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Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids


OCPL Archives and Special Collections Icon ➤  ARCHIVES  ➤  FINDING AIDS


OCPL Archives and Special Collections

Because of the unique nature of these materials, the original copies are available for examination by researchers by appointment only.

➤ To make a request to schedule an appointment to view an archival collection, use our 'Ask An Archivist' form or call us at 304-232-0244.
Read our complete Archives Policy.
View our digitized collections here.
List of Archives Collections by subject 
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COLLECTION 
DESCRIPTION
WTRF-TV, Hey There! (Television program), Women television producers and directors, Hub Department Store
Memberships records, photographs, event materials, scrapbooks and ephemera related to the veteran community organization's activities
Basketball, Wheeling High School, YMCA Basketball Team, Wheeling Steel Corporation Basketball Team
Materials relating to the National Road Alliance of West Virginia and the restoration of the mile markers along the road in Ohio County; Friends of Wheeling; Oglebay Institute; and architectural prints by Schell Lewis and Frederick Faris (1901-1964). 
Photocopies of 68 photographs documenting the building of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company Passenger Station in Wheeling, West Virginia from 1907-1908.
Small collection including photographs and papers relating to William C. and Charles D. Bayha.  William C. spent his early life as an organist and later, as carpenter.  Photos include some examples of his work in building Oglebay Park cabins and papers include references from church ministers where he played organ in the early 2oth century.  His son, Charles D. Bayha served as chaplain in the USAF until his tragic death in a scuba diving incident in Japan ca. 1960.  Includes photographs of his work in the USAF and his funeral. 
Herb Bierkortte collected old images of Wheeling, labeled them, and sold copies of them to the general public.  The provenance of these photographs is unknown.   
Military photographs of Bosold, a Wheeling Island native, who served in North Africa and Normandy during World War II
1936 flood photographs taken by owner of Wheeling Karmelkorn Shoppe on Market Street
 
