Memories of Marietta

The Marietta Daily Times, November 18, 1933

W. G. Sibley, friend and acquaintance of many Marietta residents, writes interestingly of Marietta men of the 1870s in his column, "Along the Highway," in the Chicago Journal of Commerce. He says:

There is one place we can always write about, and that is beautiful old Marietta, where for seven years we were an academy boy and a college student. Our memory goes back to the men of Marietta in the 1870s, and of them we shall write. They were great men in our youthful eyes and (many of them) really superior individuals, whose sons and grandsons adorn great cities today. 

First, there were the lawyers, always interesting to us because our father was one of them. There were Judges Loomis and Knowles, General Richardson, who refused an election as attorney general during the Civil War; T. W. Ewart, Brigham, Alban Davies, Judge M. D. Follett and Colonel R. L. Nye, W. G. Way and Fred J. Cutter.

Then there were the newspaper publishers - R. M. Stimson and E. R. Alderman of the old Register, Theodore Davis of the Leader, and S. M. McMillan father of the violinist - all conspicuous men, the last proprietor of The Times, the only newspaper survivor after nearly sixty years.

Among the business men of that period we knew Cadwallader and Bennett, the photographers; M. P. Wells of Bosworth, Wells and Company, the senior Turner and his clever sons, Charles and Fred. Mr. Wells made himself historical by building Marietta's wonderful system of shade trees. One ornament to the town was General Edward Benjamin Dana Fearing, a gallant soldier, General Dawes and General Warner were both business men and congressmen in turn. Down Front Street were the Glines bookstore, the Sniffens, with Jake Pfaff, the caterer, on Putnam whose escalloped oysters, chocolate cake and ice cream were famous; McCaskey, the druggist, who brought the "cigars of our daddies" to town; George Eels, the shoe man and postmaster; Asa Waters, the banker; Fred Wehrs, a capable grocer, who had everything good to eat.

The town was fortunate in its preachers. There were Doctor Boyd, the Episcopal rector; Doctor Addy, the Presbyterian; Mr. Lusk, the Unitarian, and Doctor Hawkes, who presided over the Congregational Church - all gifted and pious leaders in intellectual affairs.

One man who stands out in our memory is Ben McKinney. Father told us once he was the cleverest Democratic politician in southern Ohio. His political office was the sidewalk in front of the court house where his plans and stratagems were discussed and determined. With George Wieser we thought that what McKinney did not know about politics was not worth knowing. Now his capable sons control the destinies of The Times, since the redoubtable Sam McMillan moved away from Marietta. Their daily compares with the Cincinnati papers of the 1870s in interest and volume.

There was another group of men we knew in our college years. They were, for the most part, clustered around Flat Iron Square, facing the levee, and so convenient to river travelers. There was "Windy" Wood, "Billy" Smith, the National House bar, and sundry saloons up Front Street with which we were familiar. One of them was the Philharmonic Hall, in which students liked to imbibe beer and music together, run by the Becker boys.

Physically Marietta, excepting street improvements and the court house, has not changed so very much. The old city hall stands, an example of ugliness in public buildings, to remind one of the scandal in its erection. The one marked change to us is the disappearance of the Ward home on the lower block of Putnam Street. Fronted by a row of stately and magnificently great sycamore trees, its large lawn, filled with flower bushes, was a lovely asset to the city. Diagonally across Second and Putnam by the old jail stood a huge forest monarch whose kindly shade protected the chain gang that broke rock for street repairs long before brick and concrete streets were dreamed of.

Marietta's old city hall, "an example of ugliness in public buildings."

We must not omit from our business acquaintances Eugene Warner, James Nye, A. T. Nye, the gifted Mrs. Peddinghaus who conducted a successful jewelry store, nor W. F. Curtis, the Reckards, the Browns, the elder Mills and his son John, nor S. A. Cooper of the chair factory - nor George M. Woodbridge and Doctor Hildreth, who kept records of physical phenomena.

The college families - Andrews, Rosseter, Beach, Manatt, Biscoe and Gear - were, of course, social leaders in the community, and made Marietta famous for culture. And there was the elder Oldham, a pillar of Democracy in his time.

Reminiscences

Marietta Daily Leader, January 9, 1896

Nahum Ward, who lived on Putnam Street, was noted for his gentlemanly appearance. He was always neatly dressed, and in all respects a fine appearing man. He built the Unitarian Church, and after its completion, gave it to the congregation to be theirs as long as God was worshipped in unity. The building was quite complete, furnished in all respects with a fine organ and organ screen.

William S. Ward, too, was a grand assistance in building up the Society. He frequently had the building painted at his own expense and all repairs needed were done by him.

