While the Bissonnette Gardens near the Oglebay Mansion and the rows of beautiful pedals along the entrance of Wilson Lodge obviously are crafted creations, the rest of Oglebay’s rolling landscape may appear as nature’s random beauty.
Most likely, that’s what thousands of visitors will believe next weekend while enjoying the park’s annual “Oglebayfest” celebration, but it’s all very much planned and purposeful.
Oglebay Park, a gift given by Col. Earl Oglebay to the City of Wheeling, is a 2,000-acre public park that operates through guest revenue and offers more free activities than any other similar park in the country. There are three 18-hole golf courses, a nine-hole Par 3 and driving range that transitions to the Nutting Winter Complex during the region’s colder months, the AZA-accredited Good Zoo, a tennis center, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, more than 50 vacation cottages, and the 258-room Wilson Lodge and Conference Center.
And it’s all surrounded by planned and purposeful beauty.
“The horticulture of this land was very important to Colonel Oglebay and that was his biggest reason why he came here, purchased the land he did, and worked on the farming research he conducted,” Whitehouse said. “So, the work we continue to do here on this land touches on that history, and that’s why we have Ryan Wilson as our director of horticulture. He does a fantastic job with our gardens throughout our parks, and with the park’s grounds, too.
“Ryan makes sure the hilltop is pristine, and he takes care of everything around Wilson Lodge, as well,” she explained. “His work is so appreciated that we have people who donate funds specifically for the park’s horticulture. Those folks want that beauty to remain because it sets a tone for our visitors, and because it’s a big part of who we are here at Oglebay.”
A little more than a year ago, the Wheeling Park Commission entered into a partnership with the EQT Corporation that focuses on a number of environmental sustainability programs for more than 1,000 acres of wooded areas surrounding both Oglebay and Wheeling parks.
According to Oglebay’s website, “The partnership is implementing Conservation Practice Standards (CPS) outlined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and will align to Verra guidelines to ensure the effectiveness of emissions reductions and removals. EQT is removing invasive species including autumn olive, privet and oriental bittersweet. Once the land is cleared, EQT is replanting the areas with a variety of native species including American chestnut, black walnut, sycamore, aspen, red oak, white oak, black locust, yellow poplar, red maple, sugar maple, serviceberry, and hawthorn trees. This incredible biodiversity will re-establish acres of hardwood trees that will attract songbirds and other wildlife.”
“I’m sure many of our guests have noticed new saplings have been planted throughout the park in the spring, and that was part of our partnership with EQT for forest management. It’s a part of our sustainability program and that’s why it’s important to us to remove invasive species to free up the ability for our trees to grow,” Whitehouse explained. “The EQT partnership also allows us to identify areas where we need new species and where some trees need replaced so we can have the healthiest environment.
“When we are able to add acreage to what we have here, one of the first things we do is go in, identify what’s on the property, and go from there as far as enhancing what belongs and getting rid of what doesn’t,” she said. “We see it as an environmental stewardship because we’re taking care of this land so it can be as beautiful in 100 years as it is today.”
Col. Oglebay’s initial purchase in Ohio County included 25 acres in 1901, but he grew his land ownership to 750 acres and then willed it to the City in 1926. Since the Wheeling Park Commission and the Oglebay Foundation expanded the park’s hilltop footprint to a little more than 2,000 acres.
Wheeling Park, in contrast, was an estate that was developed into a privately owned amusement park by the Reymann Brewing Company in the early 1990s. Following World War I and the implementation of prohibition in West Virginia in 1914, several civic and city leaders created the five-member Wheeling Park Commission. Wheeling Park then became public property in 1925, and the planning process for the facility’s 100th birthday already is under way.
“It’s hard to believe Wheeling Park will be 100 years old in April of next year, and we’re very proud to see it still being utilized by so many members of our community,” Whitehouse said. “The new Stifel Playground is an incredible addition, and we’ll be seeing more improvements at Wheeling Park in the near future.
“Plus, we’re very fortunate that the (Wheeling Park) Commission and the Oglebay Foundation have had the foresight to purchase adjacent properties when they have become available, and that’s because we’re attempting to spread our environment programs in the spirit of Colonel Oglebay,” Whitehouse said. “Some of the property that has been purchased over the years is now being used by Wheeling Park High School for athletic fields, and other properties, by design, have remained untouched and are naturally beautiful.”
(Cover photo by Tammy Kruse)
