“A Cornerstone of History” – Senator Byrd’s Support for Preservation in Wheeling

By Jody Brumage

Senator Robert C. Byrd dedicated the Wheeling Heritage Port on August 15, 2001, a major project of the Wheeling National Heritage Area. In a statement delivered at the event, Senator Byrd declared the city of Wheeling to be “a cornerstone of history, a place where countless lives converged, in a busy, bustling collage of commerce. Thousands passed through this portal searching for their destiny.”
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Wheeling is one of West Virginia’s major cities, located in the state’s northern panhandle at its border with Ohio. Strategically located at a crossing of the Ohio River, the city grew as an important  trade post for settlers moving into the Northwest Territory in the late 18th century. During the Civil War, strong anti-slavery sentiment among the city’s citizens made it a center for the fight for West Virginia statehood. From 1861-63, Wheeling was the seat of the “Restored Government of Virginia” and with the recognition of West Virginia statehood by the U.S. Congress in 1863, it became the first capital of the new state.

The Wheeling Suspension Bridge, completed in 1849 is one of the landmarks preserved in the Wheeling National Heritage Area. The historic bridge, once the longest suspension bridge in the world, crosses the Ohio River.

Community efforts to preserve the city’s historic fabric made significant strides in the 1980's and 1990's. Seeking the support of Senator Byrd, leaders of the movement to establish a heritage area in Wheeling appealed to the senator’s well-known devotion to the study of history. For Senator Byrd, the project’s appeal went beyond the need to preserve the important history of Wheeling, becoming a key project in the senator’s efforts to build West Virginia’s tourism industry. In 1996 and 1997, Senator Byrd secured over $600,000.00 to evaluate the potential for a heritage area in Wheeling and study how such a project would coexist with the city’s existing attractions.

On October 11, 2000, the “Wheeling National Heritage Area Act” was signed into law by President Bill Clinton as part of the FY 2001 Interior Appropriations Bill. The bill was sponsored by Senator Byrd and passed the Senate on October 5, 2000. This was followed with appropriations of $2 million to construct the Wheeling Heritage Port, place exhibits in the former U.S. Customs House, West Virginia’s “Independence Hall,” and to provide operational funds for the Heritage Area.

West Virginia’s Independence Hall in Wheeling is preserved as part of the heritage area and regularly features exhibits on the city’s historic role in the battle for statehood. The structure was originally built as the U.S. Customs House in 1860. Photograph from the HABS Report on the West Virginia Independence Hall, Library of Congress.

The development of the heritage area coincided with two other projects which Senator Byrd supported in the 1990's. The Robert C. Byrd Inter-modal Transportation Center was built with an appropriation of $9.1 million and the Wheeling Artisan Center was completed in 1995 using $5.1 million in appropriations from Senator Byrd. All told, between 1990 and 2000, Senator Byrd secured more than $18 million to develop, establish, and support the Wheeling National Heritage Area.

Today, the national heritage area continues to support programs for economic revitalization in Wheeling’s historic downtown and port areas. The project is recognized as a successful partnership of public and private forces to produce beneficial economic impact in a depressed area through historic preservation.