Institution

The foundry is located in Warwood, Wheeling's northern most neighborhood. the neighborhood is named after Henry Warwood, who founded the Warwood Tool Company in 1854 in Martins Ferry. The company was relocated to Warwood in 1907.As early as 1795, Thomas Glenn is the first known owner of the land; he bequeathed the land to his son, William, sometime before 1795. Farmers initially settled in the region north of Wheeling for its rich, fertile soil.Farmland in Warwood made way to industrial and residential development at the turn of the century. Foreseeing the potential of Warwood’s future, R. J. McCullagh founded the Warwood Land Company in 1903. The company sold the lots at a very low price at the time, starting at $300 each. The land was far less susceptible to floods than other parts of Wheeling, and streetcars ran between Warwood and Wheeling every 15 minutes, which became excellent selling points for prospective residents. Working-class families who came to the area sought employment at the industrial plants and built their residences, businesses, and churches nearby. Coal mines were abundant in Warwood, and an oil boom hit Warwood in 1911.Warwood became an incorporated community on May 26, 1911, and as part of the “Wheeling Greater Movement”, Wheeling annexed the Warwood neighborhood in 1919.

276 Richland Avenue, facing SE, taken March 2017, photo courtesy of Christina Rieth

275 Richland Avenue, facing SW, taken March 2017, photo courtesy of Christina Rieth

275 Richland Avenue, facing SE, taken March 2017, photo courtesy of Christina Rieth

276 Richland Avenue, facing E, taken March 2017, photo courtesy of Christina Rieth

276 Richland Ave, facing SW, taken March 2017, photo courtesy of Christina Rieth

These two Tudor Revival-style houses were built in 1914 and designated for the six appointed lockmasters for the Ohio River Lock & Dam #12.  The dam, located near the houses, was completed in 1916 and stood until 1975. Its replacement, the Pike Island Lock & Dam, was completed in 1963 and is located just north of Warwood.

Lockmaster's Houses

This tour guides users through a  wide variety of architectural styles and historic homes in the Wheeling area. From founders to football legends, disgraced doctors to titans of industry, meet the individuals who shaped Wheeling's architectural and cultural fabric.

The Mother Jones House, a partnership between Wheeling Jesuit and Laughlin Memorial Chapel, was an intentional Christian service community of WJU students. With the help and guidance of a house mentor, Mother Jones House students worked and served in the neighborhood of East Wheeling while enrolled at Wheeling Jesuit University. Each student devoted ten hours each week to service within the Wheeling community.  Students at the Mother Jones House lived by six core values. They are: simplicity, faith, community, social justice, learning, and service.The Mother Jones House was moved onto campus in academic year 2017-2018 to become the Mother Jones Community, a living-learning residential community, maintaining the 6 cores values, with a community service component in East Wheeling. The plaques are still on the former house in East Wheeling. The Laughlin Memorial Chapel, who was WJU's partner and owner of the building, put the house up for sale, as of summer 2019. Mary Harris "Mother" Jones was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1837. Mary Harris and her family were victims of the Great Famine, as were many other Irish families. The famine drove more than a million families, includes Harrises, to emigrate to North America. Mary was a teenager when her family emigrated to Canada, and was 23 when she moved to the United States and began working as a teacher in a convent in Michigan. She faced persecution due to her ethnicity and Catholic faith. After tiring of her profession, she moved to Chicago and then to Memphis, where in 1861 she married George E. Jones. She opened a dress shop in Memphis on the eve of the Civil War.Two important turning points in her life were the loss of her husband and their four children (all under the age of five) in 1867, during a yellow fever epidemic in Memphis. She then returned to Chicago and opened another dressmaking business, which was destroyed along with her home in 1871. She worked alongside the people of Chicago to rebuilt the city. According to her autobiography, these two formative events led to her joining the Knights of Labor and start organizing strikes on their behalf. Mary Jones, active as an organizer and educator in strikes throughout the country and, once the Knights ceased to exist, was involved mainly with the United Mine Workers (UMW) and the Socialist Party of America. As an organizer, she gained prominence for organizing wives and children of striking workers in demonstration on their behalf. While Jones worked through the United States, her work in the state of West Virginia is significant. During the Paint Creek-Cabin Creek strike in 1912, she arrived in June, speaking and organizing despite a shooting war between UMW members and the private army of the mine owners. Jones was arrested, brought before a military court, and sentenced to twenty years in the state penitentiary. She was released after 85 days. In late 1921, along with other UMWA officials, Jones attempted to stop the miners’ army from marching into Mingo County. Although Jones had organized for decades on the behalf of the UMWA in West Virginia, she denounced the state as “medieval” in a chapter of her autobiography. Denounced on the floor of the U.S. Senate as the “grandmother of agitators” and dubbed the “most dangerous woman in America” by a West Virginia district attorney, Marry Harris “Mother”Jones died on November 30, 1930, in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her legacy is continued by the service of the students of the Mother Jones House in Wheeling, West Virginia.

