Corey Knollinger, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

'A Small Town That Doesn't Know It's a Small Town': Taking a Look Back at Wheeling's 250th

On a sunny day in early September, hundreds of Wheeling residents, state lawmakers, and the Pride of West Virginia, West Virginia University’s marching band, all came out to Main St. in Wheeling to celebrate an important milestone in the city’s history: 250 years.

Jay Frey headed up Wheeling’s 250th commission, and he wanted to show Wheeling’s big city in a small package feel in the ensuing celebration. “We’re a small town that doesn’t know we’re a small town. Because in my lifetime there were upwards of over 60,000 people in this area. But we have many of the attributes from the 19th and 20th century that make us feel bigger than we are,” Frey said.

The parade wasn’t the only event that the city put together, there was also a costume ball at the beginning of the year, a fireworks display to celebrate 170 years since the construction of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, and other events meant to remember a storied past.

Wheeling’s 20th Man

One of those events was reliving a radio speech given by Harry H Jones in 1936, who was Wheeling’s only practicing African American lawyer at the time. The speech, which dealt with systemic racial inequalities faced by the black community at the time, was read by the Wheeling YWCA’s Cultural Diversity and Outreach Director Ron Scott. The speech was part of a program created for the Ohio County Public Library’s Lunch With Books Series and the Wheeling 250 Series. The presentation was then delivered throughout schools in the region.

“Ladies and gentlemen, one out of every 20 persons living in Wheeling is of african descent. This twentieth man is not a newcomer or an alien. For his ancestors were settled by force in Virginia one year before the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. No biracial clash has ever taken place in this city’s history. Due largely to the liberal ideology of the whites and the splendid conduct of the colored people. But justice and candor require attention to the handicaps suffered by Wheeling’s 20th man,” Scott recited.

The Ohio County Public Library made the full speech publicly available.

A Storied History

Wheeling is half the size it was in its industrial heyday, but like many towns that sprung up during early white settlement, it had a modest beginning as mentioned by Wheeling Historian Travis Henline.

“Wheeling at the time it was founded was nothing but a frontier outpost. I mean you had just a few families who were settled here like the Zane’s and the McColloughs and a few others,” Henline said.

This first settlement happened in 1769 and was named Zanesburg after one of the founding families. A century later Wheeling would experience a boom during the industrial revolution because of its prime location on the Ohio River.

“So now you have the Ohio River, a major conduit for thousands of years for people, comes together with the National Road which brings people by wagon and by foot across the mountains to the Ohio River and then you have the the B&O Railroad which connects us to the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic. All of that makes us a gateway to the west and a transportation hub, I mean that’s a huge part of our history,” Henline said.

The B&O Railroad finished construction in 1853, ten years before West Virginia became a state, which the city of Wheeling had a hugely important role in.

“Well without Wheeling there would be no West Virginia. Because we are strategically located in the Northern Panhandle. When the conflict of the Civil War began we are here in the comfy confines of this strip of land between two very powerful Union states in Ohio and Pennsylvania,” Henline added.

This location made Wheeling the prime location for the capital of the reformed government of Virginia after the state seceded from the Union in 1861. After two years, Wheeling would become the birthplace, and capital of the then new state of West Virginia, making it the only city to have been the capital of two different states.

While Wheeling didn’t remain the capital of the state, it was still an economic powerhouse, earning the nickname “Nail City” because of the amount of iron manufacturing in it.

But all things must come to an end, and Wheeling’s economic boom is no different.

Wheeling Today

“So Wheeling in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s that’s when you see a lot of the industry is closing down and it’s moving out. You had the interstate coming through, you had the retail centers, the mall in the 70’s and the highlands later on that kind of kill the commercial things happening in downtown Wheeling. Some of the jobs leave, so the people leave,” Henline pointed out.

Many of the industries that became synonymous with Wheeling like Wheeling Steel or Marsh Wheeling Stogies, had either moved or completely closed their doors by the 2000’s. This lead to a pretty bleak reputation for the city.

But the current mayor of Wheeling Glenn Elliott points out, there are still some victories in recent years worth celebrating.

“One of the issues we have with downtown is that people judge it to what it was in 1950 when it was a retail hub. If you look at cities all across the rust belt, downtowns are no longer the retail hubs they once were,” Elliott said. “All that’s moved to malls and shopping plazas in the suburbs. But if you look at actual employment numbers, downtown Wheeling is booming in terms of the actual number of people working there every day, you just don’t see them because they’re at their desk or workstations.”

Wheeling 250th ‘Leave Behind’ Items

While the celebration mainly focused on one off events, there were a few items the Wheeling 250 commision wanted to leave behind. These “leave behind” items included a new flag for the city, a set of murals commemorating the river, the rails, and the road that made Wheeling a transportation hub, and a children’s book. The latter is one of Jay Frey’s personal favorite accomplishments on the 250 commision.

