Military Order of the Purple Heart Bridge

The Bridgeport Bridge also known as the Wheeling and Belmont bridge (per the dedication plaque affixed to the structure) was a bridge which once carried U.S. Route 40 (US 40) over the back channel of the Ohio River between Wheeling Island, West Virginia, and Bridgeport, Ohio. The steel-framed bridge, with a wooden deck, was built in 1893 to replace a prior wooden covered bridge that was built on the same site circa 1836. In fact, the 1893 bridge utilized the same piers that were built for the earlier bridge. The primary reason for construction of the new bridge was to accommodate the new electric streetcars that were being deployed in Wheeling. With the construction of the Steel Bridge across the main channel of the Ohio River from Wheeling Island to the City of Wheeling circa 1889 electric streetcar service was expanded into Ohio, eventually stretching all the way west to the small mining town of Barton, which is approximately 15 miles (24 km) west of Wheeling. The bridge's traffic moved to an alternative bridge in 1998 and the bridge was demolished in 2011. The bridge was documented by the Historic American Engineering Record program, which provided the following description of its significance in approximately 1987:Built in 1893, the Bridgeport Bridge represented one type of bridges which could be ordered from catalogues at the end of the nineteenth century. Except for the replacement of the partially wooden roadway surface with steel grating in 1950, the bridge remained basically unchanged. Because the floor beams had become structurally unsound, a new, self-supporting, load-bearing deck structure was installed inside the trusses of the Bridgeport Bridge in 1987. Designed as a temporary means of carrying traffic until a new vehicular bridge is built, the deck installed was prefabricated in England and is a modern-day successor to the Bailey bridge type.In 1987 or so, there were plans for the building of a replacement vehicular bridge nearby, upstream. It was expected that the Bridgeport bridge would remain as a pedestrian and bicycle bridge.The wooden bridge deck was replaced in 1950 with steel grating, and the streetcar tracks were removed, as interurban rail service was discontinued in 1948. By 1987, the floor beams had become structurally unsound for automobile traffic due to extensive corrosion. A self-supporting, load-bearing deck structure, known as a Bailey Truss, was installed inside the trusses of the Bridgeport Bridge. This was only a temporary measure, as the bridge was replaced in 1998 with the adjacent Military Order of the Purple Heart Bridge. Sometime in 2009 much of the temporary Bailey Truss was removed. It is unclear if the steel grate floor had been removed prior to the installation of the Bailey Truss, but after the removal of its floor structure the Bridgeport Bridge was without a floor. In 2009, it was announced that the bridge would be demolished, and the cost of demolishing the bridge was estimated to be less than $200,000.Early in the summer of 2011, WTOV-TV in Steubenville reported that the bridge was to be demolished, with demolition tentatively scheduled to start at the end of July 2011. They reported that the West Virginia Division of Highways received a request from the U.S. Coast Guard to bring the bridge down as it was a safety hazard and pieces had fallen into the river. It also verified that many of the unique features of the bridge, such as the railings, signage, the finials on top, and plaques would be removed prior to demolition. The bridge demolition was expected to take 60 days and cost $750,000.00, which was considerably less than a $1.2 million estimate for demolition costs that had been given in 2000. Explosive demolition of the bridge occurred on Monday, September 12, 2011. Explosive charges were used to drop the bridge into the river, after which cranes began retrieving the steel parts for scrapping. Complete removal of bridge and piers was scheduled to be completed by October 31, 2011.

Wheeling Creek is a tributary of the Ohio River, 30.2 miles (48.6 km) long, in eastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 108 square miles (280 km2) on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. It flows for its entire length in Belmont County; its tributaries also drain small areas of south-eastern Harrison County and south-western Jefferson County.Wheeling Creek rises in Flushing Township just east of the community of Flushing, and flows generally east through Union, Wheeling, Richland, Colerain, and Pease Townships, past the communities of Lafferty, Bannock, Fairpoint, Maynard, Barton, Blaine, Lansing, and Brookside, to Bridgeport, where it flows into the Ohio River from the west, just upstream of the mouth of West Virginia's Wheeling Creek on the opposite bank. The National Road (U.S. Route 40) parallels the stream between Bridgeport and Blaine.

