Wheeling, West Virginia, is a haven for history enthusiasts. Iconic landmarks like The West Virginia Independence Hall, Wheeling Station, and the Wheeling Suspension Bridge draw visitors in from far and wide. Unfortunately, I bet few people visit the city’s Ohio County Courthouse to absorb its architectural stylings of. The building stands in stark contrast to the city’s historic treasures and reflects the utilitarian trends of the late 1950s.
Named for the river, Ohio County was formed in 1776 from a portion of the District of West Augusta, Virginia1. The community of Black’s Cabin -later named West Liberty2– was designated as the county seat in 1777. Two years later, its frame courthouse became the first county courthouse in the Mississippi watershed3. Miraculously, the federal-style building stood until 20204.
Officials moved to the more prosperous village of Wheeling in 17995. Initially, they met at John Gooding’s inn before an official courthouse was built on Tenth Street between Main and Market. About 30 feet square, the squat building featured a hipped roof and a “chicken coop” belfry6. Travelers from Kentucky and Virginia frequently mistook it for a smokehouse7!
A smokehouse courthouse wouldn’t do, so officials built Wheeling’s second courthouse at the southeast corner of Monroe and Fourth Streets in 1839. The two-story, Greek Revival building featured six massive columns that supported a heavy portico and a two-tiered bell tower8. It served Ohio County as differences between divergent Virginian factions came to a head.
Those factors finally led West Virginia to secede from Virginia in 1861. Two years later, it became the only state in the Union to separate from a Confederate state during the Civil War! Wheeling was ground zero for most of the politics behind West Virginia’s secession and became the de facto capital of West Virginia9.
Charleston was designated as the state’s seat of government in 1865. Unfortunately, the city was remote and lacked a connection to the railroad. In response, officials in Wheeling offered to erect a new state capitol if the legislature agreed. They did! Designed by J.S. Fairfield and built for $120,000, the three-story Second Empire structure featured an eighty-foot tower10.
Unfortunately, Wheeling’s second stint as state capital was short-lived. A remonstrance in 1876 moved the capital back to Charleston the following year. After a new capitol was completed, architect Charles P. Hamilton remodeled Wheeling’s to serve dual purposes as city hall and county courthouse11. For the rest of its life, the northern half of the building was used by Ohio County. Wheeling proper took over the southern portion.
J.S. Fairfield’s landmark courthouse was eventually deemed archaic12. A campaign to replace the elderly structure began in the 1940s, but World War II made it impossible. Levies to fund a new courthouse finally passed in 195513, and the old courthouse met the wrecking ball the following year.
Although the building was called “a monument to area progress” shortly after it was built, the present Ohio County Courthouse isn’t much of a landmark today. The buff brick building sits on a hill and consists of two blocks- a six-story northern section and a two-story wing that faces south.
Architecturally, the most interesting features I found were the building’s scalloped concrete spandrels that connect its recessed windows across vertical bands. I’d never seen them before, and they added visual texture to a courthouse that was otherwise nondescript. As a fan of mid-century typography, I also found kerning on the building’s brutalist, granite porticos a nice reminder of yesteryear.
For a city as rich in history as Wheeling, I found the Ohio County Courthouse to be a bit of a letdown. Despite that, the long drive home gave me plenty of time to reflect. I usually admire courthouses for their architectural beauty and historic significance, but I reminded myself that their main purpose is to uphold the justice system.
Not every courthouse needs to be aesthetically appealing, especially thanks to the inevitable changes in architectural tastes. For me, the true value of a courthouse lies in its functionality, its role within the legal system, and its historical significance. The Ohio County Courthouse only checks two of those boxes, but intriguing features like its scalloped spandrels, brutalist canopies, and unique kerning ultimately add interest to the modern structure.
That said, I’m glad it’s not my hometown courthouse!
TL;DR
Ohio County (pop. 41,447, 12/55)
Wheeling (pop. 26,391)
Built: 1960
Cost: $2.4 million
Architect: Frederic Faris, Jr.
Style: Modern
Courthouse Square: Shelbyville Square
Height: 6 stories
Current Use: County offices and courts
Photographed: 4/23/2018
Sources Cited
1 West Virginia Counties (n.d.). West Virginia Archives and History. West Virginia State Archives [Charleston]. Web. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
2 Capace, N. (1999). Encyclopedia of West Virginia. North American Book Distributors, LLC [Pinckney]. Book.
3 Fisanick, C. (2015, November 1). Weelunk [Wheeling]. Web. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
4 Kafana, M. (2020, October 23). History behind the old West Liberty courthouse that was recently torn down. The Trumpet [West Liberty]. Web. Retrieved July 8, 20 24.
5 Cranmer, G.B. (1902). History of Wheeling City and Ohio County, West Virginia and Representative Citizens. Biographical Publishing Company [Chicago]. Book.
6 Deacon, J. “Ohio County”. American Courthouses. 2008. Web. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
7 (See footnote 5).
8 Courthouse History. Keith Vincent. 2018. Web. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
9 Chisholm, H. (1911). West Virginia. The Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 28 (11th edition). Cambridge University Press [Cambridge]. Book.
10 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia (1921). Sanborn Map Company. Web. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
11 (See footnote 6).
12 City-County Building (n.d.). Ohio County Public Library [Wheeling]. Web. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
13 Wheeling City Council, 1960 (1960, January 30). Ohio County Public Library [Wheeling]. Photographic description. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
14 (See footnote 13).
