Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-05-18
OUR MARKET HOUSE.


The Town House herein referred 10 is
located at the sOuth end OF the present
market house and Is the same which is now
occupied by H. O. Petcrlnap, ESQ IA his
Office As justice OF the Peace After IFS
erection 1t Was used by the Town Council
as meeting place Tor the Transaction of
business, while the second story was built
AZ 'he rorth end of the present market
hoose when the town lions abandoned il
and removed to the new building provided
i,r them and where they cOntinu. d to meet
until they removed to the old CITY Hall on
Market street, near Twelfth street, from
which latter place they removed to the
more palatial quarters N the City Build
ing which they now occupy
BY the year 1880 il was discovered that
the market house was too limited to meet
the derdaOd of the public, and that a fur
Their addition WAS necessary to meet these
growing wants. la compliance with these
another extension WAS made This was
undertaken aud completed by George Pan
uell. the same gentleman who had built
the first section. Owing TO the existing
exigencies OF the circumstances st the time.
a portion of Ii was used before its ii cal
completion.
Sull another addition to which we call
attention was made il the year 1882 The
contract for this enlargement was made'with
John Sexton, and it was stipulated that It
was to be extended nOrthwardly to the die
lance Of sixty-twO feet. 1t was also pro-
vided that it was to be built without
arches and hence the reasons for the differ
ence in the ceilings Of the two sections,
which is so noticeable.
This additiOD..was to have FIVE stalls and
two door ways on each side, aud in height,
breadth and materials rs we'll as in all
other respects, with the exception above
mentioned, was 10 correspond az dearly as
possible with the other sections of the
market house The same was to be COM
pleied on or before the tenth day Of Deem
Der following. for which the contractor
WA to receive the sum of three hundred
and fifteen dollars
Subs quently another section was added
the contractor for which was William Elk
ley, by whom il was completed. The di-
mansions OF this last we are unable to give,
likewise the price to be paid for the same.
The second story at the north end of the
building was used for County purposes
prior to the erection of the Court House on
the lcorner of Twelfth and Ohapline
streets, rs place, for the meeting
OF the Courts. IL was styled the CITY
Hsllr TO distinguish it from the "TOwn
Hall, 80 called, which stOod at the south
end Such is the history of the Second
Ward Market House, 80 far as we have
been able to gather 1t.
In conclusion, permit me to call atten-
ton to the careless manner in which the
archives Of the town have been kept. Hav-
ing occasion to consult them, with view
Of obtaining some data in regard TO the
subject matter OF thus sketch, my effort
WAS in vain, az the old books have been
lost, destroyed or boxed up, as is also the
case with the loose papers and memoranda,
which, a. ! vas informed, we're promiscu-
ously thrown together into boxes and
mailed 80 thai searching for information as
to the early history of the town aud city,
even { permitted to open them, might he
a work of week or month to search
among their miscellaneous contents before
being reSatded with success, If at all No
one person Is 20 be blamed FIR Ihis neglect,
but the present Coancil could do no better
thing than 10 employ some competent pr
son to gsthsr up these papers. placing each
IN its appropriate bundle, properly labeled,
marked and arraI ged IN cases, where per
sons desiring ~ inspect the tame could
have the opportunity. In an econom cal
point Of view, We believe II would pay the
city TO do this, As Il matter of selt-protec-
tion in the fotura. if for no other reason.