WHEELING CEMETERY
The Wheeling Cemetery of today would appear in a state of disrepair to many, but for long-time locals, it is miles ahead of where it has been in the past.
In the early 1970s, the cemetery fell into such disrepair that brush and briars were head hign and finding the graves of family members was left to the
most determined. In 2020, with the efforts of the last few townsip trustees and a small handful of volunteers, the site is in the best condition it has
been in in decades.
As with any cemetery of it's age (180 years plus), Mother Nature has left her mark. Uneven ground, sinking stones, collapsing graves, and vegitation growth
have all been enemies of the burial ground, Through nothing more than dumb luck, it was spared during the 1922 tornado that caused extensive damage to the
town of Wheeling. Another foe has taken its toll as well. Vandals have struck the cemetery and done extensive damage over the years.
On December 16, 1910, the cemetery was hit by miscreants
who broke or toppled as many as fourteen markers. Most of those damaged were for the Beouy family. One marker, estimated $300 in value at the time, was destroyed.
The two men left in a buggy eastbound and were tracked in the snow for a distance until their trail mixed with others in the snow. Their spree had begun in
Matthews where they damaged a wagon and cut a hose to a water tank at the home of Milton Marley. They then caused extensive damage to the interior of the
Wheeling School destroying books and furniture and leaving a trail of items in the road as they left. As the passed out of town, they fired numerous
shotgun rounds at the home of John Dunlap, but luckily the family was uninjured. It does not appear that any arrests were ever made.
In early November, 1958, fifty-one tombstone were knocked over or broken by vandals then scattered around the area. The exact date of the damage is uncertain,
but it was discovered on the 12th, and indications at the time were that the damage was done about a week prior. The stones damaged were in an area described as
being farthest from the road. Again, it appears that no arrests were ever made.
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