Messrs. William & Bro.'s Historical Enterprise

 The Marietta Register, November 25, 1880

The writers in the employ of Messrs. H. Z. Williams & Bro., the projectors of the forthcoming history of Washington County, desire us to state that they have begun work in Marietta and at other points in their field, and that in course of time they will interview all old residents and others in the possession of valuable facts of local history. They desire that all may have an opportunity of contributing to the compilation of the volume upon which they are engaged and respectfully request that individuals throughout the county shall endeavor to refresh their memories of local events and bring to light whatever they may possess in the way of written or printed matter bearing upon Marietta or the county at large.

It is especially desired that those persons who are the depositories of information upon special topics shall be in readiness to give the fullest details possible upon those topics whatever they may be. The writers would feel obliged to those who have MSS or printed matter upon any of the institutions or interests of any locality in the county, will make such fact known to them, either personally or by letter, and so facilitate their search for facts. Communications should be addressed to H. Z. Williams & Brother, Marietta, Ohio. Anything concerning churches, schools, cemeteries, early events, or important later events, river navigation and improvement, old business houses, manufacturing establishments, etc., etc., will be particularly acceptable.

The publishers desire and intend to make their history of Washington County a comprehensive and exhaustive work. To this end they solicit the aid of all who are now residents or who may have been residents of the county, but who have located elsewhere. The volume will contain not less than 450 royal quarto pages, and be printed in the best style of the art, and with clear, large type, upon heavy tinted paper. It will contain among its illustrations sketches of historical objects and portraits of pioneers and prominent men of the county. Owing to the size of the volume, the broad scope of the work and the extraordinarily large task that the writers have before them in this classic ground, the company, although employing about eighteen or twenty men in all departments, will be unable to conclude its labors before the middle of next year.

M.

Ancient Bones

The Marietta Intelligencer, November 16, 1859

Workmen in excavating a location for a cistern at Skinner, Rolston & Co.'s Tannery, after passing down through six feet of sandy loam and through three feet of conglomerate rock, so hard as to require blasting, found under the conglomerate, a cavity about a foot in depth, and in the earth below this cavity, a human skeleton and the bones of animals. The bones were very old and crumbling. The skull of the skeleton, the most precious part to the ethnologist, was broken to pieces by a blow of a pick. A part of the upper jaw contained teeth, which were very much worn. They have doubtless seen much service and, consequently, the owner, many years.

It is somewhat difficult to account for the location of the bones. The conglomerate and accompanying sand appear to be a part of the original strata of the stockade terrace and if so are, in the estimation of geologists, older than the human race. It is probable, however, that water once flowed down a small ravine near the spot and excavated a hole under the hardened conglomerate stratum, and the bones were carried there by animals, or drifted under the shelving rock, and afterwards the earth was deposited over the whole. The opening where the bones were found is near the edge of the plain, about six hundred feet from the present bank of the Muskingum River, and about fifteen to twenty feet below the general level of the plain. The bones are in possession of Dr. Hildreth.

If Nott, the author of "Types of Mankind," were to see these bones he would give them as another example of a Pre-Adamic man, and in our opinion, make another great mistake.

Many Towns Named After Pioneer City

 Sunday Morning Observer, August 26, 1917

Name is a good one, but is cause of much trouble to postal clerks.

"Marietta" seems to be a most popular name for towns in the United States and at the present time, Uncle Sam has fifteen Marietta post offices, each located in a different state.

These post offices are as follows: 

Marietta, Ohio

Marietta, Oklahoma

Marietta, Alabama

Marietta, Georgia

Marietta, Florida

Marietta, Illinois

Marietta, Kansas

Marietta, Minnesota

Marietta, Mississippi

Marietta, New York

Marietta, North Carolina

Marietta, South Carolina

Marietta, Pennsylvania

Marietta, Texas

Marietta, Washington

Assistant Postmaster Asa McCoy, remarking about the many towns bearing the Pioneer City's name, said that not a day passes but the local post office clerks receive mail intended for a Marietta in some other state. He said the worst difficulty is experienced in sorting the mail when letters are found addressed either to Marietta, Ohio, or to Marietta, Okla. Both Ohio and Okla. contain four letters each and clerks taking the word at first glance cast the letter into a mail bag going West instead of the one coming East.

