We see the photos and we’re thankful we were part of what made this valley a special place, and we hated when the end was announced because of profit margins, dilapidation, or mismanagement.
But our memories will live on forever, especially when it comes to the spectacle that was Jamboree In the Hills, the former Wheeling Inn in downtown Wheeling, and the campus once known as the Ohio Valley Medical Center in Center Wheeling.
Not only are recollections collected about all three on the Facebook page, “Memories of Wheeling,” but history will tell stories about the saved lives, the great shows, and those crazy nights and great meals with the magnificent views of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge spanning the Ohio River.
Take Me Home, Country Roads
It was a tradition born in downtown Wheeling that exploded in the rolling hills of East Ohio, but what Jamboree in the Hills became is what ultimately led to its death following the 2018 four-day festival.
Changes had been made through the years so some traditions could continue, and that include the biggest one – rolling a cooler into the venue filled with a day’s worth of legal, alcoholic beverages – but Live Nation’s attempts to make economic changes resulted in rebellions and death threats.
So, a “hiatus” was announced, and ultimately it signaled the true end of what will always be remembered as our favorite third weekend of July.
What followed was four years of the impressive “Blame My Roots Festival,” and once co-founder Chris Dutton retired that event, he created the ultra-successful “Ranch Night,” a one-evening country show in early June at the Dutton Cattle Farm near Flushing, Ohio. Well over 1,000 fans attended to see performances by several local artists but also by country star Bryan Martin and the legendary Sammy Kershaw.
“Ranch Night 2025” is scheduled for June 6th with on-site camping now available. According to Dutton, the lineup will be released in the near future.
Highlight to Lowlight
The Downtowner Motel was opened on the corner of 10th and Main streets in downtown Wheeling in 1956, and the lodge was purchased by Boury Enterprises in 1979 and was completely renovated into a travel destination that featured good food, great nightlife, and above-standard accommodations.
Initially, “Fabulous Fannies” was a very popular nightclub that enhanced the entertainment atmosphere in that area of the downtown, and then after the interior was transformed in favor of event catering, the Riverside Restaurant & Lounge became of the area’s favorite upscale eateries.
The Wheeling Inn, however, was purchased by Nalini LLC more than 20 years ago, and, following a disputed police investigation, the structure was deemed a nuisance property by the City of Wheeling in May 2022. The Wheeling Convention & Visitors Bureau then purchased the hotel and two parking lots for $1.7 million in January 2023, and the remediation commenced several months later.
The property, for the most part, has been cleared of the Wheeling Inn, and now the northeast side of the Suspension Bridge is fairly visible for the first time in more than 150 years. Thanks to the partnership between the CVB, the City of Wheeling, the Ohio County Commission, and Wheeling Heritage with Tipping Point Development, final plans are being made now for the construction of a new heritage/welcome center.
A Soulful Land
It began with one small building in the late 1800s, and it expanded to more than 800,000 square feet of interior space that made up the Ohio Valley Medical Center, and for the past year, the bulk of the campus has been leveled to make way for a new cancer treatment/research center for WVU Medicine.
The History:
- The City of Wheeling took possession of the property in June 2000 after contacting the property owner, Medical Properties Trust, about purchasing the Ohio Valley Professional Center for a new police headquarters.
- The City marketed the individual buildings – all six of them – and moved a few offices to the Education & Administration Building.
- Roxby Labs, Helping Heroes, the Ohio County FRN, and the former Winter Freeze Shelter created by Youth Services System did operate in a few of the buildings.
- In October 2022, WVU Health System announced its property partnership with the City of Wheeling for the four acres along Chapline Street for a proposed 70,000-90,000-square-foot cancer treatment and research center with more than 100 employees.
- F.R. Beinke Wrecking of New Jersey was hired for the extensive demolition in in mid-2023, and since – building by building and piece by piece – Hillcrest, the two Nurses Residence, the South Tower, the E&A Building, the West Tower, and the original Ohio Valley General Hospital have been demolished.
Local historians saved the neon “OVGH” letters and they will be placed somewhere close to the campus, and earthwork is taking place now on the property. WVU-HS is expected to reveal its final design for the new cancer facility, and its construction timeline this spring.
