Photo by Betty Jo Sproull Mary McKinley, an Ohio Valley General Hospital History Group member, smiles as she holds one of two time capsules discovered inside cornerstones at the former Ohio Valley Medical Center campus. The time capsules are slated to be opened at 1 p.m. April 27 at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Wheeling.

WHEELING – Two time capsules discovered in cornerstones of former Ohio Valley Medical Center campus buildings are slated to be opened at an April 27 ceremony at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Wheeling.

The public event will begin at 1 p.m. Bricks recovered from the site’s buildings will also be available for people to take as keepsakes from the campus.

The buildings on the hospital campus are being razed to make way for construction of a new regional cancer center by WVU Medicine.

Mary McKinley, an Ohio Valley General Hospital History Group member and former OVMC nurse administrator, said the event will also include music, a history presentation about the hospital and a blessing of the contents of the boxes. One is from the 1912 building and the other from the 1980 building.

“We’re calling it a ceremonial opening because we’re planning to do something in advance. We chose to do it at St. Matthew’s because that’s where the hospital got its start,” McKinley said. “Ten women at the church, known as the Hospital 10, thought the area needed another hospital. … With help from the church and other churches in the area they put together the funds.”

She noted the church’s seating can accommodate up to about 500 people. There will also be lemonade and cookies available afterward in the church hall.

McKinley said the group still plans to preserve the old OVGH letters affixed to a tower on the 1912 building. They hope to find a good place to display the letters.

The group has already retrieved many items from the hospital to keep and hopefully display in the future. They have been sifting through the artifacts and documents at the Ohio County Public Library’s Wheeling Room. Many photos have already been scanned and can be seen on the library’s website.

McKinley hopes the time capsules event provides some closure for former OVMC employees who were stunned by the sudden closure of the hospital by its former owner, Alecto Healthcare Services, in 2019.

McKinley said the group’s goal is to make sure the impact the hospital and its workers made on the Ohio Valley is recognized and preserved. She said help from the community, the city of Wheeling, the library and the contractor on site has been a blessing.

In addition to McKinley, the OVGH History Group committee members include Betty Jo Sproull, Jim Stultz, Margaret Brennan, Peggy Porter, Bekah Karelis, Michele Rejonis and Laura Carroll.