Correspondence, legal and financial documents relating to the Briggs family of Marshall and Ohio Counties, West Virginia in the 19th Century.  Also contains three Civil War era letters from W.H. Abercrombie, a soldier in Company C, 12th Regiment, Virginia Infantry, to his sister Elizabeth.
➤ Browne Bros. Tailors records, 1890-1930
Business records including correspondence, financial records, sample books, 1890-1930
Memorabilia and photographs related to James E. Burke’s career as a telegrapher with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company
The collection includes records relating ot the Capitol Theatre; the WWVA radio station (1920s-1980s); Wheeling Theatres Inc. (1930s); and WWVA Jamboree/Jamboree USA records (1920s-1970s), scrapbooks, musician photos and promotional materials.  Some Jamboree in the Hills posters, brochures, and ephemera (1978-2003).
William Carney's research files on Bill Lias, Paul Hankish, their associates, and other crime-related stories in Wheeling.
William Carney's research files about the history of Wheeling and the Upper Ohio Valley, including buildings, business, events, prominent citizens, parks, schools, and churches. Carney was especially interested in sports, crime, and early Wheeling history.
Surveys and maps of farms, residences, businesses, neighborhoods, etc. encompassing the entire tri-state Ohio Valley area.
Marsh Wheeling Stogies advertisements, cigar box bands, cigar box labels for Virginians, Pioneers and Old Reliables, and company stationery  
Formed by a group of women in 1908, this organization has worked to provide scholarships to young women in the region to attend college.  This collection includes their annual meeting booklets from 2010-2023.
A small collection of photographs from the Criswell, Richards, and Freese families taken at their homes on Joan Street in the Fulton neighborhood
This collection was created by the Atkinson family of Elm Grove with photographs taken at their homes "Mt. Leon" and "Brookside."  Also included are 50+ letters written to members of the Atkinson family between the years 1827-1913.  Many photographs include their pets and daily tasks during the Victorian era.
World War II ration books belonging to the Darrah family of the Elm Grove neighborhood of Wheeling, West Virginia.
Photograph album containing images of Ohio County, West Virginia and Belmont County, Ohio. Subject includes downtown Wheeling, and fishing trips on Big Wheeling Creek and the South Branch of the Potomac. 
Digital images collected from current and former East Wheeling residents that include the Lind Street wall collapse and families that once lived in the neighborhood.
(local history)
Correspondence, photographs, and War Department documents related to Elkes' military service in the Philippines prior to and during World War II, his time as a Japanese prisoner of war, and his death on the "hellship" Arisan Maru.  
 2 scrapbooks documenting the family history of Evans and Fletcher families of Wheeling, WV
Scrapbook and photographs relating to Raymond J. Falland, World War I veteran and long-serving Ohio County Clerk. 
Dr. Fawcett (1919-2017) was a prominent ophthalmologist in Wheeling. This collection consists of 4 albums which include photographs and ephemera documenting Dr. Fawcett's time in Post WWII Occupied Germany.  He served for 2 years at the 98th General Hospital in Munich.
Family photograph and papers; names include Thornburg, Russell, Gaston, Vass, Byler, Gygax, Boyle, Howd, Gist, Burkham, McKee, Alexander, and Sikes.
Consists of approximately 160 photographs of floods in the Wheeling area. The bulk of the collection consists of pictures of the 1907 and 1913 floods. Also included are floods of 1884, 1888, 1936, and a few undated images. Photographs are by J.L. Kimmins (1888), C.C. Kline (1907 and 1913), and Harry Briese (1936). 
Papers of Wheeling historian and preservation activist.  Fluty played a vital role in the preservation of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge and West Virginia Independence Hall. 
Court Theatre and Fools' Parade movie premiere memorabilia and photographs (1920s, 1970-71)
Two letters from Charles W. Franzheim to his wife, Lida, on Wheeling Pottery Company letterhead, 1881.  
Material related to Eleanor Steber, opera singer, and Wheeling native.
Approximately 100 programs for dances, balls, roller skating carnivals and other social gatherings in Wheeling during the late 1800s
Small selection of china from the Wheeling Downs.  Two examples of bowls made by the Shenango Pottery Co.
Three photograph albums depicting the Dauber and Grubb families in the early 1900s in Wheeling and surrounding areas.
28 photograph albums depicting Ohio Valley trolleys, streetcars, buses, and trains.
Scrapbooks documenting "Lefty" Hamilton's baseball career with the Bauers' Ball Club, Cambridge Red Sox, Tuscoras and Wheeling Post 1 Baseball team.
Papers of Wheeling journalist, newspaper editor, and community development leader.
Stock certificates and other material relating to several prominent banks and financial institutions in Wheeling
Photographs of the Howard Place farm and estate, circa 1910, including the mansion, designed by Frederick Faris, and the surrounding landscape, such as Greenwood Cemetery and National Road.   
Hoffman was a writer for the Wheeling News-Register; collection includes his columns and 200 historical photographs of Wheeling and Ohio County.
Family papers of Wheeling philanthropist Thelma Hoffman and her husband A.J. Hoffman; includes photographs of Sterling Drug Company and Wheeling Electric Company employees in the 1920s and 1930s
Photographs of Hogan and fellow servicemen at military camps and flight training schools in New Jersey and Texas during World War I.
Correspondence of Thomas Hughes, son of Dr. Alfred Hughes of Wheeling, WV, Confederate sympathizer; personal and business correspondence of Hughes during his education and practice as a lawyer in Baltimore, Maryland.
Scrapbooks consisting of columns by newspaper reporter who wrote about African American life for the Wheeling Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register; Hull also wrote a column entitled “Breezes from Wheeling,” published in the Pittsburgh Courier.   
Material relating to the Hupp family of Wheeling, descendants of John Cox Hupp, MD and Carolene Hupp including records of the Izaak Walton fishing club.
Family papers of Hyer sisters, both philanthropists in Wheeling; includes photographs of family, downtown Wheeling, Jewel Tea Company, among others
Research files and slides of local Wheeling historian and artist; subjects include the frontier era, riverboats, the Civil War, the steel industry and railroads
This collection includes correspondence from Wheeling residents and from those passing through the city (1838-early 1900s), historic photographs of downtown buildings, houses, fishing club events, and Wheeling residents.
This small collection includes papers from Wheeling engineer, Orion Koller, who was responsible for laying out many of Wheeling's road development during the early-mid 1900s. He is most remembered for being the engineer for the Ohio County Airport.
