The Hempfied Tunnel and Viaduct was built monetarily on behalf of the citizens of Wheeling and Ohio County. Their effort raised $454,000 in private and government donations that went towards the construction of a tunnel and a five arch stone viaduct that crosses over Wheeling Creek. The Hempfield Tunnel is no longer in use by the railroad, but is instead used for a walking trial. At one time, at least seven different railroads companies passed through the city of Wheeling. Even while in use, though, the tunnel was said to have been haunted. Before work could begin on the tunnel, a section of graveyard above the tunnel needed to be relocated. It is rumored that some of the graves were "robbed," and some were not removed at all. The Wheeling Intelligencer reported in July of 1869 that ghost sightings were "confirmed." Late, in 1874 a New York Journalist claimed to have seen a spirit of some sort in the tunnel. Haunts, spirits, apparition's, spooks, phantoms -- all the like, enjoy hanging from the roof of the tunnel, and some have been reported as "floating above the tracks." Today the tunnel is known more for its supposed haunting than its actual purpose. On my visit to this portion of the walking trial I drove up Rock Point Road and stopped at a pullover a few hundred yards from the tunnel. I took advantage of an unusually warm late December day (around 65 degrees), and spent a few hours exploring the tunnel, and continued walking to East Wheeling where I stopped and turned around.
I first approached the tunnel walking towards the west. I thought this appropriate as I tried to imagine the trains, their sounds, and the people anxiously awaiting their arrival to Wheeling. Since the northern panhandle has been experiencing a wet spell, walking through the tunnel was like encountering a light rain shower, especially towards the middle of the tunnel. Water was spurting out in little sprinkles from the roof, holes, and cracks along the side. As I exited the western side of the tunnel I stepped onto the five arch stone viaduct. The viaduct was engineered by Charles Ellet Jr., the same man responsible for designing the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. Today the viaduct stands as monument to stone arch viaduct engineering, and the railroad industry. Instead of the whistle and smell of smoke from the massive locomotives that once ran the rails, today they are used by bikers, joggers, runners, walkers, and dogs. From rails to trials, there is not one usable train track in Ohio County. It's interesting to note that parallel to the walking trial runs Interstate 70. From freight cars to 18 wheelers - what's next? To view more photographs of the tunnel (inside etc.), please visit my flickr page.
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