Rufus Putnam House

Sunday Morning Observer, September 30, 1917

The Rufus Putnam house, standing at the corner of Second and Washington streets, is probably second to the oldest house in the entire state and in the early days of the pioneers this historic old building housed the first school founded in Marietta. The building, which was one of the Campus Martius houses, was erected in the summer and fall of 1788.

It was built as a residence for General Rufus Putnam, facing on Washington Street and next adjoining the southeast corner of the block house. After the Indian War, General Putnam enlarged and improved the residence. Several years later he tore down a part of the block house and used a portion of it to build a wing kitchen on the Second Street side of his home. It was to this house he moved his family in 1790 and it was there he resided until his death in May, 1824.

During his life in Marietta, General Putnam had no other residence, except in the early summer of 1788 when he domiciled in his tent at "The Point," near the A. T. Nye and Son foundry.

Two years after the death of General Putnam, Arius Nye moved with his family into the house at the corner of Second and Washington streets. In 1831 he purchased the property from the heirs of Rufus Putnam. He made his home there until his death, July, 1865.

The last piece of wood from the old blockhouse was removed from the grounds in 1847, when Mr. Nye tore from his house the wing kitchen. At this time all the other buildings of the historic old fort had been removed.

Contrary to the belief of many Mariettans, the Rufus Putnam house was never a block house. It is now the Chapter House of the Daughters of the Revolution.