John Brophy occupied the building on Ohio Street with the pillars in front. He was an Irishman by birth. In his drunken sprees, of which he had many, he used to tell of those who owed him, calling them by name. His wife was a good member of the Catholic Church and many bequests from her kind hand were known only to herself. Mr. C. G. Best clerked for the Brophys for many years.

Mr. Beman Gates published the "Intelligencer" for many years. He was a rigid temperance man, and to my knowledge, refused an advertisement from a liquor dealer with cash accompanied. He was, I think, a music teacher in his youth. He married one of the daughters of Charles Shipman, who then lived on Front Street.

Union Chair Factory - Messrs Dana & Shipman

Marietta Intelligencer, April 19, 1857

This is one of the most extensive chair Factories to be found anywhere in the West. It was commenced three years ago this spring and completed ready for operation early in the following fall. The principal building, that containing the machinery, is constructed of brick, 60 feet long by 38 wide and three stories high; it is strongly built and well lighted. The machinery is propelled by a single engine of 20 horse power, put up by A. T. Nye & Son, of Harmar. The dry-room, as it is termed, i.e. the place where the lumber is dried, after being sawed into shape, is built directly over the boiler and warmed partly by the heat arising from it and partly by the escape steam, which passes through a series of parallel pipes under the floor. The whole building is also heated in cold weather by steam. 

In the lower story, the rough lumber is cut into the required length and shape for seats, legs, backs &c., preparatory to being consigned to the dry house; and here also, the heavier kinds of turning are done. Among the novelties in this room is a circular saw, known as the concave saw, with the periphery inclined to one side and shaped somewhat like a wooden bowl, for sawing out the backs of rocking chairs. It was formerly the custom to steam and then bend these, but the liability to break was so great that they are now sawn into the proper shape. These concave saws are of comparatively recent invention.

The second story is devoted to machinery for planing, mortising and otherwise finishing the work ready for putting together. There are several curious newly invented machines in this room, which do their work with surprising rapidity and accuracy. Almost every process, from the lumber taken in the rough state till the chair is turned out perfect and complete, is performed by machinery, at a saving of expense which can hardly be calculated. On the third floor the chairs and bedsteads are put together, smoothed off and made ready for the paintshop.

The factory has power and machinery sufficient to enable the proprietors to turn out fifteen hundred chairs per week, when pushed to its utmost capacity. At present, owing to a  scarcity of lumber and other causes, they are manufacturing only about 750 chairs per week and 25 bedsteads. There are in the employ of the Company, at this time, about 75 persons; 50 or 60 of these are employed in or about the factory, and 15 or 20 girls and boys, engaged in cane-bottoming chairs, do their work at home.

The kinds of chairs manufactured are entirely cane and wood seated; but of these there is an almost infinite variety, plain, fancy, arm and rocking chairs, and ranging from $5 to $45 per doz. in price. The bedsteads are of the plainer kind known as the common and cottage bedsteads.

Messrs. Dana & Shipman find market for the greater part of their manufactured articles within fifty or eighty miles of Marietta. The Muskingum Valley trade is almost entirely monopolized by them, and they supply the towns up the Ohio as far as Steubenville, including Wheeling. They also ship a considerable amount to Cincinnati and St. Louis. The home trade we are informed is constantly increasing, and it is their design to foster and encourage it as much as possible.

One fact eminently worthy of note, in relation to this establishment, is, that all the machinery -  and much of it is of a very superior character - was made in this city at the foundries of Owen Franks, and A. T. Nye & Son. The patterns for the machines were designed and made by the ingenious and skilful machinist of the establishment, Mr. H. S. Eddy. Mr. A. S. Dimmock is the prompt and faithful foreman, who has entire charge of the manufacturing department. The finishing department is under the charge of J. M. Eells and F. H. Wesselman, whose work bears good evidence of their experience and taste in this branch.

Besides the main building of which we have spoken, there are three large frame structures - the finishing shop, 60 feet by 30, where the chairs and bedsteads are painted, gilded and varnished - a storage building for unfinished work, 70 by 24 - and an extensive warehouse, 100 by 26 feet, for storing the work that is ready for market.

The lumber used at this factory is poplar, sugar-tree, beach, black walnut and sycamore. It is all derived from this immediate vicinity, and gives employment indirectly to a number of men, in cutting, sawing, and bringing it to town.

Of the character of the work turned out by this establishment, we can safely say that it is much superior to most of that manufactured at the east. The stock is of better quality - the work is for the most part heavier - and it is put together in a much more substantial manner. Their cane-seated office armchairs are decidedly the best we have ever seen; they are made wholly of oak, the back and arms being of one entire piece, the ends bending down in front and fastening in the seat, which gives them great strength and firmness.

