About this collection:

➤Sponsored by the Wheeling Lions Club, the Warwood Lions Club was chartered on November 11, 1944.  At that time, minstrel shows were a popular form of entertainment (some other local examples being Linsly Military Institute and the Elks Club minstrels). Due to a Warwood boy’s near-death experience being treated for lung paralysis at Wheeling Hospital, the Warwood Lions Club decided to fundraise and purchase an iron lung. In order to do this, they presented a minstrel show December 8-10, 1948 at the Warwood High School auditorium.  The cost of the iron lung was $2,500.00

 This first minstrel show for this organization was 2.5 hours long and consisted of a one-act, all male play in the     first half and an “old-fashioned minstrel” for the second half. By December 14, 1948, the Club held a charter night and victory dinner “to celebrate the success of the three-day benefit and revue.” (Wheeling News Register, Dec.  14, 1948, p10) The iron lung was then presented to Wheeling Hospital.  The Club has continued to hold annual minstrel shows since 1944.

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