This causes a general mix-up and the letter will probably make its round of the different Marietta before it arrives at its right place.

Fight at Marshall's Hall

 The Marietta Register, August 26, 1880

One of the worst fights ever known in Marietta occurred at the dance at Marshall's Hall on Greene Street Monday night. Sundry fights of lesser magnitude were going on all through the evening till about ten o'clock, when they culminated in a grand wholesale riot and continued for nearly two hours, till the parties desisted from sheer exhaustion. An adjournment was then made to the street, but the police there kept them under a little, though it was nearly two o'clock in the morning before all was quiet.

The trouble, we are told, originated some time before, in Becker Brothers' saloon, between a young fellow named Tom Highland and Weirick [Weyrich] the bartender. The fight Monday night began by someone pitching upon Weirick. His father was in the room at the time, being a member of Becker's Orchestra and, with the rest of the band, took his son's part. A lot of fellows downstairs rushed up and the fight became general.

Tuesday morning men were around everywhere with sore and broken heads. No revolvers were used or knives plunged, but chairs were hurled into splinters and one man, Jake Schlicher, was wounded so badly on the head that he is hardly expected to live. The one who struck him is not fully identified. Some said it was a man named McCue, others did not know.

It was a fight between "Texas" and the "Stockade" and a disgrace to the city. Where the chief blame rests it is for others to determine, but it is very unfortunate that such an affair occurred.

Ancient Relics

The Marietta Weekly Leader, January 22, 1884

A grand pageant of three hundred French and Indians commanded by De Celeron, sent out by the Governor of Canada in 1749, crossed Lake Erie and Chautauqua and down the Allegheny and Ohio rivers in the interest of the French government, depositing at the mouth of the principal tributaries of the Ohio leaden plates with the object of their mission inscribed thereon.

Among those found at the mouth of the Muskingum were masonic emblems, consisting of square and compasses, level, plumb and cross with stars enclosed in a circle at the intersection, with an inscription in French engraved upon them. These emblems were in the possession of the late Louis Soyez, a Frenchman, who was mayor of Marietta for several years. A person now living remembers distinctly Mr. Soyez exhibiting them at his store on Ohio Street about 40 years ago to a party of gentlemen consisting of Stephen Hildreth, Lewis Anderson, Timothy Buell, Silas Cook, Benjamin Soule, John Cunningham and others, who after relating the circumstances named above, said that they were dug up by workmen in making a landing at Marietta.

If found, they would be interesting relics in a masonic point of view, as well as in connection with the history of our city. They would attract much attention at the centennial celebration in 1888. 

Who will say eureka?

G. T. H.

  

Women Engage in a Hair-Pulling

The [Marietta] Register-Leader, July 22, 1920

When the children engaged in a quarrel Wednesday evening, the mothers took it up and Mrs. Basil Carpenter and Mrs. Ed McGovern of Barber Avenue engaged in an old-fashioned hair-pulling. 

A large crowd gathered to watch the fight and one of the neighbors notified the police. The two women were ordered to appear before Mayor W. M. Sprague Thursday morning. They were fined one dollar and costs each by the mayor, on a charge of fighting. They paid and were released.

 

Still Monkeying With Father Time

Sunday Morning Observer, November 24, 1918

Marietta time ordered pushed ahead an hour on anniversary of standard time.

New boundaries moving time zones were announced in Washington last week by the Interstate Commerce Commission. They become effective at 2 A.M., January 1. Previously they had been fixed by cross country railroads or local laws.

The announcement came on the anniversary of the adoption of Standard Time eighteen years ago, for it was on November 18, 1883, that Standard Time was born in the United States. Since then he has been adopted and given a permanent home in nearly all the civilized countries of the earth.

