The New Student's Reference Work/Wheeling, W. Va.

Wheel′ing, W. Va., county-seat of Ohio County, in the narrow strip known as the Panhandle, on Ohio River. Part of the city is built on an island in the river, connected with the mainland by a suspension bridge. It has the capitol building, used for governmental purposes while it was the capital of West Virginia, postoffice, custom-house, public library, opera-house and other fine buildings. It is chiefly known as a manufacturing city, the coal in the region furnishing an abundance of cheap fuel as well as natural gas, which is used in many factories. There are blast-furnaces, iron-foundries and forges, manufactories of mowing and reaping machines, steam-engines, wagons, carriages, nails, leather, paper, extensive glass-factories, potteries and cigar-factories. It was the capital of West Virginia until 1870 and in 1875. Population 41,641.