Mozart Park

Built by Wheeling brewer and businessman, Henry Schmulbach, Mozart Park opened October 25, 1893. The park's attractions included a dancing pavilion with a capacity of 5,000 people, a casino, a bowling alley, a restaurant building, an outdoor stage, and a one-third mile long bicycle track.

The original site for Mozart Park was the Frazier farm, purchased from the John Frazier in 1892 for $13,000. Otto Kalkrueth was hired to design the park. [1]

Schmulbach, in addition to being a brewer, also had stock in the streetcar business and built an inclined railway to reach the hilltop park. Schmulbach engaged a company from Pittsburgh to build the inclined railway to the tune of $100,000. [ibid] The incline, the base of which was located at 43rd and Wetzel Streets, became a major attraction, reportedly carrying as many as 1,200 passengers an hour. [2] The incline remained in use until 1907 when the Mozart Street Car Line reached the park.

The park closed sometime between 1917 and 1918. 

[1] "Mozart Park and The Incline," Lowe, Robert & Menard, Montana X., Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review, Vol. XI, No. 1, Autumn/Winter, 1981 
[2] e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia "Henry Schmulbach." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. 

➤ Newspaper Article: Incline at Mozart Park Opens, Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, Wednesday, October 25, 1893
➤ Newspaper Article: Opening Day at Mozart Park, Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, Thursday, October 26, 1893.

Location

➤ On the hill above South Wheeling, on the hill above 43rd Street

Images

Additional Resources

 ➤ Vertical File: Mozart Park, Wheeling Room, non-circulating, ask for access at Reference Desk.