Prohibition
As early as the colonial period, groups tried to end the production and use of alcoholic beverages. Years later, in 1873, some women in Hillsboro, Ohio, heard a lecture about the ill effects of the use of alcohol and began a crusade to close the town’s saloons. The campaign spread to other communities, and, within two months, twenty states had become dry (alcohol-free) without any laws being passed.
In November 1874, women from seventeen states gathered in Cleve- land, Ohio, and formed a permanent organization against the use of alcoholic beverages. The organization was called the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). Led by Frances Willard, the WCTU grew rapidly. Women in Wheeling were apparently the rst in West Virginia to formally organize a group in support of temperance (moderation or abstinence from the consumption of alcohol). The Ladies Temperance Union was listed in the Wheeling city directory in 1877. Three years later, a Ladies Temperance Band was listed.
In November 1874, women from seventeen states gathered in Cleve- land, Ohio, and formed a permanent organization against the use of alcoholic beverages. The organization was called the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). Led by Frances Willard, the WCTU grew rapidly. Women in Wheeling were apparently the rst in West Virginia to formally organize a group in support of temperance (moderation or abstinence from the consumption of alcohol). The Ladies Temperance Union was listed in the Wheeling city directory in 1877. Three years later, a Ladies Temperance Band was listed.