Cheers to Wheeling: An Exhibit of Punchbowls, Pitchers and Partyware

The Museums of Oglebay Institute present the exhibit Cheers to Wheeling: An Exhibit of Punchbowls, Pitchers and Partyware.

It is on display in the Frey-Hires Gallery of Oglebay Institute’s Glass Museum through January 5, 2025.

About the Exhibit

In Wheeling, every night was Saturday night and every Saturday night was New Year’s Eve.

Wheeling has been known for its hospitality from its earliest years as a gateway to the West. In fact, one of the city’s earliest parties was hosting General Lafayette, one of George Washington’s favorite generals in the American Revolution, in 1825.

This exhibition features an array of colorful glass partyware from the Victorian era to the time when the Oglebays lived in the Mansion.

See the Exhibit

Cheers to Wheeling  is included with admission to the Glass Museum

Admission is $15 for both museums (Mansion and Glass Museum); $10 for a single museum. Admission is free for ages 17 and under accompanied by an adult and free to Oglebay Institute members.

The Museums of Oglebay Institute are open 10am-5pm daily from April- through the first week in November, with expanded weekend hours during Oglebay’s Festival of Lights. For year-round hours, click here.

Call 304-242-7272 for more information.

About the Museums of Oglebay Institute

At the Museums of Oglebay Institute, the universal human experience of storytelling is interwoven with our inherent desire to gather, sort and display things. By meticulously collecting, caring for, showcasing and interpreting objects, the museums discover, preserve and share stories, linking us to the past in tangible and intangible ways.

Before the iconic 1846 yellow mansion became the first accredited museum in West Virginia, it was the summer home of Cleveland industrialist Earl W. Oglebay. Today, as Oglebay Institute’s Mansion Museum, it invites visitors to connect with history and the people who lived it.

Each of the museum’s thirteen period rooms takes guests on a journey through the lives of the people who might have used the objects inside—and the historic events that marked the times.

Across the hill, Oglebay Institute’s Glass Museum celebrates local industry with more than 3,500 pieces of Wheeling-made glass. From walking sticks to everyday dishes to the world’s largest piece of cut lead glass, the collection functions as a visual narrative of the Ohio Valley’s long legacy of glassmaking and the craftsmen who made it possible. Visitors can also experience the art of glassmaking through live demonstrations and workshops in OI’s glass studio.

Through careful curation, the Museums of Oglebay Institute go beyond exhibition to education. Together, they serve as informal classrooms where visitors travel through time, connecting with the past through the things that people have left behind.