Before the birth of Standard Time, travelers from Boston and Washington needed to change their watches five times in order to keep up to date. There were over half a hundred standards used in the United States and Canada between the Atlantic and Pacific. Even in the same town there were often two different standards, one known as "sun" or "local" time, and the other as "railroad" time.

Many persons of scientific attainment invented schemes for standardizing time, but the plan finally adopted was worked out by W. F. Allen, secretary of the American Railway Association. At noon on November 18, 1883, there was a universal resetting of clocks in all parts of the United States and Canada, and the four great time zones into which the North American Continent is divided came into existence. European nations, which had suffered as much as America from hap-hazard methods of reckoning time, soon adopted a similar system. The observatory at Washington now distributes standard time with errors of only one-thousandth part of a second.

Here at Marietta the division line between Eastern time and Central time has been the Ohio River. But the new line fixed by the Commission to separate the Eastern and Central time zone begins at the Great Lakes and follows the boundary of Michigan down through Toledo, Mansfield, Columbus and Gallipolis, Ohio; Burlington, Kenova and Williamson, West Virginia; Dungannon, Va.; Bristol, Va.-Tenn.; Telford, Tenn.; Asheville and Franklin, North Carolina; Atlanta, McDonough, Macon, Perry, Americus, Albany and Thomasville, Ga., the north boundary of Florida to River Junction and the Apalachicola River to the Gulf of Mexico.

On the statute books of Ohio there is a law fixing Central time as the official time. For the past few years there has been some agitation in different parts of the state to change the official time to Eastern time. Much of the agitation came from Cleveland, the home of Secretary of War Baker. And in this connection it might be mentioned that Cleveland gets everything she wants now-a-days - from Washington.

Between Central and Mountain time, the line begins at the Canadian boundary at Portal, North Dakota; follows the Missouri River and extends through San Angelo, Texas, and the 109th meridian to the Rio Grande River.

Between Mountain and Pacific time zones, the line goes through the Continental Divide to Helena, Butte and Dillon, Montana. It runs along the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, through Seligman and Parker, Arizona, and along the Colorado River to the Mexican boundary.

All of Alaska is left within a single time zone.

 

New Map of Washington County

The Marietta Republican, October 29, 1858

Map of Washington County, Ohio, by William Lorey, published by Edwin P. Gardner, Philadelphia, 1858. Library of Congress.

We have received a copy of the splendid new map of our county drawn by William Lorey, Esq., one of the best Civil Engineers in the State, and published by Mr. E. P. Gardner, who has the reputation of getting out some of the finest maps ever published. 

It shows the boundary lines of every lot and tract of land in the county, and gives the owners' names, besides giving all the roads, township lines and all the principal streams. It is very accurately drawn, beautifully engraved and elegantly framed. It is likewise ornamented with excellent views of a number of fine dwellings.

No resident of the county, especially a real estate owner, should be without it. It is very cheap at $5, the selling price. The limited number only over those subscribed for can be furnished, and those desirous of procuring a copy of this ornamental and almost indispensable article, should apply to Mr. Gardner at once. Copies may be had at the County Auditor's office and seen in the business houses and dwellings of Marietta generally.

Map of Washington County, Ohio (1858), Library of Congress website:
https://www.loc.gov/item/2006636760/

Illustrations include: Residences of G. W. Barker, Union Township; Edwin Guthrie, Belpre Township; Walter M. Buchanan, Watertown Township; E. S. and William McIntosh; Mrs. S. M. Dana, Waterford Township; and the Mansion House hotel, Marietta, Mrs. F. Lewis, proprietress.

Plats include: Newport, Bonn, Plymoutha nd Pleasanton, Beverly, Salem, Marietta, Harmar, Buell's Lowell, Matamoras, Grandview, Watertown, Barlow, and Cutler. 