The Mother Jones House, a partnership between Wheeling Jesuit University and Laughlin Memorial Chapel, was an intentional Christian service community of Wheeling Jesuit students. It is named after well-known labor leader Mary Harris Jones. 

The Mother Jones House

This two and a half story&nbsp;Greek Revival home was built between 1839 and 1845,&nbsp;and is located in Wheeling, West Virginia. This home was built by&nbsp;prominent businessman, Robert C. Woods, and represents the success of local merchants early in Wheeling's industrial&nbsp;history.&nbsp;In his father's will, Robert C. Woods was left the property that the house currently sits on, and after receiving the deed to the lot Woods began building his home along the National Road. Robert C. Woods is most well known for&nbsp;establishing the Marshall and Ohio county lines in 1835.1 It is said that Robert C. Woods never actually occupied this house, and the first occupant was prominent businessman John S. Rhodes in 1848 who purchased the house for $3,000. Woods invested in real estate, like his father before him, and saw the both the property and house as an investment.&nbsp;Rhodes had a dry-goods business in Wheeling, J.S. Rhodes &amp; Co., which was one of the largest businesses in the area.1 &nbsp;In 1865,&nbsp;another prominent businessman by the name of Morgan Ott purchased the home for $6,000. Ott owned a successful hardware store in Wheeling and is the last historically significant person to have occupied the house.

Home of notable businessman Robert C. Woods, this Greek Revival house was built in the 1800s prior to the construction of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. At various times, this building was owned by three prominent businessmen in Wheeling, West Virginia. The Robert C. Woods House is one of the only standing buildings in the city that was constructed prior to the 1849 suspension bridge, and although the exterior and interior have been altered, many of the original details can still be seen. Today the house is a private drinking club, the West Virginia Snakes Club Inc.

Robert C. Woods House

There was a time when Wheeling, WV had more&nbsp;millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the U.S.&nbsp;"Old Town Wheeling," located on North Main Street between 7th and 9th streets served as home to many of those millionaires.&nbsp;It was one of earliest settled areas of the town. The Zane Family&nbsp;settled in Wheeling in 1769, six years before the first shots of the Revolutionary War,&nbsp;and laid out the first lots in 1793, ten years after playing an important role in the last battle of the American Revolution at Fort Henry, just a couple city blocks south on Main. Ebenezer Zane built his brick home around 1800 at the corner of Main and 11th Street.The second brick house
in Wheeling was built on the corner of Main and 8th Street.With the arrival of the
National Road in 1818, Wheeling was made even more accessible for further settlement.&nbsp; In 1831, Congress designated the town a U.S. Port of entry, then, in 1849, the Suspension Bridge crossed the Ohio River. In 1853, the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad brought the first passenger train to Wheeling. By the 1870*s Wheeling
was known as the "Nail City," producing more kegs of iron, cut nails than any other
city in the United States. It was the launching point for many families headed west and construction supplies were in great demand. In 1882, it became the fourth city in the United States to
have electric lights and five years later, in 1887, Wheeling became the third city in the country to have an electric trolley system. By the early 90's, Wheeling had become an industrial center, known particularly for its specialized steel
products, with a population of over 34,500. It was during this period of economic growth that George Eckhart, a wealthy local banker, decided to build a house in the Old Town section of Wheeling.He originally had his sites set on property fronting the Ohio River which was considered prime. The problem was that Mr. Eckhart was relatively new to wealth and the more established families, one of which was headed by a competitive banker, worked to buy the lots and keep him out. While considered not quite as desirable&nbsp;a location, Eckhart's&nbsp;response was to buy property across the road, on the east side of Main Street, and build a more impressive house, taking special care to include the latest in technology. Technology in the 1890s was moving at lightening speed. In 1887, Tesla/Westinghouse made alternating current (AC) electricity available and the Eckhart House was the first in Wheeling to be fully wired for modern electricity. While city water was available to all, Eckhart's house included a shower in the bathroom. Most houses included fireplaces that burned wood or coal, but the Eckhart house was built with natural gas fire places, making it cleaner than other houses around it.&nbsp; The house&nbsp;was listed at $4000 for tax purposes but given an estimate of $6000, which many contractors considered only two-thirds the actual price. In today's money the cost would be 3-5 million dollars. As with many houses at the time, the dimensions included a rather narrow width, but very high and very deep. The first floor includes a reception hall, parlor, living room, dining room and kitchen. The second floor includes a parlor, four bedrooms and a bathroom. The third floor includes two bedrooms and a bathroom. There is also a raised basement. A garage was added behind the house some years later, built using prisoner labor. Today, the Eckhart House is owned by the Joseph Figaretti family. Tours are available as well as afternoon teas by appointment. The gift shop is open on Saturdays from 10:00 to 5:00, April through December.