The enterprising gentlemen composing the firm, after a hard struggle under many difficulties and embarrassments, are now beginning to reap their reward in the constant enlargement of their business, and in the extended reputation their manufactured articles are acquiring abroad. As we have before stated, they control nearly the whole trade along the Muskingum valley to Zanesville, up the Ohio to Steubenville, and down the river to Cincinnati. This trade, which is daily increasing, they will be sure to retain, while at the same time they are distributing their wares in the far west, and rapidly extending the area of territory which is supplied by their factory. They are now well established, and with their present experience, their energy, perseverance, and good business habits, they must succeed.

Letter From Wesley Township

The Marietta Register, November 13, 1873

Plymouth, Ohio, November 10, 1873

Editors Register:

We have waited long and patiently to see something in your columns from our section of the county, and have at last concluded that Wesley must be heard from, even if our own natural modesty be sacrificed in the attempt.

It may not be generally known to "all whom it may concern" in Washington County, that Plymouth, the grand center of trade and commercial metropolis of Wesley Township, is a village of no mean pretensions. Located among the hills in the western part of the township, it presents an inviting appearance and becomes more inviting as one becomes better acquainted with its inhabitants. In population it numbers perhaps 250 souls. It boasts of three dry-goods and grocery stores, one hardware, and one drug store, two shoe shops, one harness, one wagon and one blacksmith shop.

We have three physicians, two resident ministers, and no lawyers. We never quarrel in Plymouth. Besides all these, we can claim the best hotel (so voted, I believe, by all travelers) in this section, kept by Doctor Smith, a man who has no conscientious scruples about giving a traveler a warm reception and a good dinner at living prices. Then we have a tobacco house which gives employment to several hands, owned and carried on by our enterprising young merchant, S. B. Kirby. Last, but not least, we are better situated in regard to schools than any other village of the same size in Southeastern Ohio.

First, we have the common village school, free to all, and I understand, carried on very successfully by the present teacher, Mr. Frank Cheadle. Next in order comes a tuition school, managed and taught by Miss Marietta Heald under the supervision of the Society of Friends and, if a school is to be judged from the opinions of its scholars, we must certainly pronounce this one a success.

Lastly, in a very pleasant part of the town, Bartlett Academy is located, and near the academy a large two-story boarding house is situated for the purpose of furnishing rooms for students. This school is now under the supervision of W. J. Cook and from the general good feeling which seems to exist between him and his students, we think all must be well. The fall term of this school closes soon, and indications at present are very favorable for a large and successful winter term, commencing November 24th.

An assistant teacher has been obtained from Lebanon, Ohio, and Plymouth has strong hopes that an institution of learning will be established within her limits that will give her a high position in the educational world.

The moral state of our village is far above the average. We have not a liquor shop in the place, and an intoxicated man upon our streets would be a novelty. Very little swearing or immorality of any kind is ever heard, and we have as few specimens of the "genus loafer" as can be found in any place of the same size and business.

Our farmers are complaining bitterly about the price at which they are compelled to part with their tobacco this fall, but Mr. Kirby tells them it is as well as they can do and that ends the matter.

We are very sorry to hear that our young friend, Dr. Hobson, is about to leave us. He goes to Flushing in this state, I believe. May good luck go with him and her who so recently promised to love and obey him as long as life lasts. We congratulate the people of Flushing. "What is our loss is their gain."

I have already troubled you longer than I intended, and now that your readers know our status as a city, I shall content myself hereafter by giving you a "plain, unvarnished tale" of our doings, misdoings, &c., ad infinitum.

Wesley

 

Dancing School

The [Marietta] Daily Register, October 1, 1894

Buell's Hall has been completed and is now the finest dancing hall in the city. It will be occupied by A. H. Trace, who will open his dancing school Monday evening, October 8, 1894. The following is a partial list of the dances he will introduce: Chautauqua Square, Lanciers, National American Lanciers, College Lanciers, Minuet Lanciers, La Grace Waltz, Quadrille Waltz, Polonaise Waltz, Varsovienna Waltz, Comus Waltz, Rye Waltz Nos. 1 and 2, Vassar, Oxford, Minuet, Esmeralda, Waltz Step, Redowa Schottische and Rock-a-way Schottische.

A few more scholars will be taken.

Reminiscenses

The Marietta Daily Times, December 1, 1931

Recently I met a fellow who was a pal of my boyhood days, and naturally we got to reminiscing of the days when life was young. Those were happy days, and these are happy days also. I think life is just as enjoyable for me today as it was nearly half a century ago, only in a different way.

