by an Indian force of 300, who were repulsed, but 15 of the settlers were killed. In 1781 another attack was made. On 11 Sept. 1782 the fort was again besieged by a force of 40 British soldiers and 260 Indians, who continued the attack for two days, but were forced to abandon the fight. In 1769 the town was laid out by Colonel Zane and in 1795 was incorporated. In 1836 it was chartered as a city and became widely known as an important trading post on the great Na tional Road and the Ohio River. In 1861 Wheeling was made the capital of the •restored government of Virginia* by the people of Vingusia opposed to secession. It was the State capital from 1863 to 1870 and again from 1875 to 1885. Pop. 47,000.
H. P. Colic°*Art Arristast Momper, Wheeliag Chamber of Com fit* f' C