The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-09-17
CONVERSION OF A BUILDING FROM
A BROTHEL TO HOME OF A MISSION

Ono Of the most interesting trans
formations in the history of wheeling
/ so far as any Of the old buildings now
; standing Is concerned. has been the
evolution OF the structure at Four
teenth and Water streets from one or
! the citys leading hotels to the home
Of the Union Mission:
It is often said that walls have ears
and this Is not disputed, but If the
! walls Of that old house had tongue
some strange tales could be unfolded
for many odd and mysterious things
have occurred there.
When first erected about seventy
, five years ago 1t was known as the
Keim House and Immediately took
rank with the Mcclure hotel, Stamm's
and the st. James, now the Windsor,
as one of the leading hostelries Of the
time, and was the mecca for planters
and other business men from all parts
Of the country.
In those days Wheeling was the
most important shipping point on the
Ohio river This was long before the
| Baltimore and Ohio railroad entered
! the city. and traders came here by
stage coach and then shipped TO
points along the Mississippi AS far
south as New Orleans. The levee on
Water street extended from the pres
emf site of the Panhandle depot for
about six blocks south, and was con-
tnually lined with river steamers.
thus placing the keim House almost
directly in the centre of the busiest
section Of Wheeling.
Having forty bedrooms, thirty-nlne
! OF which were outside rooms, some
thing greatly desired. 1t was a large
hotel for that period but it was never.
theless always crow ded.
Time drifted on and the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad entered the city and
traffic Oh. the river slowly dwlndled,
and with it the popularity of the Keim
House, which changed hands and be-
came The st. Charles. Shortly after
this one of the most notorious muir.
ders in the history of West Virginia
occurred in boat which had been con-
verified into house, when Elisa Rob-
inson shot Dan Quinlan, and in some
way the name Of The hotel was wrong
~ associated with the crime.
Later on the st. Charles manage
mont gave up The place and for n time
II was one Of the most famous resorts
Of i'll fame along the river. Rumors
are that there were many suicides
there and it issaid that al least one
murder was committed on -" prem
iseS man being brulr' ".lered
with a Ratchet in the ba"
The place bore an unSr. "1puta.
tion for Il number OF year and was
then taken over by Tony Cato. who
ran it as rooming house until the
Union Mission took it over last March.
Cato had served time on the charge
Of running a speakeasy and during
his regime there the house was not
frcQuented by select society.
After the Mission took over the lease
and 1t became time for Cato to give
up the place, in fact, on FEBRUARY -
OF this year. Blanche Miller who was
a resident there. expressed her grief
at leaving her home by getting glor.
iously drunk and in her fury drove
Cato and his family into the sire =;
with n Ratchet. For this she was ar
rested and sentenced to a term in the
workhouse.
She served her time and on being
released Blanche wandered back to
her old home. She listened to the
singing and praying and finally went
inside. Before the evening was over
she had been converted and today she
is one of the most ardent workers
the Mission has.