Young folks today are reared without any knowledge of many things which were a part of home life three or four decades ago. My first childhood dreams came in a trundle bed, which was the first lower berth. It furnished bunking quarters for three of us at night and was rolled back under the big bed for the day. This provided most economical sleeping quarters, where there were large families and few rooms. The beds were often of the cord variety, where a heavy cord took the place of slats or springs. Surmounted by a feather mattress they were about as comfortable as some of the modern beds, though they did not comply with some of the present sleeping technique.

All the rooms except the parlor were heated with barrel stoves with coal for fuel. There was an open fireplace in the parlor which was fired up on Sunday and when company arrived. One of the regular chores after school was to fill the coal boxes and get in enough dry kindling to start the fires in the morning. If this was not done before dark, it had to be done after dark by the dim light of the oil lantern. Those old stoves when they began to show red below the doors provided ample heat that was real heat. They may have violated some of the rules of heat engineering, but they were most cozy and comfortable.

There were other chores at the barn, feeding and milking the cow who added much to the family living. Also, old "Barney," the equine member of the family, had to be fed and bedded, and occasionally curried. He also served as a passenger sedan when he was taken back and forth to pasture.

Usually there was a pair of pigs who were making hogs of themselves to replenish the family lard for winter. Those home grown hams and sausage - well I can taste them yet. None today taste like those did.

In the fall the cellar was well-stocked with potatoes, several barrels of apples and a barrel of sorghum. This sorghum was used for frosting the buckwheat cakes which composed the daily breakfast all winter. Some day dietitians will discover a new vitamin in buckwheat cakes and the air will be filled with their praises a la Phil Cook or some other cook.

The acme of every boy's ambition was a pair of red top boots. Shoes were very plebeian. Occasionally when snow or water got into them, it taxed the capacity of the old boot-jack to get them off. I still have the old boot-jack, now retired on pension. It served its day well for it helped many times to get our feet out of a tight place.

On Sundays and for an occasional party or funeral, we were decked out in those stiff-bosomed, clap-board shirts. They were alright until you sat down; then they shoved the collar up against the ears and shut off part of the air intake. Weekends were not anticipated with any great joy. They meant a vigorous Saturday night scrub, which always brought out all the sore spots collected during the week and it also meant those stiff jacket shirts on Sunday.

The evenings were usually spent around the big center table lighted by a large kerosene lamp. Here we learned to extract the square root and to locate Timbuktu. After the lessons, possibly there would follow a game of checkers or authors, while at other times we gathered around the wheezy organ and sang some of the old hymns which today lift my spirit above the noise and clamor of this speeding age as they are occasionally wafted in over the air.

As I sit by the radio on Tuesday evenings listening to the sacred hour program featuring the grand old hymns, I find myself in a pew in the old two-horned church, listening to Miss Lillian Eells as she sang these same hymns so appealingly, just before Dr. Dickinson, that grand old man, arose to tell us of that better way. In those days, every family had a pew and usually had enough children to fill it. 

We never get away from those early influences, however far afield we may wander. Such are some of the memories of boyhood days, which bring much delight to live over again as we draw nearer to that golden shore where we shall renew friendship with those whom we have loved long since and lost awhile.

By C. Tassel

 

They Were Married Very Quietly

The [Marietta] Daily Register, October 6, 1894

Mr. B. G. Dawes and Miss Bertie Burr Join Their Lives

From Lincoln State Journal

Miss Bertie O. Burr, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carlos C. Burr, and Mr. Beman G. Dawes, were united in marriage at the First Presbyterian church last night at 7 o'clock, by Rev. E. H. Curtis.

The ushers, Messrs. F. S. Burr; W. E. Eells of Marietta, Ohio; R. M. Joyce; S. E. Low; D. G. Wing and Lew Marshall, were kept busily engaged in seating the friends of the contracting parties.

Promptly at 7 o'clock, Mrs. P. V. M. Raymond struck the first notes of the Lohengrin wedding march and Miss Burr and Mr. Dawes entered through the western door. The bride was clad in handsome brocaded crepe, trimmed in ribbons and lace with a bridal veil hanging in graceful folds down her back. The groom looked his best and there were many complimentary exclamations on their appearance. The ceremony was brief, the ring service being used. Mr. C. C. Burr, the bride's father, gave her away.

At the close of the service, Mr. and Mrs. Dawes left the church by the eastern entrance, moving up the aisle to the sweet strains of Mendelssohn's march. They went directly to the home of the bride's parents, where a reception, which was attended by relatives and the most intimate friends, was tendered them.

