Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, Serving West Virginia's First District


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     Ohio County is one of the smallest yet one of the most historically prominent of West Virginia's 55 counties. Nestled between the borders of Pennsylvania and Ohio, its 107 square miles form the heart of the state's slender Northern Panhandle. To its west, the county is flanked by the Ohio River from which it received its name. Ohio is an Indian name meaning "great river."

     French explorers under the command of Celoron de Blainville first claimed ownership of the territory in 1749, yet the battle for actual possession was fought several decades later between English settlers and the native Indian population. One of the county's earliest white settlements was established in 1770 by Ebenezer Zane, who staked a claim upon the present site of Wheeling. Over the ensuing decade, Zane's claim became the center of a small community, due in part to the erection of nearby Fort Fincastle in 1774. In 1776, the name was changed to Fort Henry, in honor of Governor Patrick Henry of Virginia. The fort was attacked several times during the Revolution. During the seige in 1782 Betty Zane saved the fort by replenishing its supply of powder.

     Ohio County was officially formed from the district of West Augusta in 1776. The American Revolution slowed traffic into the area, which was besieged by a series of Indian attacks. Rapid growth resumed following the Revolution, so that by the time of the first census in 1790 the county had 5,212 inhabitants.

     Prosperity continued into the early decades of the 19th Century. Due to Wheeling's strategic location on the Ohio River and also to its selection as the terminus of the United States' first east-west roadway, the area soon evolved into a leading center of commerce. An abundance of nearby coal, iron ore and other natural resources made the area an ideal industrial location.

     With its strong ties to northern industry, Ohio County became a hotbed of Unionism during the Civil War. When the state of Virginia joined the Confederacy in 1861, a dissenting Reformed Government of Virginia was established with Wheeling as its capital. Wheeling remained the capital city when the new state of West Virginia was formed by an act of Congress in 1863, though the seat of government eventually passed to Charleston.

     Ohio County's status as the industrial hub of West Virginia continued throughout the later decades of the 19th Century and into the 20th. The county's population had reached over 73,000 at the outbreak of World War II. Yet the war itself marked the advent of a gradual decline in inhabitants.

     Wheeling was known alternately as Zanesburg and Weelin (an Indian word meaning place of the skull) in its early years. The city was incorporated in 1806 and officially chartered by the Virginia Assembly in 1836. With a population in excess of 8,000, by the latter year the city had become a robust industrial center embracing no fewer than ten glass and glassware manufacturers, four iron foundries and many other factories. As the western terminus of both the national roadway and eventually the B&O; Railroad, the city was an important east-west crossroad. A bridge built over the Ohio River by the city in 1849 was, at the time, the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a 1,010-foot span.

     A variety of cultural endeavors followed closely on the heels of the city's industrial and technological advances. A library, a theater and a variety of schools and academies were all established by the mid-19th Century. The city can also boast a vigorous concert life and singing society tradition. Wheeling's musical reputation is well-known to all listeners of radio station WWVA, which since its inception has made the city a center of country music.

     The city is the home of Wheeling Jesuit University and West Virginia Northern Community College. Also located in Wheeling are two of the region's best-known preparatory schools -- The Linsly School and Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy. Oglebay Resort and Conference Center is regarded as one of the finest educational-recreational centers in the country.

     West Liberty carries the distinction of being the first chartered town in the Ohio Valley (1787). Originally known as Black's Cabin after the site of Ohio County's first judicial meeting, the town also served as the county seat between 1777-97. West Liberty is perhaps best known today as the site of West Liberty State College, whose lineage extends back to the founding of West Liberty Academy in 1837.

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(From E. Lee North's 'The 55 West Virginias,' published by West Virginia University Press. Used with permission.)

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