This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
The Day the Wheeling Bridge Fell in 1849
The piece recounts the October 20 1849 crossing by Charles Ellet Jr and I Dickinson that preceded the November 15 1849 collapse on the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. It details the dramatic destruction observed from Main Street and the ensuing rescue, the extensive damage to cables and masonry, and notes Ellets role in rebuilding the bridge and his later Civil War fame. It cites sources from the Wheeling Intelligencer and remarks on Ellets legacy and the bridges swift reopening.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Scotty Saladean
Henderson
S & D Reflector
Sons and Daughters
Pioneer
Charles Ellet Jr
I. Dickinson
Wheeling
Ohio River
U. S
Thomas Hart Benton
Missouri
Ohio
Main Street
James Peil
Anchorage
Thomas Swann
Charles Ellet, Jr
Wheeling ‘‘Intelligencer
Ellet
Charles Ellit Jr
Capt. McComas
John A
Wheeling Bridge
Silver Bridge