The guests at the reception were given an opportunity to inspect one of the most elegant lists of presents ever received by a young couple. It was known that Mr. and Mrs. Dawes intended going to housekeeping immediately upon their return from a bridal trip, and it was natural therefore that all the presents were useful as well as beautiful. There was a large room devoted to the display of presents and in this could be found almost everything needed in making a home lovely, from a handsome filigree sugar spoon to a set of furniture. There were sets of china, choice bits of bric-a-brack, pictures denoting the taste of the donors and bank checks which will prove useful in the furnishing of a home.

Mr. and Mrs. Dawes were accompanied to the train at 9:30 by a large party of friends. They expect to be absent about two weeks, visiting the parents of the groom in Marietta, Ohio, where a reception will be tendered them. They will go from there to Washington and New York, returning to Lincoln about the 20th.

The [Marietta] Daily Register, October 10, 1894:

In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Beman Gates Dawes

The beautiful home of General and Mrs. Rufus R. Dawes, Fourth Street, was the scene of a charming reception from 8 to 11 last evening, in honor of Mr. Beman Gates Dawes and his beautiful bride of Lincoln, Nebraska. The house was handsomely decorated with potted flowers. Everything was appropriately arranged in green and white, the bride's colors. The bride was clad in handsome brocaded crepe, trimmed in lace.

Nearly one hundred guests were present. After being received by Mr. and Mrs. R. R. Dawes, Mr. and Mrs. Rufus C. Dawes, and Mr. and Mrs. B. G. Dawes, the guests were invited to lunch by Mrs. William W. Mills in her pleasant way, where in the adjoining rooms tables were arranged and refreshments were served, white and green prevailing.

Mr. and Mrs. Dawes remain until the latter part of the week, when they leave for a short visit to eastern cities, returning the next week for a few days' visit here, then to their home at Lincoln, Nebraska.

The reception was one of the prettiest for many seasons. We congratulate Mr. Dawes on his good fortune and wish him and his bride many years of prosperity and happiness.

   

Dewey Follett Revolts Against Black Clothes

The Marietta Times, February 8, 1931

The late Attorney A. Dewey Follett might have been known to many Mariettans as one of the city's "best dressed" men a half century ago, but he might also be accredited with setting the pace for what is termed "collegiate" or sports-wear ensembles, and of modern styles, according to William G. Sibley, old time Marietta College friend of the attorney who comments on what Dewey wore away back in the 1880s in the last century. Mr. Sibley remembers the toggery of his old Marietta College days and what other folks wore in those days. He wrote about it in his latest "Along the Highway" column in the Chicago Journal of Commerce recently.

This thing of having the courage to abandon "black" clothes that were worn almost universally by most all young men 50 years ago is attributed to Mr. Follett, and Mr. Sibley was not far behind in setting the pace for more colorful raiment - at least something not so either formally dressy or "age-y" as black for the steady raiment of a college boy. Here is Mr. Sibley's column:

Solemn Black

We remember one day when we were a boy in Marietta an amazing sight on the sidewalk It was Dewey Follett, a brilliant young fellow, who, after accumulating the first honors of his class in college, had gone to Cornell University for a course in law. There he had picked something up - nothing less than the courage to abandon black clothes.

Everybody wore black then, except in summer, when professional men shifted to linen suits, one to wear this week when the other was in the family washtub. The first suit that gave us joy was black, with a long-tailed coat of the style called Prince Albert. That was in our junior year in college - the first tailor-made garment we ever had after we were eight years old and first was suspenders. All the students wore black, and if their parents were prosperous, preferred long coats. Occasionally there were exceptions who wore blue.

Looked Like Snow Storm

Well, Dewey Follett came out in a sack suit that looked like a miniature snow storm, wool and almost white. He was the observed of all observers. That was the first revolt we saw against black clothes for men. It was a sack suit, and soon other daring exponents of style shed their dark, double-breasted coats, worn in winter and summer, for light colored materials. The next year we had a brown herring-bone coat and vest, and a pin-check plaid of medium gray trousers, and were inordinately proud of them. They would be called extremely modest now.

Occasionally an Englishman came to town in conspicuous plaids that looked like checkerboards and was a sensation almost as conspicuous as our professor of Greek was when he ventured forth in a tail gray stiff hat with a very narrow and curly brim.

When we escaped from college we took to grays that grew lighter and lighter, and for 40 years never wore anything else for everyday. Now we observe that the merchant tailors are still trying to get men to wear something besides black in the evening. They don't seem to make much headway. The Tuxedo coat has held them back. It is neat and comfortable. Many a man who would easily be weaned from swallow-tails clings to his black dinner coat.

