Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review

First started by the Wheeling Area Historical Society in 1968, The Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review is the only publication of its kind in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. Dedicated solely to local history topics, it has become a treasured publication and valuable tool for studying and learning about our geographic area.

Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation (WNHAC, later Wheeling Heritage) continued the tradition, editing and publishing the Review from 2010-2018.

Ownership of the UOVHR publication was transferred in the second half of 2018 to the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling. Articles in Volume 41, No. 1 were coordinated by then editor Rebekah Karelis, former historian for Wheeling Heritage, with the Ohio County Public Library taking on the responsibility of editing and publishing Heritage’s final Review.

Volume 41, No. 2, a special Pandemic Edition of the UOVHR was the first edition completely designed and coordinated by the Ohio County Public Library. 

Coming In Late June:

Vol. 45, No. 2, Spring-Summer 2026, Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review:Wheeling & The Ohio Valley in the National Story

In keeping with the national celebration, but with our own perspective, the new summer 2026 edition of the Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review will explore the theme: “America 250: Wheeling and the Ohio Valley in the National Story.” This volume will delve into areas in which our Valley has had a national impact in the 250 years since Independence was declared, including a fresh look at the Sieges of Fort Henry and local skirmishes to the extent that they had an impact on the war at large; an essay on two military leaders that visited the Ohio Valley area after the American Revolution: The Marquis de Lafayette in Wheeling and James Varnum, a founding member of the Ohio Company, which established Marietta, Ohio; Wheeling as an early Gateway West- a river, road, and rail transportation hub; a look into what extent the Wheeling Conventions and West Virginia Statehood may have impacted the outcome of the Civil War; and Landmark Cases: The legal cases with local origins and national significance.

The latest edition published by the Library is Volume 45, No. 1, Fall/Winter 2025.

Get a copy at the Circulation Desk!

Out of town? Contact us.

UOVHR content has historically included articles, transcribed documents, book reviews, and accounts of the economic, political, social, and cultural history of the greater Wheeling area contributed by historians and scholars. OCPL looks forward to publishing the UOVHR and continuing this great tradition for years to come.

Looking for back issues of the UOVHR?

All of the previously published UOVHRs are now digitized.

➤ Visit our "Document Center" and click on the decade folders under the "Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review" folder to access these pdfs.