Warrant for a General Town Meeting

The Marietta Gazette, July 19, 1834

To Griffin Greene, Esq., Marshal of the Town of Marietta - Greeting:

You are hereby commanded to notify the qualified electors of said Town, in the manner authorized by law, that a general Town Meeting will be held at the old Court House on Saturday, the 19th inst. at 2 P.M.

1st. To choose a Chairman and Clerk; then to take into consideration the resolution of the Council of the 12th ult. which is as follows, viz:

Resolved, That the Mayor be authorized to call a general Town Meeting, to answer and act on the following articles:

     1st. Whether the Town will advise and agree to the purchase of ground for the enlargement of the Mound Burying Ground.

     2d. Whether the Town will agree that the Streets between the Mound square and the square easterly thereof be enclosed and occupied as a part of the Burying Ground.

     3d. To act on any other business which may be submitted in relation to said Burying Ground.

     4th. To act on such propositions as may be submitted relative to amendments of the Charter of the Town.

And due return make of this warrant, with the service thereon.

given under my hand and seal of the Corporation, at the Mayor's Office, this first day of July, A.D. one thousand eight hundred and thirty four.

Nahum Ward, Mayor.

A true copy.

     Attest Griffin Greene, Marshal.

Marietta Woman Recalls Sufferings in '84 Flood

Marietta Daily Times, February 19, 1937

The 1913 and 1937 floods may have come higher in Marietta than did the memorable one of 1884 and damage may have been greater, but for actual suffering, the inundation of 53 years ago holds first place in disaster annals in the opinion of many old time residents who have experienced all of them as well as the lesser floods in the intervening years.

Lack of modern facilities in 1884 made the suffering more severe said Mrs. William H. Lord of 423 Fifth Street, who discussed the floods this week.  Mrs. Lord lives high and dry now in her Fifth Street home. The same was true in 1913. In 1884, however, her home was on Gilman Street on the west side of the Muskingum in the town of Harmar.

The Lord home stood on Gilman Street at the present B. & O. railroad crossing and the flood waters climbed until they were at least a foot deep in the second floor. The family was among the more fortunate ones in that part of Harmar on that occasion in that they saved most of their furnishings and personal effects.

Become Refugees

As the waters climbed the walls of their home and they realized they must abandon the place, they were taken out in a boat and were rowed to dry ground near the Douglas Putnam home - now the home of Edward MacTaggart.

"We were going to the hills - any place to find a haven," said Mrs. Lord. "In those days the only house on Harmar Hill was the old Strecker home, now owned and occupied by Miss Del Strecker. We thought we might be able to find shelter in a barn. As we stepped out of our boat at the Putnam place, Mrs. Putnam inquired where we were going. We told her our plight. Instantly, she insisted that she would take us in.

"We found a haven in the Putnam place along with approximately two hundred others whom the Putnams had taken in. The great house was packed with people and the refugees slept in most every conceivable position. Food was a problem, and, when we arrived, Mrs. Putnam said: "We have room for you and food enough for breakfast tomorrow morning, then we must find some source of supply."

Food is Found

"During the night, food supplies were found. I presume the men located stores that still had things to eat. At any rate, food was provided and gradually, the situation relaxed. We remained with the Putnams until the waters subsided, then we returned and began that awful task of cleaning out the mud and restoring our homes. Truly, those were trying days."

As Mrs. Lord remarked, the scarcity of homes on the high ground on the west side of the river made the situation in 1884 a difficult one. Only a few homes in Harmar were above the flood, and they were packed as was the Putnam place.

During the 1913 flood the situation, so far as buildings were concerned, was much the same as it was during last month's flood. Comfortable homes on Harmar Hill were opened by their hospitable owners and there always was "room for one more." As a result the West Side fared equally as well as did the main or eastern part of the city. The Red Cross, local relief agents and other organizations, among them the American Legion and the police and firemen, all did valiant work and helped to keep actual suffering at a minimum. 

Supplies Provided

As was done on the east side of the Muskingum, a well-stocked commissary was established. Supplies including bedding, clothing and food and fuel were provided. Capable leadership was developed. Once more, the MacTaggart home was one of the working centers and again it housed its quota of refugees. The school building and the chapel on Harmar Hill were used as added centers.

Lack of adequate shelter, scarcity of food and an almost total absence of such luxuries as city water, gas, electricity and telephones, all combined to make the 1884 disaster a more severe one than any that has followed. Property loss in the 1913 flood and again in the 1937 may have been heavier. Undoubtedly, however, they were in the words of Mrs. Lord, "trying days." 

 

Armory Is Damaged By Flood

The Marietta Daily Times, February 2, 1937:

Marietta's national guard armory, located on Front Street, suffered heavy damage in the flood and will have to be extensively repaired. A rather complete examination of the structure made Tuesday showed this.

The west wall, fronting upon the Muskingum, has broken, a large crack having opened. In fact the wall apparently has sagged and has drawn away from the cross partition.

The main floor, used for drill purposes and for public assemblages, has blown up and is a complete loss, it is said.

The adjutant general's department has instructed Lieutenant Donald Whiting to have estimates made for completely repairing the building, same to be forwarded to Columbus for final approval. Then an effort will be made to have the rebuilding operation done as a WPA project.

Other state armories in the flood zone also are said to have suffered heavily and the same course is to be followed in rehabilitating them, the adjutant general said.

The damage suffered at the Marietta armory, while not yet positively known, is expected to amount to several thousand dollars.

Captain Norman O. Whiting, in command of the Marietta company, is on special flood duty at Pomeroy and Middleport and in his absence, Lieutenant Don Whiting is in charge of the local property of the state. 

The Marietta Daily Times, February 4, 1937:

$16,000 Is Needed to Fix Armory

Engineers who have examined the Front Street armory have estimated approximately $16,000 will be required to restore the building to safe condition. 

This figure was announced on Thursday by Captain Norman O. Whiting. He is compiling the figures and will take them to Columbus later in the week at the request of the adjutant general's department. They will be placed with the state architect and as soon as possible he will come to Marietta to study the situation and gather data for plans for the repair work, it is said.

The entire west or rear wall has been thrown out of line and has broken in such a way that it will have to be taken down and re-built. The entire main floor will have to be made new. It is expected that while this is being performed, needed changes in the basement section will be authorized. Changes also will be made in the Front Street entrance, where the steps have crumbled and weakened.

 

"Liberia, and Other Poems"

Marietta Intelligencer, February 2, 1853

This is the title of a volume of from three to four hundred pages, which the authoress, Miss Ann Jones, of Marietta, desires to publish at an early day, if sufficient encouragement is proffered to pay the expense of publication.

"Liberia" is a narrative of the foundation of that Republic and of the toils and struggles of its founders, with a glance at its present condition. Some of the other poems are of a descriptive and of a narrative character, and there are a few on religious subjects.

To such of our readers as are acquainted with the authoress, we need do no more than announce her purpose of publishing to secure from them a cordial response to the call that may ere long be made upon them for subscriptions. The work will be got up in a neat and handsome style, and the subscription price will probably be $1 per volume.