Interesting sites on the Marietta plat include:  Plank Road (above Marion Street); a Powder Magazine on Montgomery Street near Sixth; a Brewery on the corner of Sixth and Montgomery streets; a Candle Factory on Third Street near Warren; Tanneries on Second Street near Sacra Via, on Montgomery at Sixth, and on Second between Butler and Greene; Wendelken's Flour and Grist Mill on Front near Knox; Cotton and Grey's Churn Factory near Seventh and Putnam streets; the Brick Yard of J. Pierce near Seventh and Cutler; the Union Chair Factory on Sixth between Putnam and Butler; J. O. Cram's Saw and Flour Mill along the Muskingum River near Butler; the Gas Works on the corner of Fifth and Greene streets; and the Steam Ferry crossing the Muskingum River at Putnam Street.

Milk Wagon Hit By Auto, Upset

The Register-Leader, July 5, 1916

Much milk was spilled and dozens of bottles were broken at 11:30 this morning when an automobile driven by Miss Kathryn Alexander struck the rear end of the Jersey Heights dairy delivery wagon, owned by J. S. Devol and driven by Donovan Williamson, upsetting the wagon at the corner of Second and Putnam streets. The wagon had just turned the corner and Miss Alexander followed.

Williamson was in the wagon when it was turned over, but he was not injured. The shafts of the wagon were broken and this probably saved the horse from injury. The accident was witnessed by a large crowd. The right fender of the Alexander car was bent in the collision.

A False Report

Marietta Intelligencer, March 9, 1853

We have noticed the following article in two or three of our exchanges.  It now turns up in the Pittsburg Gazette:

"The Sacrifice of a Medium.  A man whose name is Samuel Cole, residing in Washington county, Ohio, who was made insane from the workings of the spirit-rappings delusion became possessed of the idea that he must offer, like Abraham of old, a sacrifice to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe.  He accordingly proceeded to carry his object into execution, by taking off one of his feet, which he succeeded in doing some days since, in a very scientific manner, and with a heroic determination that it should compare with the self-sacrificing deeds done in the earlier ages.  His family, fearing that some other of his limbs might be demanded in a like cause, had him conveyed to the Lunatic Asylum at Columbus, where he is now in the enjoyment of as much liberty as the nature of his disease will warrant the superintendent of that institution in granting him."

Such an occurrence may have taken place somewhere, but we think not in "Washington county, Ohio."  At least we never heard of it until we saw it in some remote newspaper, and we do not think there is, or has been, such a man as "Samuel Cole" residing in this county.

 

Marietta Miscellany, 1815 - 1825

American Friend, February 24, 1815:
Whereas the Court of Common Pleas for the County of Washington and State of Ohio, have, at their last Court, constituted and appointed me guardian to Edmund Molton of the township of Adams in said County, and State aforesaid, this is therefore to forewarn all persons from purchasing any of said Molton’s property, or from renting any of his lands except from me or by my consent.
Charles MacKawen.
Marietta, Feb. 22, 1815.

American Friend, February 14, 1817:
The Weather. Since the 16th January the weather has been excessively cold, with the exception of a few moderate days. The Ohio river has been completely bridged with ice since about the 20th ult. And loaded wagons, sleds, &c. have daily crossed with perfect safety, the ice being about nineteen inches thick. The oldest inhabitant cannot remember a winter as severe as the present. Letters from gentlemen who have lately left this place for the Eastward state that the snow on and near the Allegany mountains, is from two and a half to three feet in depth, on a level.   Should the winter suddenly break with warm rains, inundations of the low bottom lands on the Ohio will, undoubtedly be the consequence; but if gradually melted by the warmth of the spring, this need not be apprehended.
Farmers and others, however, who are situated on the low lands, would do well to be prepared for it, as delays in similar cases have been attended with ruinous consequences.

American Friend, February 21, 1817:
The Eastern Mail, due on Wednesday, has not arrived, probably owing to the breaking up of some of the rivers.

