Snookie Nutting

 

Betty Woods Nutting, better known to us all as Snookie, attended the University of Mary Washington and graduated from Wheaton College, majoring in biology and minoring in art and architecture. She is the wife of Ogden, the mother of Bill and Bob, and the grandmother of 6.

 

Over the years, Snookie has owned or been heavily involved with the renovation of numerous houses in various parts of Wheeling. The house located at 2305 Chapline Street is an example of the work she’s done. Known as the Moore House, this house was built c. 1868 for Nancy Moore. When the Chapline Street Row National Register nomination was prepared in 1983, the condition of the house was listed as “fair/deteriorated.”  Most people would have had a  “before” look at the house and say it was beyond repair. However, Snookie thought differently, and she was absolutely correct. This important block has often been described as the “best extant example of a series of high style Victorian structures in West Virginia.” It would be hard to imagine it with this house missing.

 

Snookie also rescued a second historic district, officially designated Monroe Street East. This block of what is now called 12th Street was slated for demolition by the city’s urban renewal authority. Again, Snookie stepped in, with a vision of what the block should – and could – look like. Individually, the houses are known as the Mendel House, home of a furniture manufacturer; the Frank House, home of a clothier and merchant tailor; and the Pendleton House, post-Civil War home of a Confederate soldier and politician – turned Wheeling attorney. Collectively, they comprise half of the Monroe Street East Historic District. Their loss would have been tragic. Around the corner are the beautifully restored townhouses at 1128 and 1130 Eoff Street – additional testament to Snookie’s preservation efforts.

 

East Wheeling is represented in Snookie’s work with 118 and 120 14th Street. Although these houses are not of any particular historic significance, they certainly add to the general fabric of that neighborhood.

 

Snookie’s most recent work has been in North Wheeling, where she formed a partnership with the Vandalia Heritage Foundation. A few of the buildings that have been a part of these efforts include 823 Main, built by Henry List for his daughter Jessie and son-in-law, banker Edward Hazlett; 811 Main, built by Benjamin Exley but more commonly referred to as the home of tailor Christian Hess; the Stifel-Kossuth House, built by dry-goods businessman George Stifel and later the home of famed photographer George Kossuth; 753 Main, now Uncle Pete’s Restaurant; the Thomas Hughes house at 751 Main; and the 1870s house at 834 Main.

 

Snookie’s efforts haven’t been limited to houses. She also worked tirelessly with Beverly Fluty and others to have the Wheeling Suspension Bridge restored, and she took part in a long-running newspaper series, “Operation Look-Up,” which highlighted the unaltered upper stories of historic facades in Wheeling.

 

In the midst of this work, she found time to serve on numerous historic preservation boards. She was the West Virginia advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation for a full nine years – the maximum time allowed. The Trust used drawings of Chapline Street Row as the header for their newsletter in 1987. She was a member of the WV Archives and History Commission – appointed first by Governor Rockefeller, reappointed by Governor Moore, and reappointed again by Governor Caperton. She was the first president of Preservation Action, serving from 1994-1995, and was a member of the board of directors of the Vandalia Heritage Foundation. On the local level, she has served as the president of the Victorian Landmarks Foundation and was the driving force behind the Victorian Show-Off tours sponsored by that organization. And, significant to us this evening, she was one of the founding members of Friends of Wheeling in 1970.

 

Snookie Nutting richly deserves the title “preservationist.”  Her award was for “Outstanding Efforts in Historic Preservation.”

 

Greg and Debi Smith

 

Debi began collecting as a youngster and after marrying Greg Smith they opened their antique business in Wheeling at Antiques on the Market. Moving away to Chicago in the early 90’s, then onto Baltimore, and back to Chicago, the Smith’s performed house restorations each time.  The last Chicago move allowed them to purchase an 1890 Queen Anne Victorian house.  After completing their restoration, their house was awarded a plaque by the City of Elgin, Illinois and they received a Mayor’s Award for their preservation efforts.  Greg was also appointed to serve as a Historic Landmarks Commissioner in Elgin.

 

They moved back to Wheeling in 2005 and purchased the half-way house for women called “New Hope” run by Northwood Health Systems.  The house located at 304 South Front Street is on Wheeling Island. Records show that Oella Zane Cranmer (Daniel’s Zane’s daughter) held title for this property in 1885. Another significant family of the home were the the Cummings/Hazlett family who lived in the home for 45 yrs. The house was taken back to a single family residence by removing walls and fire doors.  The Smith’s painted the outside trim with six colors; Dark Green, Light Green, Purple, Black, Gold, and Raspberry.  The inside rooms were all the same color - beige, painted blue trim, and commercial brown rug.  Each room was painted with colors selected from the National Preservation Trust’s color palette.  Lights were replaced and the entire kitchen was renovated including a new hardwood floor, a hand pounded copper apron sink and custom cabinets with granite counter. They are working their way upward in the house and are working on the rooms on the third floor.