But for formal occasions black is the almost universal custom. It used to be so in business hours, but now a metropolitan paper notes that bankers are shedding their frock coats and boards of directors are turning to colors and comfort. That is, they no longer "dress up" for business hours. The same is true of lawyers and doctors. Even clergymen show up in grays for street wear, along with professors and school teachers.

Man is more conservative than woman, who will wear anything or next to nothing if fashion so dictates. Nothing is too startling for them in colors or exposures. They have emancipated their legs from skirt bondage. What they will give up next for fashion's sake nobody knows. They have sufficiently demonstrated their willingness to be free of conventions - in dress at least.

 

The Floating Bath-House

The Marietta Register, June 24, 1880

Another ornamental and useful addition has recently been made to the river prospect of our park in the shape of a floating bath-house. There has long been felt the need of some institutions of this character, and after having been discussed for a time, has come to be a reality under the supervision of a number of our prominent citizens. 

The Bath has been built at an expense of over three hundred dollars and is designed solely for the enjoyment and benefit of the public. A small fee is charged each bather to defray incidental expenses and in the course of time pay the cost of construction. After the Bath has paid for itself, all surplus funds are to be placed in the hands of the Park Commissioners to use as they see fit.

The bathing house is built upon a float, 46 feet in length and 24 feet in width. In the center of the float, which protrudes about four inches above the level of the river, is the bathing tank. The tank is 30 feet long and 10 feet wide and has a movable bottom which can be raised or depressed any distance between seven and two feet.

Two feet back from the tank are the dressing rooms, fifteen in number, ranged in rows about the sides and ends of the float. Each of these dressing rooms is four feet by four and supplied with a glass, chair and a foot-bath twenty inches in depth.

The entire structure is covered with a neat, colored awning and surmounted with a turret. The superstructure is built of light material, in portable sections, in order that it may be safely stored away at the end of each season.

Certain days will be set apart on which the ladies are to have the exclusive use of the Bath. A reliable and competent person will be in constant attendance and the utmost safety is assured.

The gentlemen under whose directions the Bath has been constructed have formally organized under the name of The Floating Bath Company. At their last regular meeting the following officers were elected and a set of rules adopted. President - Dr. Sam Hart, Treasurer - Col. R. L. Nye, Board of Managers - A. B. Waters, Mr. C. B. Hall, and Dr. Z. D. Walter.

Regulations:

1. On entering the Boat a fee of 10 cents will be paid and the name registered.
2. Bathing suits will be required, and if furnished by the Boat, five cents extra will be charged.
3. Twelve tickets will be given for one dollar in advance.
4. Children in companies of 10 or more under 14 years of age will be admitted for five cents each.
5. One hour will be allowed for a bath.
6. No child under eight (8) years of age will be admitted without a competent attendant.
7. Ladies may have exclusive use of the Boat with the female attendant from 8 to 10 A.M.
8. Bathing hours from 7 A.M. to 12 P.M. and from 1 to 10 P.M.
9. No spectators can be admitted.
10. The Boat will be closed on Sunday.

 
 

A Glimpse into the Summers of Yesteryears

Sunday Morning Observer, July 28, 1918

My, oh my! How times do change!

There has come to be much of a change, and usually for the better, in summer habits and customs in Marietta. The season of heat here is sometimes harder to bear than the climate of the tropics is, especially at nighttime. But in the past 30 or 40 years we have partly relieved ourselves of some of its vexations and discomforts. 

If we turn our thoughts backward for a generation or more and think of Marietta as it was in the summer of, say, the Centennial year, 1888, we may see not a little of an improvement in our ideas of accommodating ourselves to the season. Most of that improvement has come about so gradually that the older part of the population have hardly been conscious of it, while the younger part, of course, can see hardly any of it in retrospect. Yet it is a fact that Marietta is more habitable, more comfortable, than it used to be in the June-July-August period, at least a consideration of some of the instances of the differences between a summer of the 1870s and the summer of 1918, warm as it is now becoming, will go far to confirm that judgment as to the fact.

Thus it used to be that the garb which men wore when the temperature was at its height was not conducive to physical ease or to serenity of temper. Lawyers, physicians and other professional men, as well as numerous business men, were often more interested in conventional dignity than in bodily comfort. They wore frock coats; they would not dispense with vests, and if such a man wore a seersucker coat, or even an ordinary sack coat, he was likely to feel that he was somewhat "lowering" himself or his standing in the community. Black silk hats were by no means uncommon, and the tall white hat was long a favorite.

