(Publisher’s Note: A brand new era for the former campus of the Ohio Valley Medical Center very well could be upon us this year, but the history of the beginning, the growth during decades, the sale to Alecto-West Virginia, and the unexpected closure on Sept. 2019.)

The Ohio Valley Medical Center that closed in 2019 was a development that evolved from the first hospital that was constructed and opened in the city of Wheeling.

City Hospital was located on the east corner of Chapline and 21st streets. As the city of Wheeling grew, so did the need for a bigger hospital. The Ohio Valley General Hospital (OVGH) was built on the hill behind the City Hospital. As time went on, the hospital that we all remember on the hill became too small and Ohio Valley Medical Center (OVMC) was born.

During the OVGH tenure, one of the greatest nursing educational facilities was created. The large, five-story nursing structure had a dormitory, classrooms, and a large auditorium for lectures. The students stayed at the facility and it took three years to complete. All of the buildings are still here but the nurses’ residence is in need of demolition.

It has been a passion of mine to showcase and preserve Wheeling’s rich history with this series of historic photographs that briefly highlight a business or building that is “Gone Forever” from the fabric of Wheeling life and the Ohio Valley.

I hope with this series I will be able to show the large amount of industry and businesses that thrived here in the early 1930’s and 1940’s, attracting people from many countries and all walks of life who all helped make Wheeling the greatest city in West Virginia.

If you have suggestions on a favorite business or location that is gone please submit that to me at cre8m@comcast.net I will do my best to search out and tell that story.

A color postcard of a hospital.
This was the first hospital constructed in the city of Wheeling.
A postcard of a hospital.
This postcard shows the size of the structure, and it still stands today.
A color image of a hospital.
OVGH filled the needs for Wheeling residents, but growth was needed in the 1950s.
A photo with old cars.
This is how the facade of the nursing school appeared when it was opened.
A photo of a vacant warehouse.
Thornton shot this photo from inside the vacant and dilapidated property on 19th Street in East Wheeling.
A photo of a man with grey hair.
James Thornton

James Thornton has published several volumes of history on the city of Wheeling, and those interested in purchasing one of them can do so by contacting him at cre8m@comcast.net or visit the Creative Impressions website. The books can be purchased at the Wheeling Heritage Center, Kroger on Mount de Chantal Road, Miklas Meat Market, Nail City Records, the UPS Store in the Washington Avenue Plaza, VC Wares at Centre Market, Bower’s Decorating at The Highlands, and on the website www.wheelinghistory.net.

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