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McLure Marker Replaced at Wheeling’s Mount Wood Cemetery

WHEELING – Almost six years after it was damaged on a stormy August night, an iconic fixture of Wheeling’s Mount Wood Cemetery has returned to its rightful place.

The headstone marker for Capt. John McLure Jr., located in “Section A,” at the highest point in the cemetery, was crushed by an oak tree – damage that would take more several years and $4,000 to correct.

According to Wheeling Heritage historian Bekah Karelis, the marker was crafted with zinc – referred to during the time of its creation as “white bronze.” The material was popular during the Victorian area due to its blue patina hue.

John McLure Jr. came as an infant to Wheeling, where his father, Andrew, was a manufacturer. At the age of 17, McLure apprenticed as a steam engine builder under Arthur M. Phillips Sr. at his foundry on North Main Street, where he developed an interest in river navigation.

His first job on the river was in 1836 as a striker and steam engineer, and he rose to the level of steamboat captain by age 24. In 1845, McLure partnered with master ship carpenter William H. Dunlevy to open a boatyard on the North Wheeling riverbank where they built the “Senate,” used by Henry Clay on his way to Washington, D.C.

Later, with partner William List, McLure founded the well-known “Union Line” in 1853. This line consisted of seven steamboats that ran between Louisville and Wheeling and served the B&O Railroad.

During the Civil War, McLure and his boat, the “Eunice,” transported Union troops, gaining him the title of commodore in the U.S. Navy.

In 1873, McLure purchased the McLure House Hotel, which had been built and operated by his uncle, also named John McLure.

He continued to invest in real estate and became a stockholder in the Panhandle Railroad.

He was also instrumental in the return of the seat of government of West Virginia to Wheeling. He served as chairman of the Wheeling Removal Committee and was onboard the “Emma Graham,” the boat that was responsible for transporting state property from Charleston to Wheeling on May 31, 1875.

In 1893, McLure died at age 77 at his home on South Front Street. During his 40-year career on the river, he owned or captained 18-20 boats.

According to Karelis, Wheeling Heritage contracted with local ironmaster Jeff Forster to repair the damage to McLure’s grave marker.

“This style of marker was popular around the turn of the century and ours dates from the 1890s after being ordered from a catalog. It is important to us to see it restored because it is in a section of Mount Wood that we have a major focus on,” Karelis said. “Jeff Forster does have a very strong background in metal workings and preservation. We’ve worked with him on a number of projects throughout the years, and he knows what he’s doing. For the zinc, we needed someone who is well-versed in restoring metal, and Jeff is that guy.”

Forster operates AMF Artistic Metals, a decorative ironworks and metal restoration business in Wheeling. His work can be found throughout the Ohio Valley, in fencework, railing, gates and religious pieces – and at Heritage Port Gateway Park in downtown Wheeling, where his 800-pound elephant sculpture, “Bobo,” stands.

Forster also teaches also has taught blacksmithing classes at Belmont Technical College. He said the project came with challenges, but also many rewards.

“I see a lot about what happens to all kinds of decorative metals over hundreds of years in all the restorations that I do,” Forster said. “Bekah is always looking for the right people to do the work at Mount Wood with all of these different materials from marble, sandstone, cast iron and more. … Three or four years ago we wanted to repair it, but they had to do fundraising.”

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