Archiving Wheeling

04/23/2026

Did you know you can access a virtual treasure trove of photos from Wheeling's past on the Ohio County Public Library's Flickr? We have more than 5,000 photos; you're sure to find a fascinating piece of Wheeling history.

Look through our collection here: https://www.flickr.com/people/ohiocountypubliclibrary/

02/13/2026

Your neighborhood was your world.”
As we celebrate Black History Month, we’re sharing a short clip from an oral history session with local resident, Thomas Miller. In this video, he's talking about growing up in Wheeling, and in 1966, the statement, "your neighborhood was your world," suggests a little more than just nostalgia. It points to how race and economics shaped the boundaries of life. Black residents were concentrated in specific neighborhoods, and these became the spaces where they felt known, understood, and safe. It acknowledges how important a shared community is, as well as how your lived experience shapes your understanding of the "world" around you.
These stories are part of our collaborative oral history project with the YWCA of Wheeling and the Ohio County Public Library, created to preserve and celebrate the experiences of Wheeling’s Black community. Videos of the entire oral history discussions are being released this month, with the first one live on the Wheeling Heritage YouTube, and on the Library's website: https://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/history/8220
The next Black History Month program at the Library is Feb. 17: Ann Thomas Memorial Lecture - featuring Shark Scientist Jasmin Graham:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1884865852108092

12/30/2025

Sharing this again as we had accessibility issues last time. Should work fine now. We learned a lot about early Wheeling and Ohio Valley football long before the Ironmen. Enjoy.

“Their sons grow suicidally beautiful At the beginning of October, And gallop terribly against each other’s bodies.” ~ Excerpt from Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio by James Wright (1963) “It's a mild form of massacre, but the victims seemingly don't mind at all. [These young men] many o...

12/17/2025

What does Warwood have to do with one of the world's most renowned sculptors?

Youngchull (John) Pai (1937 - ) was born Oct. 4, 1937 in Seoul, Korea. He moved with his parents to the Warwood neighborhood of Wheeling in 1949 and began studying art at Oglebay Institute’s Saturday Morning Art Program under Harry C. Holbert while attending Warwood Elementary School. At 15, Pai had his first solo art show, organized by Holbert, at Oglebay. John attended Warwood High School from 1954-56, and became an accomplished saxophonist. He credits J. Loren Mercer for teaching him “the lessons of discipline in music.” Pai left Warwood at an early age and studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn NY, where he also taught for four decades while establishing himself as a metal sculptor. A beautifully illustrated coffee table book (monograph) about his work, "John Pai: Liquid Steel" by John Yau, was published in 2023. It is now in the Ohio County Public Library's collection.

For the rest of John Pai's amazing story, see the latest (Fall-Winter 2025) edition of the Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review, available now at the Ohio County Public Library.

https://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/uovhr/7723

12/16/2025

Now available at the Circ Desk at your Library (or by mail order: the new Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review, Fall-Winter 2025! Only $5 (or $8 by mail).

Details at the link: https://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/uovhr/7723

12/10/2025

New exhibit at your library!

12/04/2025

Oxford American Magazine recently used a photograph from the Craig Collection at the Ohio County Public Library Archives to illustrate an article about Greyhound Racing in West Virginia.

https://oxfordamerican.org/oa-now/greyhound-racing-in-west-virginia

See the image on the Library's Flickr page: https://flic.kr/p/2henzft

Michelle Orange writes about greyhound racing in West Virginia, home of America's last active tracks.

11/07/2025

Seeking Fabric & Steel Exhibit Loans

The Ohio County Public Library is curating a new exhibit called "Fabric & Steel." It will feature artifacts and photographs highlighting the work of Wheeling Steel and local quilters!

If you have any vintage artifacts or photographs related to steelmaking or quilting that you would be willing to loan for this exhibit, please contact the library to make arrangements, beginning Wednesday, November 12. Please specify "for exhibit" in the Comments or Questions section. https://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/contact

Thank you!

09/12/2025

Many thanks to library guest this past Tuesday, Dennis Halpin, for sharing this amusing profile of Wheeling from the August 15, 1888 edition of Puck Magazine.

"The Island is a very pleasant place to live, except in the summer when mosquitos are ripe; and in the winter when the weather is frightfully cold; and in the Spring when the Ohio River is considerably elevated; and in the Autumn when the water comes still higher..."

"Wheeling is the only town extant which has been the capital of two states, and then lost both jobs."

07/16/2025

The latest edition of the Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review, Volume 44, No. 2, Spring/Summer 2025 is available now at the Circulation Desk at the Library and as a free download in PDF!

https://www.ohiocountylibrary.org/uovhr/7723