McColloch’s Leap Monument in Wheeling Restored, Relocated
Eric Ayres Trending
The McColloch's Leap Monument has a fresh new look and a much more accessible home atop Wheeling Hill, not far from the spot where it stood marking the historic National Road site for more than a century.
Officials from the Fort Henry Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution were on hand Thursday at the landmark's new home just across the street from its former location. The newly restored monument was lowered into place in a welcoming new mini-plaza that was built specifically for it to be showcased.
The bronze monument was originally placed along National Road in 1917 by the West Virginia chapter of the Daughters of the Revolution of 1775. The sandstone structure displaying an embossed bronze tablet was placed there to commemorate the 140th anniversary of Major Samuel McColloch's daring feat of bravery.
As stated on the tablet, McColloch was a "daring scout" and a "gallant soldier" who in September 1777 -- while attempting the relief of Fort Henry in Wheeling -- escaped an overwhelming body of Native American fighters "by forcing his horse over this precipice."
McColloch's leap became a landmark solidified in local lore as one of the most valiant Wheeling-area events of the Revolutionary War era, rivaled only by Betty Zane's legendary gunpowder run.
Before Interstate 70 was completed in 1966, this section of National Road accommodated an increasing amount of motor vehicle traffic. The monument had been much more accessible to the public before National Road was widened to the point where only a portion of deteriorating sidewalk allowed an occasional pedestrian to actually read the plaque. Otherwise, the monument was all but ignored by motorists driving by the nearly forgotten monument.
"It was inaccessible, and it was in terrible condition," said Jay Frey, president of the local group that spearheaded the monuments restoration and relocation. "This is the Fort Henry Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution's signature project for America 250 in 2026. We're doing some other projects, but this is the biggie."
Thursday's placement of the newly renovated plaque and new stone monument that holds it was a milestone in the three-year undertaking. Plans had been in the works for the project long before the tablet was removed from its original spot in June of last year. Donations from many different entities helped make the ambitious project possible.
"It was all done by donations," Frey said. "The lead donor was the city of Wheeling, which gave us $50,000 from its ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds."
Other major donors included the Elizabeth Stifel Kline Foundation, Rotary Club of Wheeling and the George Washington Endowment, National Sons of the American Revolution, along with several others. In total, the project cost about $145,000 to complete. An honor roll of donors to the restoration was included on the reverse side of the new stone structure.
Old stone pieces from the original monument have been placed in a semicircle around the new monument, along with some other pieces of old foundation from the high school house at Echo Point Circle donated by Thomas Hazlett. These stone blocks create a mini-plaza with a flagpole in the center which was donated by Savage Construction. Crews from Savage helped place the monument on its new pedestal on Thursday, as did representatives of Boswell Monuments - who restored the bronze tablet and made the new granite monument.
"It went very well," Jason Weiss of Boswell Monuments said of the restoration. "It was a little bit of a tedious process, but they were able to strip it down, restore it back to the original finish and then redo the coatings and backgrounding, go through and do the patina and polishing for the lettering to come back in. I told Jay that this was probably one of the best plaque restorations we've done. From start to finish -- from what it originally was to what it is now, it's amazing how it turned out."
The before-and-after difference of the tablet's condition is truly eye-popping, observes on hand Thursday noted.
A final phase of the project will be completed next month by Top Notch Landscaping. A dedication event will be scheduled this fall, Frey said.
The new site is at an accessible parcel at the intersection of National Road, Mt. Wood Road and Pike Street - very appropriately across from the locally famous Mingo statue at the top of Wheeling Hill. The property was donated by Ray and Dina Carney of Wheeling.