Short film that features a ca.1960 flood in Wheeling showing scenes of barges hitting bridge piles, people sheltering in a building, Ft. Henry and Steel bridge, and various shots of the flooded Wheeling Island.
Professional papers of Wheeling businessman dealing with community development and city planning
Scrapbook of newspaper clippings relating to the service of Ohio Valley citizens in World War II. Also included in the collection are 2 photographs of the Plasterers Local No. 39 union.
Wheeling was designated a Main Street downtown in 1988.  The organization was active in surveying the downtown district, promoting businesses, creating events that drew people to those businesses, and educating the public about Wheeling's historic downtown.  This collection includes operating files of the director, promotional materials, and some photographs of historic downtown buildings. 
Inventory of maps held by the Ohio County Public Library, primarily of Wheeling, WV but also Martins Ferry, OH, Bridgeport, OH, and the state of West Virginia.
Photographs and other materials created by Eddie Martin, a North Wheeling resident and photographer that document much of the city throughout the 20th Century.  Also includes material created by Wiliam "Bill" O'Leary, a Martin family friend and active Wheeling history enthusiast.
This collection includes committee meeting notes and minutes, programs, broadsheets, and ephemera from Martin Luther King, Jr. celebrations 2013-2023. 
Photographs depicting students and other activities at the vocational school in the late 1950s-1960s
Photographs, a lithograph, and a muster roll related to McCombs service in Battery D, 1st W. Va. Artillery; also Grand Army of the Republic material
Small collection of photographs of the Odd Fellows Hall after the 1950s fire that burned it to the ground, photos of the Diamond Club after a fire, and two parades: the 1940 Christmas parade on Main Street and an undated/unidentified parade. 
Research files of Elizabeth Brand Monroe, created while preparing her book, The Wheeling Bridge Case: Its Significance in American Law and Technology, published in 1992
Photographs of the Wheeling floods, storms and accidents taken by a local fireman, 1930-1945
One photo album of corporate-sponsored local baseball teams dating from the 1890s-1900.  Also several photographs of churches, buildings, and Wheeling people.
Photographs of Lebanese American families including the Nassif family, the Elias family, the Wakim family, and the George family, who lived and owned several businesses in Central Wheeling.
Small collection with WWI-related items.  Includes photographs of the Neumann and Price, a journal recounting Neumann's acivities while stationed in France 1918-1919, and Army and Navy paperwork.  
Scrapbooks, minute books, programs, and other records documenting the work of the Auxiliary.
Minute books of the hospital Board of Trustees and other records of the hospital
Artifacts, photographs, records, and other material from the hospital's School of Nursing
Small family collection that includes photographs of employees of the Geo. M. Snook Co. and The Hub, and a class photo from Warwood Grade School.
The Owl Print Shop published a small magazine, Owlprint, which featured articles and advertisements that catered to the local business community as well as general interest articles that featured current events and topics related to Wheeling. The collection also contains catalogs and advertisements for the Owl Print Shop.
Material relating to inland navigation, principally the Ohio River and canals in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Materials relating to The Wheeling Association’s campaign and subsequent implementation of the proportional representation form of municipal government.
Album containing photographs of Wheeling and other towns and railroads in West Virginia in the 1920s.
Original record book of the Peninsular (Peninsula) Cemetery, including an alphabetical listing of names before a list of plots. Dates range from 1851-1950s.
A collection of photographs (unidentified and undated photos of people) that were produced by Wheeling photographers.  
Postcards depicting scenes in Wheeling in the late 19th and early to mid 20th centuries
Portrait of Robert Lee Ritz, Wheeling High School football team captain who was murdered in 1916.
Approximately 120 photographs of riverboats, mostly on the Ohio River and around Wheeling, dating from around 1900 until the present.
One movie theatre-sized poster and autographed program from world premiere showing in 1971.
Family papers, photographs, memorabilia relating to the Schramm and Palmer families. Includes material relating to Schramm's grandfather, Andrew A. Schramm, founder of Uneeda Brewing Company and owner of Wheeling Coffee & Spice Company.
Photographs and other material relating to Centre Wheeling family active in St. Alphonsus Parish; also includes information about Mueller and Emmerth families
Photographs, memorabilia, and other ephemera related to both the Security National Trust Company and the National Bank of West Virginia.
Photographs and clippings related to the career of Linna Hennig Sherman, actress, drama teacher, and owner of the Sherman School 
Material relating to the nursing career of Jane Dinsmore Slater at the Ohio Valley General Hospital (later Ohio Valley Medical Center) 
Collection of photographs depicting African American life in Wheeling, West Virginia, including Lincoln School and the Beau Brummel Organization
Digital images collected from current and former South Wheeling residents that include 3724 Chapline Street, storefront scenes, St. Ladislaus Church and their school parades, and families that once lived in the neighborhood.
Consists primarily of interior photographs of the Geo. E. Stifel Store in the 1920s and Stifel and Taylor's Value City in the 1960s
A selection of fabric remnants that were made by Stifel Calico Works.
Two scrapbooks compiled by Joe A. Funk, advertising executive for Stone & Thomas, documenting the Santa Claus Train and Christmas Parade in 1957 and the Queen of Queens Pageant, 1957-1958
Stone and Thomas Tea Room Memories program at the Good Shepherd Nursing Home in 2007; includes photocopies of photographs of the Tea Room and the Stone & Thomas store, sample menus, and clippings
Material relating to the Oglebay Institute exhibit of Sullivan’s paintings held from April 1 – June 30, 1979
A binder of photographs taken when Mr. Terry worked for the Wheeling Intelligencer during the mid-1900s. includes demolition photos of the Market Auditorium, the old jail, and Sweeney mansion; Interstate 70 and 470 construction.
Scrapbook compiled by Tomassene (a Wheeling physician) while in service at the American Ambulance Hospital in Neuilly, France from 1916-1917
Includes photographs on the Shenandoah wreck and other airships; also images of a Ford Tri-motor ("The Tin Goose") and Wheeling landmarks
Organizational records of the first historical society in Wheeling
Subject files on a variety of topics related to Wheeling and Ohio Valley history; files may contain clippings, pamphlets, programs, photographs, ephemera, and other miscellaneous material.
The Warwood Lions Club performed annual minstrel programs as fundraisers from 1948 to present day.  This collection consists of programs from the shows starting in the early 1950s until 2016.
 
