Oglebay Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Oglebay Park |
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The Oglebay Institute Mansion Museum
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| Type | Municipal park |
| Created | July 28, 1928 |
| Operated by | Wheeling Park Commission |
| Visitors | information unavailable |
| Status | Open all year |
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Oglebay Mansion Museum
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 Location in West Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | Oglebay Park, Wheeling, West Virginia |
| Area | 1,650 acres (667.7 ha) |
| Built | 1846 |
| Architect | Hanson Chapline, renovations by Edward B. Franzheim and the Klieves, Kraft and Company |
| NRHP reference No. | 79002595 |
| Added to NRHP | August 29, 1979 |
Oglebay Park is a special public park near Wheeling, West Virginia. It covers a huge area of about 1,650 acres (670 ha). This park is unique because it supports itself financially.
The park started in 1926. A man named Earl W. Oglebay owned a large estate called Waddington Farms. He gave his land to the city of Wheeling. He wanted it to be a place for everyone to enjoy outdoor fun. Oglebay Park officially opened to the public in 1928. The Wheeling Park Commission manages the park.
Some buildings from the original Waddington Farms are still used today. These include the Mansion Museum and the greenhouse. Other buildings, like the Carriage House, were rebuilt. They look just like the old ones. The Oglebay Mansion became a museum in 1930. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The Oglebay Institute runs the museum.
Today, Oglebay Park has many cool things to do. There are two championship golf courses and other smaller courses. You can play on eleven tennis courts. There's a big outdoor pool and lots of walking trails. The park also has the Good Zoo, which is very popular.
You can visit the Mansion Museum and beautiful gardens. There's a greenhouse and an outdoor theater. The Wilson Lodge offers over 271 rooms for guests. There are also 54 cottages where families can stay. The Schrader Center is a nature center. The Good Zoo has a planetarium inside it. In winter, you can even find a ski slope. Camp Russel and Schenk Lake offer more activities. At Schenk Lake, you can go fishing, pedal boating, or take Segway tours. They also have fountain shows at night during certain seasons.
Oglebay Park hosts many fun events each year. These include the Winter Festival of Lights. There's also Oglebayfest and the Ohio County Fair. Sports fans enjoy the West Virginia Open tennis tournament. Other events are Springfest and Fort Henry Days. Fort Henry Days is a weekend where people act out history.
Discovering the Oglebay Mansion and Waddington Farm
The Oglebay Mansion was first built in 1846. It started as an eight-room farmhouse. Paul Matvey was the builder. Earl W. Oglebay bought the mansion and 25 acres (10 ha) of land in 1900. He was the ninth owner of the property. He renamed it Waddington Farm. Earl used it as his summer home and a special model farm.
Earl Oglebay made the farmhouse much bigger. He added new parts and features like a front porch. He kept buying nearby farms. By the time he passed away in 1926, Waddington Farm had grown from 25 acres (10 ha) to 750 acres (300 ha). The mansion opened as a museum in 1930. The Oglebay Institute manages the museum. Visitors can tour restored rooms and see local history exhibits. There are also exhibits about Earl W. Oglebay and his farm.
Earl W. Oglebay wanted Waddington Farm to be a model farm. He hoped it would be a place to test new farming ideas. He wanted to help end hunger in the United States. He let researchers use parts of his farm. They studied things like crop rotation and improving soil. They also looked for ways to save money in farming.
Waddington Farm had many different parts. It included a dairy farm and a poultry farm. There was also a pig farm and a sheep farm. The estate had stables, vineyards, and a greenhouse. There was a beautiful rose garden and groves of fruit trees. They grew vegetables for the people living on the estate. Other areas were used for agricultural research. At first, some farmers didn't like Oglebay's new methods. They called him "a man from the city trying outlandish things." But they changed their minds when they saw his successful results.
The Amazing Winter Festival of Lights
The Winter Festival of Lights is a popular holiday event. It started at Oglebay Park in 1985. Soon, it spread throughout the city of Wheeling. In its first year, the lights covered 125 acres (51 ha). Visitors drove three miles (5 km) to see the displays. Now, the show covers over 300 acres (120 ha). The driving route is six miles (10 km) long.
Dick Bosch, a lighting expert, helped create the festival. Robert J. Otten, the park's creative director, also played a big role. Bosch made sure the trees and buildings were lit beautifully. Otten designed the first five displays for 1985. He created nearly 50 more displays until he passed away in 2005.
New displays are added every year. Some famous past displays include the Snowflake Tunnel. Visitors drive through a tunnel with thousands of twinkling snowflakes. The huge Polyhedron Star has over 2,000 lights. The Poinsettia Wreath and Candle is the tallest display. Other displays are the Candy Cane Wreath and The Twelve Days of Christmas. There's also Willard the Snowman. He was named after TV personality Willard Scott. Willard Scott turned on the lights in 1986.
Students from Ohio County Schools submit new display ideas each year. Most displays are built at Wheeling Park High School. Welding students build the metal frames. Electronics students design and program the controls. These controls make the animated displays move. The high school's radio station, WPHP 91.9, plays holiday music. It also shares information about the park and light show. You can listen every evening from 5 to 11 pm.
Two light displays at the park are set to music. "Gardens of Light" and the Good Zoo's "Lighting and Music Extravaganza" are amazing. Carson Williams designed them. He created the famous Wizards in Winter light display at his home. The Good Zoo's light show started in 2006. It uses over 35,500 LED bulbs. A computer controls the lights. This makes them flash and change with the music.
The "Gardens of Light" display was added in 2007. It is like the zoo's show but much bigger. Visitors walk through the gardens. They see hanging flower baskets with lights. Lighted flowers are in the flowerbeds. This display tries to look like Oglebay Park's flower gardens in spring and summer.
In 2008, Oglebay announced a change. All new displays would use LED lights. Before, they used regular incandescent lights. The park will also slowly change existing displays to LED lights. LED lights use 85% less energy. They also last five times longer. This is great for the environment and the park.
Exploring the Good Zoo
The Good Zoo is a fun place to visit. It covers about 30-acre (12 ha). The zoo is home to over 80 different kinds of animals. It was named in memory of Philip Mayer Good. He was a seven-year-old boy who loved nature. Philip was the son of Barbara and Larry Good from Wheeling.
As of 2019, the Good Zoo has many exciting animals. You can see cheetahs, zebras, and kangaroos. There are also wallabys, tamarins, and lemurs. You might spot ostriches, llamas, and goats. The zoo also has barn owls, bald eagles, and red pandas. Look for gorals, peacocks, and white-naped cranes. There's even a small group of meerkats. Many other animals from around the world live here.
The zoo has a discovery lab. Inside, there's an indoor South American rainforest exhibit. The Good Zoo is the only zoo in West Virginia that is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). This means it meets high standards for animal care.
The Good Zoo also has a veterinary hospital. Visitors can sometimes watch operations or checkups. The hospital treats zoo animals. It is also a breeding center for some species. New animals stay here to make sure they are healthy. It's also a place where wild raptors get better. The zoo's raptor rehabilitation program has helped many birds. These include turkey vultures and bald eagles. Some of these birds are now on exhibit at the zoo.
The Good Zoo takes part in many SSP programs. SSP stands for Species Survival Plan. This is a program by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Its goal is to help save as many species as possible. They do this through breeding animals in zoos. They also educate people, do research, and protect animal homes.
The Good Zoo hosts several annual events. "Boo at the Zoo" happens in October. "The Good Zoo Lights Up For You" is during the Festival of Lights. There's also a car show at nearby Camp Russel. And, of course, an Easter egg hunt for kids.