“Well I’m extremely proud of the children’s book that was just released in time for the holidays this year which is called Once There Was a Mouse. It was written by Cheryl Ryan Harshmen, and illustrated by Robert Vilamagna. It’s meant for little kids, who I think will enjoy it, and I don’t want to spoil anything. That I think is… as the Rotary Club who funded the publication of the book pointed out, this is celebratory, its charming, but it also plants a seed in small children who will be in their fifties when Wheeling celebrates its 300th anniversary and I think that’s pretty meaningful.”

West Liberty University President To Retire

West Liberty University will soon be seeing a change in leadership, as President Stephen Greiner announced plans to retire next year at a press conference…

West Liberty University will soon be seeing a change in leadership, as President Stephen Greiner announced plans to retire next year at a press conference on Tuesday.

Greiner plans to end his tenure as West Liberty’s 36th president on June 30th, 2020.

Greiner became president in 2016, taking over for interim president John McCullough, who temporarily filled the spot after former university president Robin Capehart stepped down amid an ethics investigation.

Under President Greiner, West Liberty has added 13 new academic offerings and has seen an enrollment growth of 10 percent.

In an email sent to students Greiner wrote that serving as president of West Liberty University “has been the greatest honor of my professional life.”

West Liberty University is now conducting a nationwide search for their next president.

Wheeling Organization Takes Hope To The Streets

Over the last five years in Wheeling, an organization called Project Homeless Outreach Partnership Effort, or Project HOPE, has been giving medical care to people who live in the city without housing.

This regularly brings Project HOPE director and nurse, Crystal Bauer, to some unusual places, like under a certain highway overpass.

“We’re under a pretty busy bridge that is a major interstate, so there’s a lot of traffic overhead,” Bauer said. “It provides shelter, obviously, but it’s certainly not without being exposed to the elements. Like I said, the noise overhead, trying to sleep at night, I can’t even imagine.”

Scattered belongings surrounding Bauer and her team under this overpass. The graffitied concrete is a far cry from the usual sterile hospital room where emergency treatment is administered, but the people who set up temporary living in this spot, and many places like it, may be in need of medical attention. So Bauer visits regularly.

Crystal Bauer and Dr. William Mercer are checking to see if the camp is inhabited to come back another day.

Street Rounds in an Appalachian Rust Belt Town

Bauer explained, bringing medical supplies and expertise to makeshift camps where people without access to housing stay is called street rounds.

In Project HOPE’s case, each week these rounds end at a local shelter where a semi permanent doctor’s office has been set up to be able to give more in-depth and sterile examinations to people who can make it there.

Because living in these conditions often results in shortened lifespans, Bauer said street rounds are critical to this population.

“Sadly enough the average lifespan for a homeless male is 58 years old. The average for a homeless female is 47,” Bauer pointed out. “Living outside is very, very hard on the body, especially when you’re someone who is a smoker, or someone battling addiction.”

Giving Hope to a Forgotten Community

A team of volunteers ranges from a group of three to six who go on the weekly rounds. Bauer is always in the group and so is Doctor William Mercer, the medical director of the Ohio County Health Department.

As Dr. Mercer explains, many of the people he encounters on these rounds end up becoming long term patients.

“A lot of these people I do end up taking care of. I find great reward in having them come to my office, I’m their doctor. It’s special to see them grow,” Mercer said.

Along with emergency medical care, Project HOPE also brings along clean socks, water, and food.

While under the bridge, one man arrived and did not look well. He didn’t want to be tended to medically nor did he want to talk to a reporter. Bauer said it’s very common for people to refuse treatment.

“I look at him and I’ve seen this appearance before and the outcome is usually one that’s not good. We have approximately a dozen people that die every year. And it’s hard, you know?”

Finding Strength in Street Medicine

Bauer said Project HOPE provides more than medical attention. She said visiting every week, you get to know people, their history, what makes them human, and you come to care for them.

“It’s hard for us when they die. We grieve their death. We see things in them that sadly because of mental health and addiction and all kinds of other things they just don’t see in themselves,” Bauer said.

But there are success stories, too. Bauer is especially proud of a couple she met earlier this year.

When Bauer first met Karen and David, Karen’s skin was yellow because of advanced liver disease, and she was using a walker. Now, only four months later, she no longer has that walker, and the couple has just moved into their own apartment.

“Project HOPE has been my lifeline. Honest to goodness, if it wasn’t for Crystal, and Dr. Mercer, and all of the other doctors and nurses involved, I wouldn’t be standing here today,” Karen said. “They just opened up their wings and took us under and ever since then everything’s finally lining back up.”

Project HOPE has recently received funding for a mobile exam room, which will provide a more sterile environment for things like vaccinations, or lancing a wound. Bauer hopes to receive funding to take the program county wide, and hopefully make this her fulltime job.

