The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-07-06

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Tho March term, 1777, Court took into
consideration She expcdiency Of having
court house and Jail erected, whereupon
they ordered that court house, diamond
cornered, and % by Is feet in the clear,
should be erected also jail TO
be built of logs, it, dimensions to be ~
BY Is feet on the outside.
The first deed of record in Ohio county
was made by Daniel Vanmatre, OF Berk-
ley county, Virginia, to the County
Court of Ohio County, and their success
sors for lot of land containing two acres,
lying on the head of the northerly fork
of Short Greek, known as Blacks Tavern.
The consideration for the same was
twenty pounds, to be paid when levied OF
the county. The deed bears date the
9Th day of March, l777. IL was upon
the land mentioned and described in this
deed that the court house and jail, the
first in Ohio county, were built and Tor
which public uses it was purchased,
The county seat was removed TO
Wheeling in the year 1877 and the first
court was held here on the 7th day OF
May 1898, at an inn kept by one John
Gooding.
The following is the order made by
the court for its removal: ain pursu-
ance of an act of the General Assembly
passed December q, 1897, it is ordered
that the town of Wheeling be hencetorth
the place for holding courts in this
county. 1t is also ordered that Ebenezer
Zane. Andrew Woods and Henry Smith
be appointed commissioners to determine
upon and purchase proper site whereon
to erect public buildings for the use OF
the said county, and that until such
public buildings shall be made, the house
OF the said Henry Smith in the occupa-
ton of Mr.. John Gooding lnnkeeper In
the said town of Wheeling, be the place tor
the meeting of this Court" In the space
now known as South street, between the
Grant House and the former boot and shoe
establishment o. Samuel Mcclellan, de.
ceased, stood the old Court House,
stone house. two stories high. A Ken
tuckan riding past it one day mlstaklng
its use, remarked .that the people around
here must be very fond of bacon, as it
was the biggest smoke-house he had
ever seen.' Around it u carriage way
or drive was laid out to obtain which it
was necessary to appropriate portion
off the north side o: the lot running east
some forty or fifty feet from Main street
on which the Grant House now stands,
and which accounts for the offset
on the north side of that building.
Just west of the Court House,
opposite the eastern end of the Suspen-
sion bridge, between the property now
occupied by DR.. Logan rs drug store,
on the north side Of the street, and that
occupied by Peter E. linn as contec-
tionery, stood the market house.
Although it contained but four or five
stalls, its dimensions were deemed to be
ample for all practical purposes for many
wears after it was built. AT this time the
site now occupied by Mr.. linn was oc-
cuped BY one Simms, who kept tavern
and wagon yard tsere. This Smms is
not to be cOnfounded with Richard
Simms, who also kept tavern at the
same time in the house lately occu-
pied by John E. Wilson, deceased,
and which is still occupied b. his
family. Immediately east of the court
house and just behind it stood the jail,
structure one story high, built of logs,
IN the yard of which was located the
stocks and the whipping post-a mode of
punishment firmly believed IN and prac-
tised during the early days AS etlectual in
reducing the insubordinate and refractory
into due submission to and respect for law.
The first town lots in the settlement,
which then for the first time received the
name OF Wheeling, were laid out by Col.
Ebenezer Zane in the year 1872. On the
18th day OF May of this asst named year,
articles of agreement were prepared by
the proprietor and signed by him,
by which the purchaser of lots I'M
dertook, among other things, "to
pay the purchase money within
three years or the lot was to revert. TO
tie proprietor. The purchaser was like.
wise compelled to build II house at least
l6 by ls feet, of logs, brick, stone, or
frame within seven years after the pur-
chase or the lot was TO be forfeited. But
no one WAS permitted to enter upon or
improve any lot before the tenth day of
October of the same year. Thus the
spirit of improvement was fostered and
the mania for speculation checked, BY
the wise foresight thus manifested on the
part of the proprietor. In 1897, iona
than Zane laid out an addition which
extended from Seventh, formerly called
Washington street, northward to Fifth
street, formerly called North. From
lime TO time additions have been
made rs the increase OF popu-
lation and the interests of trade nave de-
manded, until almostIth entire available
space for building purposes has been
made use OF.
There always has been, and still is,
great difference of opinion prevailing as
TO the origin and Specification Of the
name which the city bears-one suggest
ing that it is derived from the circuitous
windings of the creek, whose waters lave
the base of the hills to the eastward of
the city in their tortuous course an
other that it was derived from the name
of an European Catholic priest Vince
lana missionary amorg the Indians, the
photography of whose name was changed
70 w u6cilHS. Duk nui ihSiuicu w tuIIlh
its true derivation is from the Indian
word "Weellng," signifying the place of
the head, which in the language OF the
Delaware, who frequented this portion
of the country, always indicated that por-
ton of the body. And in this am con-
irmed by the statement of one John
Brittle, formerly OF Pennsylvania, who
was t ken prisoner by this tribe in the
year 1871 and was retained by them for
nearly five years. According TO his
statement, in the early period OF the settle
ment of Pennsylvania, some white men
descending the Ohio river in boat, stop
ped at the mouth OF Wheeling creek
and were killed by the Delawares,
cutting of the head Of enc Of
their victims they elevated it on Il
pole with the face toward the river and
called the spot ~Weeling." He said that
if an Indlsn was asked where he had shot
q bear or deer M in the head his an
swer would be-ioeeiiSS At the time OF
the removal of the county seat 10 this