Films recorded by John H. Welty of Wheeling, WV in 1940s and 1950s. Recordings depict Oglebay Park, floods, parades, etc. of the era.
Selected regimental records and order book of the 4th Regiment of the Virginia Militia from 1863 during which time the militia was called up to defend against the Jones-Imoden Raid. Also includes other records from 1862-1864.
Research and records created by the WVSHPO's northern office representative between the 1980s and 1990s.  Papers include subjects like Woodsdale, national register nominations, save outdoor sculpture applications, East Wheeling, and Monument Place.
This organization was organized in 1961 to promote and preserve the history of the Wheeling area.  Most well-known for its scholarly publication, "The Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review", the groud disbanded in 2010.  This small collection includes organizational records, donated photographs, and ephemera.
Small collection including a decorative license plate, fabric banner, ribbons, souvenirs and correspondence.
This group's mission was to advance the role of women in the workplace as well as promoting philanthropic endeavors.
Records of the Wheeling Civic Garden Center, a community horticulture club started by the Garden Club of Wheeling and headquartered at Oglebay Park.
Original 1909 copper time capsule from cornerstone at Wheeling High School; also photographs taken at time capsule opening in 1984.
Small collection of photographs that feature Wheeling Island during the late 1800s/early 1900s primarily along Virginia Street and where the Steel bridge exited onto the Island, boating and river enjoyment, and members of the Howell and Henthorn families.
Records of South Wheeling cut nail factory from 1887-2010, with the bulk of the records dating from the 1950s-1990s
Files maintained by the historian of WNHAC, 1990s-2018, including subject files on a variety of Wheeling businesses, cemeteries, churches, organizations, and prominent individuals and families.
This collection is predominantly objects that were removed from the Follansbee Coke Plant just prior to its closing.  Includes items related to Wheeling Corrugating and Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation.
Documents, photographs and memorabilia related to the Wheeling Steel Corporation 
100 8x10" photographic prints of the interior and exterior of Wheeling Steel facilities dated 1964-1965; also included are pictures taken during a flood on March 11, 1964
 
 
Papers 1916-1995
Records of the YWCA Wheeling, including minutes, reports, photographs, scrapbooks, and ephemera documenting the organizations' mission to educate and empower young women. The collection is currently unprocessed.
Special branch of the YWCA formed in 1921 to serve the African American population in Wheeling. 
Wheeling society columns
Childhood photograph album documenting family life, scenes from Wheeling and surrounding areas, and school at St. Joseph’s Academy 
Photographs and other items relating to the Bloch Brothers Tobacco Company, specifically Mail Pouch barns
Includes the research and files of Betty June Wymer, a lifelong collector and researcher of the Warwick China and Pottery Company.  Also, files of the National Association of Warwick China and Pottery Collectors including meeting minutes, programs, and photographs of their annual gatherings in Wheeling during the 2000s. Photographs of the Warwick China complex of buildings before and during demoltion, products made, and several photocopied catalogs and advertisements.  
Small collection of photographs featuring events and members of one of Wheeling's Medical Auxiliary organizations.  Most of the photos were taken at the Wheeling Country Club and date to the mid-1900s.
Ledgers from an unknown business, possibly in Greene County, Pa.

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