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Capitalizing on Past For Wheeling’s Future

Editor, News-Register:

The last couple of years, I have been researching Wheeling’s history. The city that started as a frontier town, then transitioned into being an important stop for westward movement, then became a staple in manufacturing. All of these stages are something to be proud of. Through all of these stages, Wheeling was able to be thriving city.

However, that’s not the case anymore. The once bustling city is now a ghost of its former self. The grand buildings that now stand empty, are now skeletons. The pictures of the lively Main and Market Street, are now ghosts that haunt their former home.

As someone who was not alive to experience the heyday, the research that I have done has uncovered absolutely incredible details about the city. These stories, maps, and photographs show a city that was once great, and should continue to be.

The new city officials that were just elected into office in November are right when they say that Wheeling needs some new life downtown. Their approach of completely leveling off two blocks to let the new company build their own offices is not the right approach. Letting this new business dictate the appearance of buildings that they do not own around them is not the way business should be done.

One of the newly elected officials ran his campaign on wanting to help preserve Wheeling’s history. I even had the pleasure of attending a talk he had at the library last year, stating that cities that use their existing, historic building and run businesses from them, create more profit and generate more business because the buildings are multistoried and everything is within walking distance.

So why was this not done? Why were city blocks leveled? Why were vaults that could have been held a key to the early frontier days were completely destroyed? Why was the place from which the hockey team got their name demolished?

These are all questions that will be asked by the next generations. These are things that have made people proud to call Wheeling their home. These are things that make me mourn for my city.

Memories are fragile and there is a risk of Wheeling losing the last 150 years. It has already begun. The days of Fort Henry, Lewis Wetzel, and Betty Zane are largely myth. We cannot let that happen to the great manufacturing days.

I still stand by my belief that Wheeling should be made a historic city and welcome tourists. The history will be preserved and would be shared with people from near and far wanting to take a piece of Wheeling home with them. Downtown would not be offices and large companies for blocks, but would be small, family run businesses to power the city’s economy. These are my dreams, and the dreams of many others for my beloved city. Not one run by lawyers and big business. Wheeling needs to be proud again, and the people who are proud of her need to help.

Harley Amos

Wheeling

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