An 1892 stone span where the engineer fell during construction and was never recovered
Main Street over Wheeling Creek, Wheeling, WV 26003
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Public bridge and street; no admission
Access
Wheelchair OK
Public street bridge with sidewalks over Wheeling Creek
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1892 · Longest single-span stone arch bridge in the U.S. when built · Oldest surviving bridge of its type in the Wheeling area · Historic American Engineering Record site (HAER WV-78)
The Main Street Stone Arch Bridge carries Main Street over Wheeling Creek near the creek's confluence with the Ohio River. Work began in November 1891 under Wheeling city engineer Francis Lyell Hoge, with the firm Paige, Carey and Company contracted on the project. The keystone was set in December 1891, and the bridge opened to traffic in early 1892.
The span measures 159 feet, and when it opened it was described as the longest single-span stone arch bridge in the country. It was built from 771 cut-stone blocks, each weighing at least two tons, quarried and dressed at a Wheeling stoneyard. The structure was documented by the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER WV-78) and remains the oldest surviving bridge of its type in the area.
About a month after the keystone was placed, an accident on the works killed D.M. (Dominick) Carey, an engineer tied to the construction firm. Contemporary accounts say a tramway carrying heavy sandstone gave way over the spot where he was working and that searchers, including divers and a posted reward, never recovered his body from the creek. The bridge is still in service and is among Wheeling's better-known pieces of 19th-century engineering.
Sources
The bridge's ghost story is tied directly to the death of D.M. Carey during construction. According to accounts collected by the local outlet Weelunk, drivers and pedestrians crossing on cold, wintry mornings have reported a strangely dressed man standing on the span, wearing a bowler hat in the style of the late 1800s and leaning over the stone walls as though examining the masonry.
The figure is identified in the retelling as Carey, still inspecting the bridge he did not live to see finished. Because his body was never recovered from Wheeling Creek, the story has stayed attached to the structure rather than to a grave. The accident itself is corroborated by independent local history sources, while the apparition remains a piece of Wheeling folklore reported chiefly in the cold months.
Notable Entities
Cross the Main Street bridge on foot or by car. When it opened in 1892 its 159-foot arch was the longest single-span stone bridge in the country. The span carries traffic over Wheeling Creek near the creek's confluence with the Ohio River, southeast of WesBanco Arena. There is no admission and no formal tour.
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