Built in 1891 by George W. Eckhart, the Eckhart House was considered to be representative of Wheeling's progress during America's Gilded Age. The house is a 3-story, red brick Queen Anne building. An October 29, 1891, edition of the Wheeling Intelligencer, listed the house as one of the residential building achievements of the year with tasteful architecture that "has thoroughly impressed everybody who gets about over town much."

Today, the Eckhart House includes a Gift Shop, Tea Room (available for afternoon Teas, children's tea parties and special events) and House Tour.

The Eckhart House

The Mt. Wood Castle and Cemetery were largely forgotten by locals until 2012 when preservation efforts began to revitalize the site. In the decades prior, the area was used primarily for illicit behaviors. The misremembered history of the castle led to the popular belief that a man had been building it for his lover and left it unfinished when she suddenly died. Though this story is still popular among locals, the truth is less romantic.Dr. Andrew J. Harness was born to a poor Tennessee family in 1883 and worked his way from labor within area coal mines to attending medical school. Harness moved with his wife, Aubelle "Mabel" Souleyret, to Wheeling, WV in 1916. Harness bought the Mt. Wood property in July 1921 and appears to have started construction on the castle sometime between this purchase and the project’s abandonment in 1925. In November of that year, Harness was forced to quit construction as he was indicted for illegal sales of morphine and cocaine. He was subsequently sentenced to eighteen months of federal prison in Atlanta and received an early release in 1927. Following his release, the Harness family relocated to the Chelyan and Cabin Creek area of West Virginia before ultimately settling in Miami, Florida. Harness passed away on January 30, 1946 after a battle with throat cancer. After Harness’s arrest, the foundation of the unfinished castle was left largely untouched until cleanup efforts began in 2012. Mt. Wood Cemetery, the oldest surviving cemetery in Wheeling, is located across the street from Harness’s abandoned castle. First formally established in 1848, the cemetery was the leasing burial site for the city into the 20th century. The 14 acres of the cemetery include nearly 2,000 graves and 10 mausoleums. Echoes of the cemetery’s roots in the Romantic Movement are evident in the spacious layout and beautiful view of the Ohio River. As citizens increasingly interned family members in other cemeteries, fewer funds were available for the maintenance of this cemetery which fell victim to natural decline and vandalism. Eventually, maintenance was taken over by the city of Wheeling after severe damage to gravestones and mausoleums. Efforts at preservation of the cemetery began in 2013 after several citizens and local organizations became concerned about the condition of the cemetery.

Mt. Wood Castle, also known as Wheeling Castle, is located across the street from the historic Mt. Wood Cemetery. Though it is now a popular site for vandalism, the site was intended to be the extravagant home of a local doctor. The unfinished structure was owned by the disgraced doctor, Andrew J. Harness. Construction of the castle was abandoned after his 1925 arrest for selling substances like cocaine and morphine in violation of the 1914 Harrison Act. The Mt. Wood Cemetery is the oldest surviving cemetery in Wheeling and was established in 1848. The cemetery was falling into disrepair and like the castle was often vandalized until a volunteer effort began to restore the grounds in 2013.

Mt. Wood Castle, aka Wheeling Castle

The house&nbsp;is located in Warwood, Wheeling's northern most neighborhood. the neighborhood is named after Henry Warwood, who founded the Warwood Tool Company in 1854 in Martins Ferry. The company was relocated to Warwood in 1907.As early as 1795, Thomas Glenn is the first known owner of the land; he bequeathed the land to his son, William, sometime before 1795. Farmers initially settled in the region north of Wheeling for its rich, fertile soil.Farmland in Warwood made way to industrial and residential development at the turn of the century. Foreseeing the potential of Warwood’s future, R. J. McCullagh founded the Warwood Land Company in 1903. The company sold the lots at a very low price at the time, starting at $300 each. The land was far less susceptible to floods than other parts of Wheeling, and streetcars ran between Warwood and Wheeling every 15 minutes, which became excellent selling points for prospective residents. Working-class families who came to the area sought employment at the industrial plants and built their residences, businesses, and churches nearby. Coal mines were abundant in Warwood, and an oil boom hit Warwood in 1911.Warwood became an incorporated community on May 26, 1911, and as part of the “Wheeling Greater Movement”, Wheeling annexed the Warwood neighborhood in 1919.

