About this collection:

➤ The Ohio Valley Medical Center Auxiliary can trace its beginnings to the formation of the City Hospital in 1890, following an initiative by Wheeling women’s groups. The City Hospital began operating in the former Wheeling Female Seminary and opened to patients in 1892. On January 14, 1914, the East Building of the present hospital complex was opened on the old seminary site, and the hospital officially became Ohio Valley General Hospital. The “women’s hospital association,” later known as the “Board of Lady Managers,” organized and raised funds for the formation of the hospital, and eventually took on the role of an auxiliary group in those early years. Early members included Mrs. Anne Bates Butler, Mrs. Lucy McClure Cowden, Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Hobbs Hazlett and Mrs. Lillie List. In 1915, the Auxiliary created “Twigs,” volunteer groups tasked to sew and raise money for linens and other hospital needs. Over the years, the Auxiliary has also raised money for School of Nursing scholarships, wheelchairs, prenatal incubators, and toys for the pediatric ward. In 1973, the hospital changed its name to Ohio Valley Medical Center. When the Alecto Corporation bought OVMC in 2017, the Auxiliary legally separated from the hospital and incorporated as an independent 501c3 organization. Its current mission is to improve the health and wellness of the community.

The collection consists of the Ohio Valley Medical Center Auxiliary scrapbooks, covering the years 1963-2012. The collection also includes minutes, programs, and other ephemera related to the Twigs organized within the Auxiliary. Minute books include those of the Acorn Twigs, Pine Twigs, Lily Twigs, Leaf Twigs and Mulberry Twigs. Programs and planning documentation for the annual Gala, one of the organization’s major fundraisers, is also included, in addition to the organization’s annual reports from the 1960s-2018.

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