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Greenwood Cemetery will be the site of ongoing historic tours from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, with the last tour beginning at 4:30.
Members of Friends of Wheeling will portray 14 characters from Wheeling’s history.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is not intended as a “ghost” tour, but rather is a way to highlight Wheeling’s past through the eyes of some of its more prominent residents from years past.
Jeanne Finstein, president of Friends of Wheeling, noted, “Extensive research has been done to ensure the accuracy of each presentation. Biographies, newspaper archives, city directories, obituaries, death certificates, interviews and various other sources have been used to recreate the lives of those who are included in this year’s tour.”
Two of Wheeling’s most enterprising entrepreneurs will be included this year. Stimson H. Woodward (portrayed by Hal Gorby) was one of the founders of LaBelle Nail. His vision led to the later establishment of the Alabama-based Woodward Iron Company, the largest such company in the south. Peter Cassell (portrayed by Greg Smith) was a founder and director of Central Glass, an East Wheeling company that was charged with counterfeiting after they produced “coin glass” objects.
Mike Medovic will portray the tragic figure of Dr. George Baird, a local medical doctor who was murdered by his colleague Dr. George Garrison, following a long-running feud. Another tragic story is that of Harrison Dunlevy (portrayed by Jeremy Morris), a prominent boat-builder and superintendent of the Steel Bridge prior to his untimely death.
Five characters date from the Civil War era. Glenn Elliott will portray Maj. Thomas H. Norton, decorated Union soldier and later the military mayor of Jackson, Miss., during Reconstruction. German immigrant August Rolf (portrayed by Dave Clutter) was a member of the local “German Rifles” and witnessed the hanging of abolitionist John Brown. Bekah Karelis will portray Gertrude Lamb, the daughter of attorney Daniel Lamb, who was the main writer of the state’s constitution. Gael Fincham will portray Anna Hartley Little, wife of Civil War ambulance manufacturer Arthur Little. And Lola Miller will portray Sarah Pannell Wilson, the wife and sister of Confederate supporters during the war.
More recent names include Texana Jordan (portrayed by Laurie Ruberg), who served as the art director of the Wheeling public schools, and attorney and philanthropist Henry Stifel Schrader (portrayed by Jay Frey), in whose honor Oglebay’s Schrader Environmental Center was named.
Other featured presentations will include Judi Hendrickson as medical doctor and community activist Lydia Cromwell Hearne; Kate Quinn as Nellie Egerter Faris, the wife of noted Wheeling architect Frederick Faris; and Jeanne Finstein as Sallie Maxwell Bennett, the mother of noted WWI aviator Louis Bennett, Jr. and the great grandmother of Congressman David McKinley.
Two, seven-character tours are offered.
Each tour involves walking from gravesite to gravesite, with most of the route on the paved roadways of Greenwood Cemetery. Adults and children are welcome and will be led through the tour by guides. Participants are encouraged to park at Wheeling Park, and limousines from Kepner, Altmeyer, and Grisell Funeral Homes will transport them to and from the cemetery.
In addition to Friends of Wheeling, sponsors of the tour include the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation, Greenwood Cemetery, Louis Niebergall Ice Company and Stages of Wheeling.