The Aetnaville Bridge

The Aetnaville Bridge was constructed in 1891 and linked the north end of Wheeling Island to Aetnaville, or what is now the north end of Bridgeport, OH.  Although the village of Aetnaville is no longer existent, the bridge served horses, automobiles, and pedestrians up until December of 1988 when it was deemed unsafe and closed to autos.    Since 1988 pedestrians and cyclist have been using the bridge.  At a recent Preservation Forum sponsored by the Friends of Wheeling and the National Heritage Area Corporation, the audience was asked to brainstorm about their top 5 endangered buildings/structures in Wheeling.
Here's the list:

1. Fort Henry Club
2. Aetnaville Bridge
3. 15^th Street, East Wheeling
4. Monument Place
5. Professional Building

The Wheeling Heritage Trails association has a plan to save and preserve the bridge.  As part of their extension plan for the trail they plan on using the bridge as a gateway to west.  Aside from cyclist, pedestrians from Wheeling Island, Bridgeport, OH, and Martins Ferry, OH use the bridge everyday.  Many of those pedestrians do not own cars, and the bridge provides a shorter route to and from work, school, or the grocery store.  Recently the bridge has been ruled unsafe by engineers, and in the near future may be sealed off completely.  If that happens engineers will have to examine if funds should be set aside to repair/preserve the bridge, or demolish it.
  

Portions of East Wheeling Face Demolition

On Monday January 23, 2012 a judge in Wheeling ruled that portions of 15th and 16th streets in Wheeling between Wood and McCulloch streets could be taken by way of eminent domain for a sports complex that will be for "public" use.  The block contains numerous buildings and homes - some inhabited, some abandoned.  Homeowners in this area are frustrated by what they say is a lack of communication about the proposed sports complex and its plan for "public use."

The Friends of Wheeling had the opportunity to tour some of the buildings in September and were able to get an up close look at this historic block.  One of the neglected structures is an apartment building that was once owned by the famed racketeer Bill Lias.  A few of the other buildings are home to industrious residents who have been preserving and restoring their homes, but have since halted due to the uncertainty of their neighborhoods status.  The ages of these buildings date anywhere from the 1850's (if not earlier) up until the late Victorian era.  Homeowners will appeal the recent decision to the State Supreme Court.

The Manchester Bridge - Wheeling, WV

Towards the south end of what is Rock Point Road, near what used to be the location of the Reymann Brewing Company, was a vital link to what was considered the back way to Wheeling.

Traveling south on Rock Point Road, you would have crossed the Manchester Bridge over Big Wheeling Creek on to 17th street in Wheeling.  According to an atlas from 1873 this section of Wheeling would have been called Manchester or New Manchester, possibly relating to a one time property owner.  

The 1873 atlas shows a bridge crossing Big Wheeling Creek in the general vicinity, and even a search on Google maps today shows a bridge, but all that remains is the stand stone abutment that once carried traffic across the bridge.  As the stand stone abutment, this area around the south end of Rock Point Road is virtually abandoned.  Some of the brick buildings that remain date back to the Reymann Brewery.  

• what remains
• standing on what's left on the bridge. 
• no entry

Click on the above photograph and scroll over the photograph to find a
"note" as the where the bridge used to be.

Wheeling Architecture - Brackets

One goal of the Fort Henry Gazette is to educate readers about the city's historic architecture.  We'll start with brackets.  As defined by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission - a bracket is "a projecting angled or curved form used as a support, found in conjunction with balconies, lintels, pediments, cornices, etc."  Brackets are a well known architectural feature throughout Wheeling on many homes and businesses.  The buildings shown in this post can be found in the Centre Market area. 
  

Mount de Chantal Academy - Gone

Mount de Chantal Academy was originally founded in 1848 by Richard V. Whelan and in1865 they moved from their downtown Wheeling Eoff street location to what was just recently demolished.  Although it was a challenge to construct their new campus during and after the Civil War - a peaceful educational campus was created 2 miles away from the hustle and bustle of Wheeling.  To learn more about the complete history of the Mount, view or download The Mount de Chantal Centenary book.  For 160 years the school "provided an outstanding education for girls," but in the Spring of 2008 the school announced that it was closing.  Saddened by the loss of such a historic institution, residents of Ohio County and Mount de Chantal alumni started various efforts and campaigns to save and preserve the historic campus.  In the fall of 2009 Mount de Chantal opened its doors for one weekend and selected rooms were open for tours.  At a later date alumni were invited back for a reunion and one more walk through the halls they once roamed.

In the Spring of 2010 items from the Mount were inventoried and cataloged for an upcoming auction to rid the building of its contents.  The first auction occurred on a drizzly overcast Saturday in June of 2010.  Tents were set up on the front lawn of the campus and historic artifacts and antiques from the Mount were auctioned off.  Probably one of the more unique items auctioned was a 6 1/2 feet long Wheeling made Hobbs and Brockuiner Chandelier that was purchased by the Corning Glass Musuem of New York, and a smaller version of the same chandelier that was purchased by Independence Hall in Wheeling.  After Independence Hall's purchase they installed the chandelier in the Wheeling Room.  A second auction was held on a sweltering July Saturday.  Items were lined throughout the main buildings basement and the gymnasium.  With the Mounts contents gone - the building lost a major part of its life. Throughout 2011 campaigns were still active throughout the Ohio Valley to save the Mount, but quietly other plans were being carried out.  View one of those campaigns at savethemount.com. In August of 2011 Wheeling Hospital purchased the property for an unknown amount.  Shortly afterwards workers could be seen dismantling architectural salvage from the buildings and in November demolition began.

All that remains is the nun's dormitory that was built sometime in the 1980's, the gymnasium, and a cemetery.  Below are links about Mount de Chantal since its closing.

• A WV-PBS story on the Mounts closing in 2008
• Part 2 of the above video
• A article about the nuns departure from the Mount
• A article about one of the Mounts auctions
• A article about the demolition