Bridgeport is a village in eastern Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It lies across the Ohio River from Wheeling, West Virginia, at the mouth of Wheeling Creek and is connected by two bridges to Wheeling Island. The population was 1,582 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Wheeling metropolitan area.

Wheeling Island is the most populated island in the Ohio River. It lies within the city of Wheeling in Ohio County, West Virginia, in the United States. The 2000 census showed a resident population of 3,142 people on the island, which has a land area of 1.514 square kilometres (374 acres). Neville Island, Pennsylvania, is larger (3.4 square kilometres (840 acres)) but has fewer people (1,232). Wheeling Island lies at the mouths of Wheeling Creek of Ohio and Wheeling Creek of West Virginia. The island is home to the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack at Wheeling Downs and Wheeling Island Stadium, home of the West Virginia State Football Championships. Wheeling Island has a number of historic homes featuring Victorian Architecture. An elementary school (Madison Elementary, by Prominent WV Architect F.F. Faris, also Wheeling Island is the location of his personal residence), churches, a public pool (Bridge Park Pool), and several restaurants are located on the island. A section of Wheeling Island is protected as part of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

Wheeling Island Historic District is a national historic district located on Wheeling Island in Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia. The district includes 1,110 contributing buildings, 5 contributing sites, 2 contributing structures, and 3 contributing objects. It is a largely residential district consisting of two-story, frame detached dwellings built in the mid- to late-19th and early-20th century, including the Irwin-Brues House (1853) and a number of houses on Zane Street. The houses are representative of a number of popular architectural styles including Bungalow, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival. Notable non-residential contributing properties include the Exposition Building (1924), Thompson United Methodist Church (1913-1915), Madison School (1916), firehouse (1930-1931), the Bridgeport Bridge (1893), the Aetnaville Bridge (1891), "The Marina," Wheeling Island Baseball Park, and "Belle Island Park." It includes the separately listed Wheeling Suspension Bridge, Harry C. and Jessie F. Franzheim House, and John McLure House.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

The Joseph Kirkwood House is a historic house in the village of Bridgeport, Ohio, United States. Originally home to one of the area's oldest families, it was built in the middle of the nineteenth century in a mix of architectural styles. Named a historic site in the 1980s, it has been converted into a health care facility. A native of Delaware, Robert Kirkwood emigrated to present-day Belmont County in 1789 after fighting in the American Revolution; he and his family were among the region's first settlers. Joseph his son erected the present house in 1846 and arranged for its expansion seven years later by the construction of a large ell to the rear. Set on a foundation of sandstone, the wood-and-brick house is covered with a metal roof. The house combines academic and popular architectural styles: the basic plan is that of an I-house, a vernacular construction mode, although Greek Revival styling is present, especially in the careful symmetry of the five-bay facade. Nine windows fill all bays in both stories, except for the post and lintel-surrounded main entrance in the center of the first story. The fenestration on the side of the original house and on the addition is more irregular: on the second story, a single window sits under the gable, separated by large amounts of brick from a trio of windows at the rear of the ell. Chimneys are placed at both ends of the roofline on the original house, with another such structure in the ell; the roof itself is metal.In early 1986, the Kirkwood House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places; its connection to Joseph Kirkwood qualified it for designation, as did its historically significant architecture. It is one of two National Register-listed locations in Bridgeport: although located largely in Wheeling, West Virginia across the Ohio River, the Wheeling Island Historic District includes the Aetnaville Bridge, which extends into Bridgeport. By the time of listing, the Kirkwood House was no longer used as a typical residence, having been converted into a group home for the mentally retarded, "Thresholds to Tomorrow".

The Aetnaville Bridge is a through truss bridge spanning the back channel of the Ohio River between Bridgeport, Ohio and Wheeling, West Virginia. The bridge was built in December 1891 and used for vehicular traffic until December 1988, when it was closed to cars due to safety concerns. The structure was used by pedestrians until its complete closure in 2016. During the late 1800's and early 1900's, the bridge was used for streetcars until service ceased in 1937. The bridge is now used mostly as a way for pedestrians, bicyclists, and joggers, to cross without having to go all the way around to the new Bridgeport Bridge. The bridge was closed from October 19 to 23, 2015, to be evaluated for safety. Local residents are fighting to save this bridge, because it is a popular pedestrian footwalk, and part of a proposed bicycle and jogging trail. As of January 20, 2016, there have been metal fences barricading the bridge pending further decision-making as to how to proceed with possible repairs .

