A small playground on
top of a hill in the Mozart area is the only reminder
Wheeling residents have of the once popular Mozart Park and
its Incline Railway. Commissioned by park founder, Henry
Schmulbach, the incline was first operated in October 1893.
The idea for the incline was rooted in the problem of
accessibility to the park which was located atop the hill
over-looking South Wheeling. Before the incline, there were
no streetcar lines or other forms of transportation leading
to the park and people were forced to walk up a steep hill to
reach the park. According to the Upper Ohio Valley Historical
Review's 1981 winter issue, Schmulbach had built several
facilities at the hilltop recreational area: a dancing
pavilion, casino, bowling alley, restaurant building, outdoor
stage and one-third-mile-long bicycle track. Plans even
called for a zoo to be constructed at Mozart Park but it
never materialized. To remedy the problem of accessibility to
the park and its amusement park, Schmulbach took it upon
himself to engage a company from Pittsburgh to build the huge
inclined railway, like those in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati,
from the hill's base to the top. The incline costed
Schmulbach over $100,000 and was ready for a test of
operation by October, 1893. Representatives of the local
press, vice-president of thr Schmulbach Brewery, Charley
Horstmann, and crowds of local citizens were present to
witness and/or participate in the historic first ride,
according to accounts of the event. Although skepticism may
have been in the thoughts of some, a major problem was not
encountered until the following year. On June 3 and 4 of
1894, the park's stockpiles were out of coal, which was
essential to run the incline's engines. The incline was out
of operation for these two days, but began working again
later that week after coal supplies were replenished. By
November of that year, crowds rushed on a daily basis to the
park specifically to ride the 205-yard-long incline. The
incline carried an average of 1,200 persons every hour. The
cars were running every two minutes. Patrons could ride the
incline for 15 cents, including admission to the park. Soon
the price was decreased to 10 cents during the park's second
season. Some records indicate the price for a ride at one
point was as low as 5 cents. The incline operated until 1907
when the Mozart Street Car Line came into existence and
assumed transportation service to the park. This car line ran
fron Caldwell's Run Road up to the back side of Mozart. The
park itself remained open until 1917. Schmulbach later sold
the park land in pieces, eventually leaving only the small
playground. Why this great park and wonderful incline was
lost to the highway below I will never understand. Wheeling
could have had a beautiful park and overlook just like
Pittsburg has today. The photo at the bottom of this page is
the cacino at the top of the incline in Mozart Park. On a
clear day the spire of the Belmont (Ohio) Court House could
be seen at a distance of about 10 miles
away.