Right now, only one other well-established organization in the state performs street rounds is West Virginia University’s Multidisciplinary UnSheltered Relief Outreach Of Morgantown or Project Mushroom.

Brewers Celebrate More Than Beer During W.Va. Craft Beer Week

Several breweries across the state are hosting events as part of West Virginia Craft Beer Week, which kicked off this past weekend, June 15-16. Some in the craft beer industry are celebrating new regulations that the state legislature passed earlier this spring.

This week — to coincide with West Virginia Day — breweries and restaurants across the state are celebrating the state’s steadily growing craft beer industry.

In 2016, there were 15 breweries in the state. That number has nearly doubled in just three years, despite regulatory challenges and the state’s dispersed population.

Even though West Virginia doesn’t have big cities to draw crowds, brewers have found a small but loyal customer base here, said West Virginia Brewers Guild President Aaron Rote.

“There’s a lot of cultural centers like Fayetteville, Thomas, Davis, Morgantown, and I really think the breweries you see in those areas really tie into their local culture really well,” Rote said.

Some craft brewers brand their beers with names and logos that reference local folklore — like Zona’s Revenge, made by Greenbrier Valley Brewing in Lewisburg. That witbier is named after Zona Heaster who was murdered in the late 19th century and ultimately became the basis for a popular ghost story in the area.

There’s also Big Timber Brewing Company in Elkins, and Stumptown Ales in Davis, which both feature imagery that celebrate timber, a major economic driver in the region.

Across West Virginia, many craft breweries are closely tied with their local, host communities. The regional nature of the state’s craft brewers required event planners for the first state-wide craft beer week to think creatively.

Some breweries will be releasing special beers, some will give tours, and others are featured in tap takeovers, events in which a restaurant only serves a specific brewery’s beer for a night.

Summer Kickoff

This week’s events are also helping to kick off the summer season, said Kevin Ayers, the owner of the Wheeling-based brewery Brew Keepers.

“Think of it like the Memorial Day of craft beer,” he said. “Memorial Day kicks off the summer, even though it isn’t summer yet. Summertime is the most popular time to drink.”

Ayers said a lot of breweries in the state are located in towns with tourist destinations or are near entrances to the state, and that’s no accident. He said craft breweries could play a role in boosting tourism.

“The more things we can bring into this state to do the more people are going to stop, and they’re going to hunt craft breweries down,” Ayers said.

Rote, with the West Virginia Brewers Guild, said to cap West Virginia Craft Beer Week, beer drinkers across the state are encouraged to participate in a “beer toast” on Friday, June 21 at 5:00 p.m.

“Whether you’re at a restaurant or you’re on your back porch drinking a beer at 5 o’clock there’ll be kind of like a beer toast,” he said.

Regulatory Changes

According to Rote, craft beer fans in West Virginia do have something to toast about this year. Earlier this spring, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 529, which increased the cap on alcohol by volume — from 12 to 15 percent. The new law also removes a limit on growler sales.

Rote said he’s hoping these new regulations will help lead to even more growth in the craft beer industry.

“This is just a nice way to cheers maybe a nice turning point for us,” he said.

While both Ayers and Rote both say they feel like West Virginia craft beer started a little behind the curve, they both believe the state is catching up, with no signs of slowing down yet.

To learn more about West Virginia Craft Beer Week or to find a local event, go to wvcbw.com and click on their events tab.

Jean Kranz Named Director of W.Va. CHIP

Governor Jim Justice has announced the appointment of a new director for the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Justice announced in a press release Wednesday Jean Kranz is taking over the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.

The program insures around 32 thousand children whose families make too much to qualify for Medicaid and have no other source for health insurance.

According to the release, Kranz has been in the healthcare industry for 25 years. She’s served as the West Virginia Family Health Plan’s director of Medicaid operations and worked with the West Virginia Health Improvement Institute, and Highmark Health Services.

Kranz will assume her role as director on July 1st of this year, replacing former director Stacy Shamblin.

CAMC Finds Link Between Stroke Deaths and Income in Service Area

A study conducted by the Charleston Area Medical Center Health Education and Research Institute and West Virginia University found a relationship between income and the risk of dying from a stroke.

The pilot study was conducted by looking at stroke deaths in the Charleston Area Medical Center’s coverage area between 2008 and 2016.

The study sorted stroke deaths during this time by zip code in an effort to find clusters where there was a higher rate of fatalities. CAMC found significant clusters in parts of their coverage area where income was lower than the state’s average.

The study was conducted to see where the largest need for medical resources is in the face of rising health problems among the state’s population.

CAMC has three hospitals in the Charleston area and one hospital in Hurricane.

In the interest of transparency, we should note that CAMC is an underwriter with West Virginia Public Broadcasting.