John McLure House, also known as the Hans Phillips House, Lawrence Sands House, and Daniel Zane House, is a historic home located on Wheeling Island at Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia. It was built between 1853 and 1856 [when the island was a part of Virginia], and is a three-story, Federal-style brick dwelling. A two-story rear addition was built before 1870. A semi-circular columned portico and two-story, projecting side bay, were added in the late 19th century and added Classical Revival elements to the home. A "widow's walk" was placed on the roof sometime after McLure's death. It was the home of Captain John McLure (1816-1893), an American steamboat master, boatbuilder, and capitalist.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. It is located in the Wheeling Island Historic District.

Harry C. and Jessie F. Franzheim House is a historic home located on Wheeling Island at Wheeling. It was built in 1897, and is a three-story shingle style dwelling. It sits on a sandstone foundation. It features a cross gambrel roof with a long slope, two round towers with curved-glass windows, and a wide front porch with Ionic order columns.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. It is located in the Wheeling Island Historic District.

The Fort Henry Bridge is a crossing of the Ohio River main channel in Wheeling, West Virginia. The tied-arch bridge carries two lanes in each direction of Interstate 70 (I-70), U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 250. The bridge opened after four years of construction work on September 8, 1955, costing $6.8 million, $1.8 million over budget. The bridge, along with the aging Wheeling Suspension Bridge, are the only two road links from Wheeling Island to downtown Wheeling. In 2009, the structure carried an average of over 60,000 vehicles per day.

The Wheeling Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the main channel of the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. It was the largest suspension bridge in the world from 1849 until 1851. Charles Ellet Jr. (who also worked on the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge) designed it and supervised construction of what became the first bridge to span a major river west of the Appalachian mountains. It linked the eastern and western section of the National Road, and became especially strategically important during the American Civil War. Litigation in the United States Supreme Court concerning its obstruction of the new high steamboat smokestacks eventually cleared the way for other bridges, especially needed by expanding railroads. Because this bridge was designed during the horse-and-buggy era, 2-ton weight limits and vehicle separation requirements applied in later years until it was closed to automobile traffic in September 2019. The main span is 1,010 feet (310 m) from tower to tower. The east tower rests on the Wheeling shore, while the west tower is on Wheeling Island. The east tower is 153.5 feet (46.8 m) above the low-water level of the river, or 82 feet (25 m) from the base of the masonry. The west tower is 132.75 feet (40.46 m) above low water, with 69 feet (21 m) of masonry. Detailed analysis of the bridge was conducted by Dr. Emory Kemp. The Wheeling Suspension Bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark on May 15, 1975. It is located in the Wheeling Island Historic District.

Wheeling Island Stadium is a stadium used mostly for American football and soccer located on Wheeling Island in Wheeling, West Virginia. The original portion of the stadium was dedicated on June 10, 1927, but a large concrete seating section was added in 1987. The stadium seats 12,220 in two stands along either sidelines, the end zones are empty. Wheeling Island Stadium usually hosts high school football and soccer events but can host concerts, hosting REO Speedwagon most recently in 2009. President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech at the stadium on September 27, 1962. The stadium is owned and operated by Wheeling Park High School. The stadium is also the home of the "Super Six." Each year Wheeling Island plays host to the West Virginia State Football Championships for Class A, AA, AAA. The stadium is considered one of the best high school stadiums in WV, mainly due to capacity and layout of the facility. The Wheeling Island Casino Resort is located within walking distance, providing overnight accommodations for teams. There is plenty of parking adjacent to the stadium, and a private lot adjacent to the south end zone for school personnel, media, and pass holders. The stadium is complete with a 3 level press box with camera deck and private boxes for the coaches. In 2008, a video system was installed at the stadium, several corporate sponsors donated to the project including Wheeling Hospital. Students from Wheeling Park High School's TV station, WPHP-TV, operate the cameras for all Wheeling Park football and soccer games. In 2004, the previous grass surface was replaced with a ProGrass Turf surface. Due to the stadium's location in a high risk flood zone, there is an emergency plan to seal the playing surface in the event of flooding.