Wheeling Lands Five on List of West Virginia ‘History Heroes’ | News, Sports, Jobs

WHEELING — Five Wheeling residents will be honored as West Virginia History Heroes in recognition of their contributions to state and local history.

West Virginia Archives and History will recognize five locals, who were nominated by various historical and cultural organizations, at a ceremony Thursday morning at the Culture Center on the Capitol Complex in Charleston.

The recognition as West Virginia History Heroes is in recognition of a person’s service on behalf of an organization’s programs, or for significant contributions through research, interpretation, publication or publication.

– Deborah Barto, nominated by the Cockayne Farmstead, has been a volunteer at the Glen Dale organization since 2013, where she helps plan yearly programming, including the Hungry for History summer speaker series, Artisan Festival, and activities on West Virginia Day. In 2016, Barto spearheaded the creation of Cockayne Farmstead’s strategic plan, and in 2020, led efforts to re-draft the plan so that it could be used to apply for grants over a three-year period.

Additionally, Barto helped decide how programming could be adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as developing a volunteer manual and preparing a set of policies on conducting oral history interviews.

– Peter Chacalos, nominated by the Ohio Valley Civil War Roundtable, has served as its vice-president since 2019.

Chacalos developed the Facebook page and website for the organization, and has presented programs on Civil War topics to various groups. Recently, he’s spent considerable time researching military events, people, places and units for a book on the Civil War in West Virginia, which he expects to make available this year.

– Steven Davis was nominated by the Wheeling Area Genealogical Society, and has spent countless hours volunteering at Mt. Zion Cemetery in Wheeling. Beginning by mowing the grass, his efforts quickly evolved into recovering buried markers, repairing and resetting them, and planting flowers and shrubs. Davis drew attention to the cemetery by posting before-and-after photos of volunteer work, and was a leading force in establishing the cemetery as a nonprofit entity, enabling more funding for future maintenance and renovation.

– Wendy Scatterday has been a friend to historic preservation projects and community efforts in Wheeling, and was nominated by Friends of Wheeling, Inc. A registered architect, Scatterday has worked on a number of historic preservation and rehabilitation efforts in West Virginia, particularly locally in Wheeling, most recently the Bridge Tavern building.

Scatterday has served on boards of directors and the executive committee of Wheeling Heritage, as well as providing volunteer professional assistance to several building owners and organizations.

– Lisa Singer was nominated by the Victorian Old Town Association, and has been a force in the preservation of buildings and in the organization of residents in the North Wheeling National Historic District. Singer has worked tirelessly to bring the neighborhood to its full potential through cleanup days and sidewalk sales, and has served as president of the Victorian Old Town Association for four years.

She coordinated the installation of banners and helped organize tours of local antebellum and Victorian homes, and under her recent leadership the neighborhood was named a Wheeling “design review” district, which ensures additional protection and architectural guidance for historic structures.

The History Heroes awards program will be held at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the State Theater. Local legislators have been invited to participate in the ceremony.