Straw hats were numerous, but they did not make their general appearance so early as they do now. On the whole, they were not so well made, and among elderly gentlemen there were not half so many of them worn as there are today.

Thousands of men wore boots the year round. Most shoes were of black leather, and only young men, and comparatively few of them, put on tan or russet shoes. It was pretty much the same with shirts. They were almost invariably white, and usually they were starched and buttoned up the back. Anybody who was seen in a colored one was regarded as somewhat "sporty" and was likely to be viewed with disfavor by people of conservative taste who prided themselves on their "correct" habits. 

As for the stockings which are now worn with knickerbockers or short trousers by men who engage in out-of-tour pastimes or in pedestrian exercise or in lounging about rural retreats, they were known chiefly as part of the uniforms of professional baseball players. But anybody who might go about the streets in knee breeches and stockings was certain to be viewed as quite unconventional or would cause a jocular remark as to whether he might not be an escaped British dude in need of a keeper or that he might be perhaps a Lord Dundreary in his walking "duds."

There was then one garment which was much more worn than it is now, excepting by chauffeurs and motorcar owners, and that was the "duster." As a rule it seldom cost more than two or three dollars. It was of a white, yellowish-white or buff color, and the majority by far of men who traveled by rail or wagon were pretty sure to carry them on their arms as they hurried to or from the railroad stations. Much better railroad beds, much less soft coal, and much less dust have made this convenient protector of personal cleanliness far less needed than it used to be. 

What a contrast, for example, today on almost any train and a ride on the very best train, when an engine with a sprinkler would be sent ahead of it to water the tracks, although there was so much dust that despite all that was done to save passengers from discomfort and smudginess, they would usually arrive at their destination with necks and faces that looked as if a swarm of perspiring chimney sweeps were getting out of the train.

How hot our streets then were in some respects and how hard it was to keep the roadway free of dank and ill-smelling dirt, and the mud holes and chuckholes filled up! The new paving here and there, in that period was so far from being complete.

Ice was plentiful and cheap, although not more so than it has been in recent years. Palm leaf fans were much more used than they are now. Refrigerators had hardly ceased to be a luxury for only the rich and the bathrooms in which humble families might cool and refresh themselves were less than half as numerous as they have since become. 

It was then not uncommon for hundreds of boys and men to swim in front of the wharves at the foot of Front, Second and Fourth streets and at the foot of Putnam every summer evening, and they were not compelled to beware of a sudden onslaught by the police. Awnings over sidewalks for the protection of shops from the glare and heat of the sun were as numerous as they are in Havana and Naples. Sunstrokes of men and women on the streets were very much more often reported than they are now.

An auditorium such as that of a hall, a church or a theatre was often far more oppressive on a hot night than it is now. This was because gas light contributed somewhat to the warmth, and the fumes or smokiness of it increased the appearance and sense of oppressiveness.

Electric fans, such as we have today for cooling an office, a bed chamber, a dining room or any other apartment, have become the greatest means we have of making a torrid temperature bearable. But at the time we are speaking of, no such apparatus, with its countless revolutions started immediately by a touch of a button or a lever, had been invented. The nearest approach to it was the team power "fan" in a ceiling, usually of a store or spacious business room, together with the lazily moving small one which rested on counters, bars or dining room tables and which, being wound up for a certain time, like a clock, circulated the air sufficiently to keep flies away from its immediate vicinity. Ice by which the air might be cooled and then distributed from funnels or blowers, was tried time and again, but never with more than imperfect results, in attempts to make theatres comfortable for summer performances.

To housewives and servants, a kitchen with its coal fires was a Tophet-like place of dread, and the richest mistress of a mansion could not provide it with either the gas or electric stoves or the electric facilities which now enable so much of the domestic service in even plain or humble households to be performed in an atmosphere free of vapors, smells and blood-heat irritations and distress.

Most shops, industrial concerns and other places of business kept their employees on duty until six or seven o'clock. There were no Saturday half-holidays under the law, and it was only here and there in July and August that some employers would allow all hands to knock off at 3 P.M.

How much of an abatement, too, there has been in the mosquito and fly nuisance, bad enough as they still are. The swarms of insects have considerably diminished as a result of processes for destroying them and their breeding spots. Houses are better protected with nettings and screens, and it is possible to spend a whole summer in Marietta and suffer little or none of the torment which they once would inflict on everybody here.

And what a horror another kind of insect would be in our streets, especially to women and children - the dangling measuring worms, green, yellow or brown, that hung from the limbs of trees at the end of their own threads and got on the faces, necks and shoulders of those who walked through or under the maze of wrigglers!