The Lasch House stands tall representing one of the earliest families in Warwood. Conrad Lasch, a Wheeling Island resident, was born in 1857 to German-born parents, Jacob Lasch Sr. and Katrine Lasch. He bought land in Glenova (now Warwood) from his brother, Jacob Lasch Jr., on March 6, 1894. His property ran from “the hilltop” to the Ohio River, and from what is now 6th Street to 8th Street. Conrad Lasch and his wife, Julia Klebe Lasch, built their home and raised their eight children at what is now 603 Warwood Avenue. His land west of Warwood Avenue was used for farming, while the rest was used for pastures. His son, Albert Lasch, was a notable florist in Warwood and ran his business on the property from 1907 to 1973.

Lasch House

The house is located in Warwood, Wheeling's northern most neighborhood. the neighborhood is named after Henry Warwood, who founded the Warwood Tool Company in 1854 in Martins Ferry. The company was relocated to Warwood in 1907.As early as 1795, Thomas Glenn is the first known owner of the land; he bequeathed the land to his son, William, sometime before 1795. Farmers initially settled in the region north of Wheeling for its rich, fertile soil.Farmland in Warwood made way to industrial and residential development at the turn of the century. Foreseeing the potential of Warwood’s future, R. J. McCullagh founded the Warwood Land Company in 1903. The company sold the lots at a very low price at the time, starting at $300 each. The land was far less susceptible to floods than other parts of Wheeling, and streetcars ran between Warwood and Wheeling every 15 minutes, which became excellent selling points for prospective residents. Working-class families who came to the area sought employment at the industrial plants and built their residences, businesses, and churches nearby. Coal mines were abundant in Warwood, and an oil boom hit Warwood in 1911.Warwood became an incorporated community on May 26, 1911, and as part of the “Wheeling Greater Movement”, Wheeling annexed the Warwood neighborhood in 1919.

Built in 1918, this beautiful, stately red brick house belonged to one of the first families in Warwood. In 1864, Casper and George Dorsch purchased 130 acres in Warwood that extended from the top of the hill, to the Ohio River, to 13th Street, to the alley between 10th and 11th Street. They farmed the land until it was turned into city lots. 
Casper’s palatial white brick house, built around the same time, stood next door until 1969, when it was razed and replaced with the Garden Park Terrace apartments the following year. These two homes were “the first show places of grandeur in Warwood”. Each home was constructed to compliment the beauty of the land, with the tree-covered hill as its backdrop.

George Dorsch House

To prepare for the factory’s relocation, the Warwood Tool Company built several company homes in 1904 on N. 18th Street and N. 19th Street, including this one. The first person to live in this Dutch Colonial Revival-style house was John A. Moore, who was the secretary (and later manager) of the company. Two additional houses were built for J.W. Bumgartner, the company’s superintendent, and Fred Reese, the manager of the forge shop; the last house was built as a company office. 

John A. Moore House

This house is located in Warwood, Wheeling's northern most neighborhood.&nbsp;Thomas Glenn is the first known owner of the land; he
bequeathed the land to his son, William, sometime before 1795. Farmers
initially settled in the region north of Wheeling for its rich, fertile soil.

Farmland in Warwood made way to industrial and residential
development at the turn of the century; the neighborhood is named after Henry
Warwood, who founded the Warwood Tool Company in 1854 in Martins Ferry, Ohio. The
company was relocated to Warwood in 1907. 

The area was
originally divided into three sections: Loveland, which runs from the Centre
Foundry to N. 6th St., Richland, which goes from N. 6th
St. to N. 23rd St., and Glenova, which extends from N. 23rd
St. to the Pike Island Lock and Dam.

Foreseeing the potential of Warwood’s future, R. J. McCullagh
founded the Warwood Land Company in 1903. The company sold the lots at a very
low price at the time, starting at $300 each. The land was far less susceptible
to floods than other parts of Wheeling, and streetcars ran between Warwood and
Wheeling every 15 minutes, which became excellent selling points for
prospective residents. Working-class families who came to the area sought
employment at the industrial plants and built their residences, businesses, and
churches nearby. Coal mines were abundant in Warwood, and an oil boom hit
Warwood in 1911.

