Celeste Kuta, previously the Genealogy/Local History Librarian for the Indian Trails Public Library for 21 years, was gracious enough to meet up to discuss all the amazing services that comprise the Wheeling Historical Society.
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Wheeling Historical Society Interview
July 2021 | By Shannan
Celeste first began volunteering at the Society in 2012 after seeing the wide array of archived materials available. She later joined the Society’s Board and began creating a bimonthly newsletter.
The latest WHS newsletter references a rattlesnake hunt that took place 50 years ago, as well as local recipes, and interesting events coming up. WHS currently has a database of these items and more digitized on their website.
Wheeling Historical Society & Museum Home Page
Celeste: Discoveries at the Wheeling Historical Museum
Celeste first became involved with local history after becoming fascinated by people’s ability to be curious about any town or area that they adopt as their own. Her pastime of gardening often leads to the discovery of fragments of jars and other items that offer snapshots of the previous owners.
At the Wheeling Historical Society museum, you can find objects like this and similar artifacts, including a rattlesnake skin from local snake hunts, a jail cell and key, telephone switchboard, and Periolat Brewery bottles. Celeste also shared a handwritten ledger book from Henry Reeb (1899-1990) who ran the Wheeling Feed Mill. Flipping through the books, she was surprised to find a list of family names and birth dates.
Over time, she got close to people she views as “infamous to her” from the Wheeling area, like the Adeline and Lucille Schneider sisters. These sisters have countless news articles of their adventures and the Wheeling Historical Society has Adeline’s diary.
If you would like to become a member or volunteer with the Wheeling Historical Society, please contact them for more information.
Where WE lived: Discovering the places we once called home
By Jack Larkin
Where We Lived follows the history surrounding houses that were made in the United States from 1775 to 1840 and how they fit into the daily lives of homeowners at that time. The book includes photographs taken by the Library of Congress Historic American Building Survey (HABS) as well as first-person sources, like diaries, artifacts, letters, and more.
A field guide to american houses: The definitive guide to identifying and understanding america’s domestic architecture
By Virginia Savage McAlester
A Field Guide to American Houses focuses on the various architectural aspects that make up a house and neighborhood. The New York Times Magazine highlights the book as “excellent for the layperson who wants to wander about the neighborhood with a bit more authority, or perhaps for the homeowner who can’t decide what kind of windows might look best.”