 

Another opportunity for preservation presented itself when Debi went to the Third Presbyterian Church on Jacob Street in South Wheeling to inquire about antiques she heard might be for sale.  Debi learned that the church was going to be decommissioned and torn down.  The Smiths purchased the church and began restoration work.  The house was still in process and they began with the interior roof repair of the church sanctuary, restoring the tin ceiling of the Sunday school room, bathroom upgrades and and church office renovations.   The Wheeling Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution uses the building for meetings on occasion and they hold their annual bazaar sale in the renovated Sunday school room each year. Greg and Debi also work with the DAR and replace the flowers and urns each season for the ”Madonna of the Trail on National Road”.

 

In the meantime, Greg was appointed as a member of Wheeling Historic Landmarks Commission as well as the On Trac Program working to revitalize downtown Wheeling and Debi has written articles about historic person’s of Wheeling including Lina Basquette and is currently the DAR’s State Historic Preservation Chairmen.

 

The Smiths just love that they are back in Wheeling and involved with historic preservation and hope that their greatest historic preservation projects have yet to come!

 

St. Alphonsus Church, 2111 Market Street, Frank O’Kruta, Pastor

 

St. Alphonsus Church, a consecrated church, was founded by the Redemptorists in 1856 and named after their founder, St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori. The original church was constructed in Romanesque style. It seated 500 on the first floor and 200 in the balcony.

The parish was staffed by the Redemptorists and then German Diocesan Priests until 1884 when the Capuchin Friars of St. Francis assume its leadership. Soon after, in 1886, it was discovered that the north wall of the church was leaning towards the school building. The decision was made to tear down the original church, save the bell tower and build the present church around it. Then the bell tower’s gothic steeple was increased to the height of 196 feet.  The original gothic steeple was hit by lightning, and it was replaced by the present dome steeple in 1921.

The present bell tower was added in 1871 and contains 3 bells. Two are from the Niles Works and one from the Vanduzen & Tift Co., both of Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1978 the tower was hit again, and two of the bells stopped working until this year. The three bells were restored, and since April they now toll each hour from 9am to 9pm. and on the half hour ? They ring the angelus at 7 am, noon, and 6 pm.

Church windows from Innsbruck, Austria, were installed in 1904 for the 50th anniversary of the parish in 1906. They were repaired in 1964 and again when storm windows were added over the stained glass.

The beautiful tile on the floor in the main aisles is original Wheeling tile.  It was discovered when carpet that had been installed in the 1980s was removed.

Between 2000 and 2010, all of the statues in the church were repaired and repainted.  Many were restored by a woman artist employed by A.T. Merhaunt (German) Church Goods and Restoration located in Allison Park Pennsylvania.  Fr. O’Kruta himself refinished St. Monica, the Passion of St. Francis, St. Barbara, and the Risen Christ.  Other statues were purchased at the auction at Mt. De Chantal. The Pieta statue was acquired from Sacred Heart Church in North Wheeling and the Lady of Mt. Carmel from the Carmelite Monastery in Wheeling.

The present building is 120 feet long and 78 feet wide. The main sanctuary floor has been replaced with laminate.  The ceiling is 33 feet high at the side arches and 48 feet at its highest point. The oak pews were bought in 1887 from Mr. Donnels, of Pittsburgh, PA. Three Capuchin Brothers carved the confessionals in 1887, the main altar in 1888, and the side and main altars in 1890, all out of oak.

Saint Alphonsus has accumulated the largest collection of relics in the state of West Virginia, housing over 225.  Relics are small slivers of bone from various martyrs and saints which are ceremoniously wrapped in cloth, pinned, labeled with their Latin names, and placed in sarcophagi. A group of German Capuchin monks came to Wheeling and brought with them a tradition of collecting relics.  Some relics have been purchased, but many of the relics have been donated by German immigrants and parishioners.  People who come to visit the neo-Gothic style church can kneel before the altars built specifically to house the relics. There are paintings built into the side altars, which can be spun around to reveal the relics on the other side. On the main altar there are 4 angel medallions, which can be spun around to revel the relics.

 

The largest relics that the church maintains are reported to be the skull and bones of St. Faustus and the partial skeleton of St. Valentine. These are highlighted in small coffin-like boxes called sarcophagi, stored under the main altar in the church.  Beautiful original oil paintings that used to hang behind the altar date back to 1856 and remain at the church. The paintings are of Christ on the Cross, Mary and St. Joseph, and St. John Standing at the Cross.

 

Father O’Kruta reorganized the Archives room to show more of the archives and remodeled the school gymnasium and created the Parish Hall.   He remodeled the former youth center to create a community center.

Father O’Kruta grew up in Newell, WV and graduated from St. Meinrad College, Saint Meinrad, Indiana with a BA degree. He then attended Marshall University where he received a masters degree. 

Fr. O’Kruta’s Priesthood is a 2nd career.  For 15 years he was involved in Baltimore as a school teacher, guidance counselor, and vice principal from 1978 – 1990.  In 1990 he entered Blessed John the XXIII National Seminary in Boston, and graduated with Master of Divinity degree.  He was ordained in 1994 by Bishop Bernard Schmitt and has been serving in the diocese since.  Fr. O’Kruta came to St. Alphonsus in June of 2008 and was assigned as pastor.  Since then he has been part of the renovation and establishment of the St. Alphonsus rectory and of the new St. Alphonsus offices. He is currently involved in the demolition of the former school and rectory and the building of the new parking lot and courtyard for the parish.

 

Photos by Gary Zearott