Wheeling and the Upper Ohio Valley contain a locally deep and nationally significant African American history, but much of that history remains dispersed across family collections, churches, schools, newspapers, institutions, oral memory, and private records.

EBSHF exists because preservation cannot be left to chance. Photographs fade, elders pass away, records disappear, and community stories can be lost when no institution is organized to protect them.

The Foundation is intended to be a trusted public resource where local African American history is preserved with dignity, documented with evidence, and made accessible for education, research, and community understanding.

The work is not only about collecting materials; it is about restoring context, strengthening memory, and ensuring that future generations can study the history with accuracy and reflection.