Warwood became an incorporated community on May 26, 1911, with Dr. J.W. Abercrombie as the first mayor, and Charles H. Dowler as the second. As&nbsp;part of the “Wheeling Greater Movement”, Wheeling annexed the Warwood
neighborhood in 1919,

The Queen Anne home was constructed in 1906 by Wheeling architect Joseph Leiner for Charles H. Dowler and his family. Dowler was a prominent figure in Warwood, having served as an owner of the Warwood Land Company, the second mayor of Warwood, city manager, and the second CEO for the First Bank of Warwood.

The home features eighteen rooms, a four-story turret, interior oak detailing, a 500 square-foot wrap around veranda with two porches, forty-six windows, and a 1 ½-story carriage house. The maple tree and four sycamores were planted on the property in 1907 and protect the house from heat and cold. The retaining wall was built in 1928 when the city widened Warwood Avenue for two lane traffic.

This is a private home and not open to the general public. 

Dowler-Schreyer House

The house&nbsp;is located in Warwood, Wheeling's northern most neighborhood. the neighborhood is named after Henry Warwood, who founded the Warwood Tool Company in 1854 in Martins Ferry. The company was relocated to Warwood in 1907.As early as 1795, Thomas Glenn is the first known owner of the land; he bequeathed the land to his son, William, sometime before 1795. Farmers initially settled in the region north of Wheeling for its rich, fertile soil.Farmland in Warwood made way to industrial and residential development at the turn of the century. Foreseeing the potential of Warwood’s future, R. J. McCullagh founded the Warwood Land Company in 1903. The company sold the lots at a very low price at the time, starting at $300 each. The land was far less susceptible to floods than other parts of Wheeling, and streetcars ran between Warwood and Wheeling every 15 minutes, which became excellent selling points for prospective residents. Working-class families who came to the area sought employment at the industrial plants and built their residences, businesses, and churches nearby. Coal mines were abundant in Warwood, and an oil boom hit Warwood in 1911.Warwood became an incorporated community on May 26, 1911, and as part of the “Wheeling Greater Movement”, Wheeling annexed the Warwood neighborhood in 1919.

This Queen Anne house was the childhood home for Eleanor Steber, a world-renowned opera singer at the Metropolitan Opera. Born in 1914 on 33rd and Eoff Street, her family moved to Warwood when her father, William Steber, became president at the Bank of Warwood. After graduating from Warwood High School and Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music, she starred at the Met in New York City. As a soprano, she gave over 400 performances, including 50 lead roles, over 22 years. She died in 1990 and is buried at Wheeling’s Greenwood Cemetery.

Steber House

The house was built in 1915 by Michael Stenger, whose father was one of the first to settle in Warwood. Michael and his wife, Anna Martin Stenger, moved to the corner of&nbsp;N. 23rd Street and Hess Avenue&nbsp;shortly after the house’s completion. The house&nbsp;is located in Warwood, Wheeling's northern most neighborhood. the neighborhood is named after Henry Warwood, who founded the Warwood Tool Company in 1854 in Martins Ferry. The company was relocated to Warwood in 1907.As early as 1795, Thomas Glenn is the first known owner of the land; he bequeathed the land to his son, William, sometime before 1795. Farmers initially settled in the region north of Wheeling for its rich, fertile soil.Farmland in Warwood made way to industrial and residential development at the turn of the century. Foreseeing the potential of Warwood’s future, R. J. McCullagh founded the Warwood Land Company in 1903. The company sold the lots at a very low price at the time, starting at $300 each. The land was far less susceptible to floods than other parts of Wheeling, and streetcars ran between Warwood and Wheeling every 15 minutes, which became excellent selling points for prospective residents. Working-class families who came to the area sought employment at the industrial plants and built their residences, businesses, and churches nearby. Coal mines were abundant in Warwood, and an oil boom hit Warwood in 1911.Warwood became an incorporated community on May 26, 1911, and as part of the “Wheeling Greater Movement”, Wheeling annexed the Warwood neighborhood in 1919.

Super Bowl V MVP Chuck Howley grew up right here in Warwood! He was born in 1936 and lived at this beautiful Colonial Revival home. Howley garnered national attention as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys, but he began his football career at Warwood High School and West Virginia University. He remains the only athlete in WVU history to letter in five sports and the only player awarded the Super Bowl MVP from the losing team.

Historic Homes of Wheeling

Lockmaster's Houses

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources