On the Muskingum River, close to where it reaches the Ohio River, sits the Ohio River Museum. The museum explores the history of the Ohio River, which is one of the most important rivers in the United States. While on the tour, visitors can learn about the ecology of the river, its role in the golden age of the steamboat, and more. Comprising of three buildings, the museum offers guests an insight as to why the Ohio River has played such an important role in American history. Additionally, on the outside of the museum, visitors can take a tour of the W. P. SNYDER JR, the last intact steam-powered, stern-wheeled towboat in the United States.
Campus Martius, a civilian fortification, was built in 1788 by the Ohio Company of Associates. When the fort was disassembled, General Rufus Putnam left his blockhouse on the original fort site. In 1931, the Campus Martius Museum was erected over the Rufus Putnam House. Today, the museum preserves the history of America's migration west, its earliest native inhabitants, and Marietta's pioneers. Visitors can also tour the Rufus Putnam House and the Ohio Company Land Office.
Marietta and Washington County have had a long history of public library service. In 1796, the private library of Colonel Israel Putnam became what is considered to be the first public library in the Northwest Territory. Records show that shares in the Putnam Family Library were sold as early as 1796. This goes before the organization of the more famous “Coonskin Library” in Amesville by six years. The Putnam Family Library later became known as the Belpre Farmer’s Library. In February of 1830, the name was changed to Marietta Library, and it is now a Washington County Public Library.
Built in 1855 by Melvin C. Clarke, a prominent attorney and abolitionist, the Castle is a focal point in Marietta. Sitting atop the hill on Fourth Street, it has been home to some of the most influential citizens of Marietta. Today, the home is operated as a local history museum.
The Cotton House is a Greek Revival brick house built in 1853. It was built with gallery porches on each side to give it a palatial southern feeling. The temple front facade, topped by a pediment with a fan-shaped window, and the recessed doorway give the house an imposing look. Dr. Josiah Dexter Cotton erected this house, which still stands today. A graduate of Marietta College in 1842, Cotton studied medicine with his father and practiced as a physician in Marietta. He also served for three years in the Civil War as a surgeon of the Ninety-Second Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
Marietta founder Rufus Putnam wanted to protect a mound, called the Cronus, in town that had been constructed by people of the Hopewell culture. To do so, he suggested a cemetery be built around it. The cemetery became known as the Mound Cemetery starting in 1791. Many Ohio officials and Revolutionary War veterans were buried in the cemetery.
The Peoples Bank Theatre was built in 1919 as the Hippodrome Theatre. The theater was primarily a cinema as opposed to its predecessor, also called the Hippodrome, which was a vaudeville house that showed some movies. The first Hippodrome burnt down in 1917, leading to the construction of this more elaborate theater. Over the years, the theater has changed owners, appearances, and names. It was known as the Colony Cinema for much of the late twentieth century. The Colony Cinema closed in 1985 and was restored in the 2000s and 2010s, reopening in 2016 as the Peoples Bank Theatre.
Rufus Putnam and his men came to the mouth of the Muskingum River on April 7th, 1788, founding a settlement that would become the town of Marietta, Ohio. For years, the settlers of this area had no formal church services. Then, in 1796, local Christians founded the nondenominational First Congregational Church. The congregation’s first church was completed in 1808 but burned down in 1905. A new church, designed to look like the first, was completed in 1906. Services are still held there today as part of the United Church of Christ.
The Marietta Brewery, initially known as the Union Brewery, was built at the Second Street location in 1866 by Christian Held. The Union Brewery plant changed hands many times between 1866 and 1868, when William Feller and Company grabbed the opportunity to purchase the brewery. They then renamed it the Marietta Brewery Company. This brewery has brought many visitors to the town of Marietta because of the large mural near the back of the business. The mural is a painting of fifteen men, which include owners and employees of the original brewery.
“The Old Wine Shop” building was built in 1861 by Peter Kunz, a German immigrant. Kunz and his family sold dry goods in the store until 1913 when a flood prompted its closure. The building was then used for a variety of businesses, such as a bakery and a used furniture store before it became a wine shop in 1946. The Wine Shop closed in 2012. The historic building has sat dormant ever since.
Located on the corner of Greene and Front Streets, this hotel is named after the French hero of the American Revolution Marquis de Lafayette who visited the city in 1825. A plaque stands to mark the spot where Lafayette first came ashore in Marietta. Locals say that he was the first tourist to visit Marietta. The hotel is of great importance to the city and hosts several historically themed events and rooms. It was built in 1918 on the site of the former Bellvue Hotel, which had occupied the spot since 1892 until it burnt down in 1916. Pictures of the fire are on display in the hotel’s Gunroom Restaurant.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
This walking tour includes eight sites to explore in the historical town of Marietta, Ohio. Learn about Rufus Putnam and the other first settlers who settled in Marietta. From libraries to historical homes, Marietta has hidden history all around its beautiful downtown area.