American Friend, February 21, 1817:
To Mr. Alexander Mitchell, of Short Creek, Virginia,
Sir – I have lately seen in the St. Clairsville paper, that you have given a challenge to run my horse Ploughboy against your horse Defiance, for 500 or 1000 dollars, four miles and repeat, with equal weights – which challenge I accept, provided you come to Marietta to run – or I will meet you at Wheeling and run you three miles and repeat, with a catch on each, for either of the above sums, any time in the month of May next.
If you accept of the above proposals, you will give me notice on or before the first day of April ensuing.
Nath. Clark.
February 19th, 1817.

American Friend, April 11, 1817:
By virtue of an execution to me directed, there will be sold at public sale at the Court House in Marietta on Monday the 28th inst. the following property, viz. three pair blacksmith’s bellows, three anvils, seven pair tongs, two sledges, one vise, on pair nippers, twenty six pieces of steel of 130 weight, one desk, one slack-tub, one hammer, one grind-stone, one muley Cow, one bureau, one desk or writing stand, one breakfast table, one do. stand, five old Windsor chairs, three kitchen chairs, one bake kettle, one dish do., one tea-kettle, one spider, one pair hand-irons, two white dishes, five edged plates, eleven pewter plates, one coffee mill, one gallon coffee pot, one salad-dish, one large iron kettle, one bed-bolster, sheet and blanket, one bedstead, one bed sheet and coverlet, one lot and blacksmith’s shop, taken as the property of Ambrose Stewart, to satisfy said execution, in favor of D. J. Burr and others – sale to commence at 1 o’clock P. M.
Timothy Buell, Sheriff.
April 4, 1817.

American Friend, May 9, 1817:
Extract of a letter to a gentleman in this place, dated Zanesville, May 4th, 1817.
“My Dear Sir – I have this afternoon been informed from good authority, that within 30 miles of this place there now exists 5 cases of variola (small pox,) they having taken the disease the natural way. Our situation is something alarming; and having been informed that you are now inoculating with the vaccine virus (kine pox,) I wish that, immediately on the receipt of this, you would have the goodness to send me some of the genuine matter, & c.”
It would be well for the citizens of Marietta, and of the country generally, to introduce kine pox into their families, without delay, as it is not known how soon, but we have reason to fear that the Small Pox may make its appearance in this part of the country.

American Friend, July 25, 1817:
Notice.
The subscriber will give a generous price for Fat Cattle, Calves and Sheep.
John Clark, Butcher.
July 25, 1817.

American Friend, August 29, 1817:
John Clark, Butcher in Marietta, advertises that he will give a generous price for fat cattle – We beg leave to state, for the interest of those who live at a distance from Marietta, and would drive cattle to him by virtue of his advertisement – that he does not give a “generous” price nor pay cash for fat cattle, and that his advertisement is wholly unworthy of notice.
Stanton Prentiss, Jr.
John A. Windsor.
Marietta, Aug. 26th, 1817.

American Friend, July 17, 1818:
The Weather.
In this town, on Sunday last, the Thermometer was at 99 in the shade, and at 124 in the sun.

American Friend, August 6, 1819:
The Drought – For many weeks past the drought, in this vicinity, has been excessive; the earth is dry to a great depth; the very few showers we have had, have not penetrated deep enough, during the summer, to wet the roots of the corn, which is supposed will not yield more than half the quantity of preceding years. The crops of wheat have been good.

American Friend, September 1, 1820:
Waterford, 22d August, 1820.
The Heat.
The Mercury in Fahrenheit’s Thermometer, in the shade has indicated, at the following dates, the following degrees: (at 3 o’clock P.M. on those days viz:) 2d July 94° 9th July 94° 23d July 94° 10th August 98° 13th August 94° 14th August 91°; and 64° at the break of day of the last date.

