The Gift That Started It All

Every year, thousands of families visit Oglebay Park Resort to celebrate weddings, explore the Good Zoo, play golf and create holiday traditions. Few realize that all of those experiences can be traced back to a single decision made nearly 100 years ago.

It is a decision that could have changed the future of one of Wheeling's most beautiful country estates.

When Earl Oglebay died in 1926, the future of Waddington Farm was uncertain. The property could have been sold. It could have been divided into smaller parcels. It could have disappeared into private ownership, becoming inaccessible to future generations.

Instead, Earl Oglebay envisioned something different.

Born in Bridgeport, Ohio, in 1849 and later raised in Wheeling, Oglebay built a successful career in banking and the iron and steel industry. Yet despite his professional accomplishments, his greatest passion was not found in boardrooms or business dealings. It was found in the rolling hills, gardens and farmland of the Ohio Valley.

In 1901, Oglebay purchased Waddington Farm from his father-in-law and began transforming the property into a model farm and country estate. What started as 25 acres eventually expanded into hundreds of acres of farmland, gardens, orchards and greenhouses. Students and educators from West Virginia University studied agricultural practices on the property, while visitors admired its beauty and innovation.

Oglebay believed deeply in giving back to the community. Throughout his life, he supported numerous causes throughout West Virginia and was recognized as the state's Most Useful Citizen in 1915. Yet his greatest contribution was still to come.

Rather than allowing Waddington Farm to become another private estate after his death, Oglebay chose to leave it to the people of Wheeling for public recreation. In his will, he gifted more than 700 acres of land with the hope that future generations could enjoy the same beauty and opportunities that had meant so much to him.

In 1928, the City of Wheeling formally accepted the gift after Oglebay's daughter, Sarita Oglebay Burton Russel, provided funding to help maintain the property during its first year as a public park.

It was an extraordinary act of generosity.

More importantly, it was an investment in the future.

Today, guests stroll through the gardens, visit the Good Zoo, play championship golf courses, attend festivals, celebrate weddings and create family traditions on land that might never have been accessible without Earl Oglebay's vision.

Nearly a century later, his gift continues to benefit generations of visitors, families and residents.

Earl Oglebay's legacy was never intended for one generation.

It was intended for all of them.