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Laughlin Memorial Chapel in Wheeling Planning 150th Anniversary Celebration

Laughlin Memorial Chapel is planning a celebration weekend in September to honor its 150th anniversary.

The festivities will include a dinner on Sept. 17 and a community luncheon on Sept. 18. The dinner is slated for 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Scottish Rite Temple. Tickets are $75 each. Attendees are asked to wear their “Sunday best attire.”

“The Saturday dinner theme celebrates the chapel’s history and Presbyterian roots, with a little Scottish flair,” according to the chapel. Wheeling Chef Rocco Basil will be catering the event.

Musical entertainment will be provided by the Celtic Lads.

The following day, Sunday, Sept. 18, there will be a Community Worship service at 11 a.m. led by James Ellison, former chapel director. Following the service, a free soul food luncheon will be held at noon at the chapel, located at 129 18th St., Wheeling. Women from the community will be preparing the luncheon, and a reservation is required.

Both reservations and ticket purchases should be completed by Sept. 2.

Martha Wright, director of Laughlin Memorial Chapel, said the Saturday dinner also serves as a fundraiser of sorts for the chapel, while the luncheon is free.

“One of the nice things about having a fundraiser is that we’re able to offer the free community celebration the next day,” she said.

Tickets for the Saturday dinner can be purchased online at laughlinmemorialchapel.org where a reservation for the Sunday lunch can also be made. People can also call the chapel to buy tickets or to make a reservation at 304-232-2630.

The main church building itself is actually older than 150 years, but the chapel became a mission of the Presbyterian Church in 1872. A new addition was built in 2005.

“The building has been a lot of different things – a homeless shelter, a preschool. It was probably from the 1960s and ’70s that it just focused on young people,” Wright said.

She said the building received its name after the passing of George Laughlin, a prominent Wheeling businessman who helped the community in many ways, in 1936. Laughlin, she said, was known for his 0% home loans that helped many people buy their first homes in Wheeling. The loan program still exists today at WesBanco bank, she noted.

“It really speaks to his character. … He had a lot of wealth and put it back into the community,” she said.

Laughlin, she added, believed that home ownership was an important part of building a community.

“His legacy has helped a lot of people get homes in this community. He was an ardent supporter of the chapel so they put his name on it,” she said.

In 1872, First Presbyterian Church purchased the chapel from the Lutheran Church. It was named the 18th Street Chapel before being renamed in Laughlin’s honor.

“The Chapel’s 150 years is a legacy of love and service that is a significant part of the DNA of our community,” said Board President the Rev. David Demarest. “So many people are ‘Chapel people’ and we look forward to celebrating with Chapel kids, staff, volunteers, and friends – both old and new.”

Wright noted the chapel has touched many people’s lives in many ways over the years. From volunteers past and present, to children who attended afterschool programs and summertime programs or youth in the girls club.

“It’s always felt like an honor to be working in this institution,” she said.

Sponsors of the event include Bordas & Bordas, the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, Vance Memorial Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian Church of Wheeling, WesBanco, the Holloway Group, Ziegenfelder’s, Altmeyer Funeral Homes, Carenbauer Distributing, and various community members.

Wright said she plans to post a history of the church, written by retired history professor David Javersak, on the chapel’s website in September.

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