American Friend, November 2, 1821:
Zanesville, 12th Sept.
Mr. Editor, I am a youth of about eighteen, and begin to feel towards the ladies, what I cannot well describe; though, this much I can tell, when I see a handsome woman I always feel strange palpitating at my heart. In short, I begin to have a great partiality for the fair sex; and as I have long wished to see some of the fruits of my unfruitful brain in print, (and by the by, it is a great satisfaction to any one) I thought I could not try my hand better, than upon the subject that engrosses all my thoughts. I therefore send you (with a humble request to print it) the following short eulogium.
On Miss R. C. of Marietta.
What pencil can her form portray,
Or paint the beauties of her mind?
Her eyes like the bright God of day,
Dart fire, with modesty combined.
P.

American Friend, January 18, 1822:
Notice.
In order to prevent the confusion originating from a promiscuous location of graves, and preserve a regularity of interment of the deceased, &c. the Town Council have appointed Mr. Joseph Glines, superintendent of the Burying ground square, within this town, and request all, who may be required to perform their last duties to their deceased friends, to call upon him for the purpose of locating their graves.
By order,
R. Prentiss, Town Clerk.
Jan. 14th, 1822

American Friend, May 8, 1823:
A certain distinguished gentleman of Marietta is requested to call at my office and take some books, newspapers, letters, &c &c belonging to him, and for which he probably has as much room as I have – If not called for soon they will be sold to pay the expense of removal.
Benj. P. Putnam.
May 7th, 1823.

American Friend, & Marietta Gazette, April 22, 1824:
To All Whom It May Concern.
The owner or keeper of any horse, mare, mule, ass, ox, sheep or goose, who suffer the same to run at large on the streets or commons of the town lying west of Duck Creek, are hereby notified that the by-law of the town restrains any of the aforesaid animals from running at large between the 15th day of April and the 15th day of November, under the penalty of one dollar for every horse, mare, mule, ass or ox – and twenty-five cents for every sheep or goose, and ten cents for every ten days the same shall be suffered to run at large as aforesaid – and that if not immediately restrained, by their owners or keepers, complain will be made, and the law rigorously enforced against all its offenders.
A.

American Friend, & Marietta Gazette, May 6, 1824:
Notice.
The commissioners of Police, for the town of Marietta, give notice, that they propose to commence the performance of that part of their duty, which requires them to examine the premises of individuals, on the 14th inst. It is hoped that all nuisances will, before that time, be removed.
Any person who may know of the existence of stagnant water, or any other cause, by which the health of the inhabitants would be liable to be endangered, is requested to give information of the same, to either of the members of the board.
By order of the board.
William Slocomb, Clerk.
Marietta, May 5, 1824.

American Friend, & Marietta Gazette, July 15, 1824:
Earthquake – At 17 minutes past 11 o’clock, this day, while we were engaged in working off our papers, we experienced a shock of an Earthquake, for a few seconds, attended with a noise something like distant thunder, which appeared to come from the East, and proceeded to the West, and could be distinctly heard some time after the shock ceased. The shock was violent while it lasted. The oscillation appeared to be 2 or 3 inches.

American Friend, & Marietta Gazette, March 18, 1825:
Hail Storm. On Wednesday, the 16th inst. we were visited by a hail storm, which for violence and the size of the hail, was unprecedented in this section of country. During the preceding night and fore part of the day copious showers had fallen – such as is generally said to “make the grass grow, and produce” (with a warm intervening sun-shine,) “a rapid growth of vegetation.” At about half past 2 o’clock, P. M. a cloud arose in the west, accompanied with wind, thunder and lightning, from which the rain and hail fell in torrents. The hail, although not larger than acorns, was driven with such violence that, as far as we have heard, not a house escaped without having more or less window-glass destroyed – averaging from twenty to eighty panes each. When the storm abated, and the inhabitants had barely time to count their “broken panes,” another cloud arose which seemed to threaten a total destruction; the hail again began to fall and “larger grew,” but was accompanied by less wind than the preceding shower, for the space of two or three minutes. Some of the hail-stones measured 2-1/4 inches in diameter, but were generally about the size of hen’s eggs in circumference. From the last shower, however, not so much damage was sustained as in the preceding one, the hail, fortunately, fell in a more perpendicular direction.