Before the season of 1918 is at an end, Marietta may be as hot as usual. But has its summers ever been so bearable - at least relatively - as they have become in recent times?

W. S. S.

 

New Year's Calls

Marietta Register, January 1, 1880

Caller's Code Carefully Revised by the Latest Authority

1
Gentlemen may commence calling as early as nine o'clock but the ladies of Marietta and Harmar have signified that twelve o'clock is as early as they will be fully prepared to receive. If any choose to call at an earlier hour, say before breakfast, the lady of the house is expected to say, "O cheese it!" and slam the door in their faces.

2
Ladies should be in the parlor by 10 o'clock according to old-fashioned usage, but 12 o'clock is time enough, especially if they have been in a stew earlier in the day.

3
Nine o'clock in the evening is the latest hour for calls. Every well-ordered gentleman ought to have enough of it before then.

4
Call first on the clergy or their families and probably it will be some time before the parson will preach again from the text "whosoever will, may come."

5
Refreshments consist of coffee and good substantial food, partaken of at the usual hours, which, with us, is whenever we can get it. Wines and liquors are prohibited, but it is considered genteel to go down cellar and suck cider from the bung-hole of a barrel with the hostess.

6
Ladies expect calls from friends, and if gentlemen introduce strangers the latter must produce certificates of character from where they have called before.

7
First calls, especially neglected ones, should be made New Year's Day. If friendly relations have been disturbed this is the time to resume them. If the above rule is carried out in Marietta this year, won't some of our citizens have lots of callers though?

8
If prevented by ill health or any other cause from making the call, send a card or go as soon afterwards as possible, otherwise they might think you were waiting to get your boots tapped or something of that sort.

9
Cards may be written or engraved with the date or New Year's compliments on them. An autograph card is considered the most complimentary according to some authorities. Perhaps it is, but we will swear that the one who made that assertion never saw our autograph. The Register Office has used it for a map of the Ohio River for nearly two years.

10
Always leave your card when you call, otherwise confusion might result, and the hostess, not knowing who had called, find it useless to count her spoons.
 

Gas Light Works

Marietta Intelligencer, September 4, 1856

An ordinance to provide for establishing Gas Light Works in the city of Marietta, Ohio.  Be it ordained by the city Council of the city of Marietta, that E. Gwynn and his associates, and successors, to be organized as a Gas Light Company, shall for the term of twenty years, from the passage of this ordinance, have the exclusive privilege of using streets, lanes, alleys, and public grounds of said city, for the purpose of laying down pipes for the conveyance of gas in and through said city, for the use of said city and its inhabitants.

Provided, That all injuries done to said streets, alleys, and public grounds, shall be repaired by said grantees, with due diligence and the same be left in as good condition as before.  And

Provided, also, That for the period of ten years from the passage of this ordinance; the price for gas furnished to said city, and its inhabitants, by the said grantees, shall not exceed four dollars per thousand cubic feet, and that the gas so furnished shall be of the best quality.  And

Provided, also, That said grantees shall cause two miles of pipe to be laid down within four years, and at least one mile of pipe to be laid down, and the contemplated gas works to be erected and put in operation within two years from the passage of this ordinance, and shall by the first day of October next, deposit with the city Clerk of said city, a bond of one thousand dollars to be forfeited if the said contemplated gas works shall not be in operation within two years from the passage of this ordinance.  And

Provided, further That for the formation of said Gas Light Company, books of subscription for Stock therein, shall be opened by said grantees in the city of Marietta, and continue open for the purpose aforesaid, until the first day of October next.  Passed August 30, 1856.

W. F. Curtis, Pres't.

Attest:  R. E. Harte, City Clerk.

Marietta, Sept. 1, 1856.

 

Marietta - The Second Century of Her Existence

The Marietta Times, January 22, 1891

The Wonderful Strides Made - Some of Her Prominent Men.

Columbus Post.

Marietta, O., January 16, 1891.  When this goodly old town entered upon the second century of its existence, now nearly two years ago, literally as well as figuratively, it renewed its youth. Persons familiar with the place for years back, but who have not been here within the past year or eighteen months, would scarcely recognize the bustling, active, wide-awake city of today, with its horse-car lines, its natural gas, its water works, its electric lights, its elegant new union passenger station, and its waste land redeemed, the quiet, easy-going, non-progressive, but delightful old town, they once knew.

It is not the purpose of this communication to attempt an explanation of the marvelous transformation that has been wrought in so comparatively brief a space of time, suffice it to state that it has been. New Marietta is too busy and too happy to care for causes, being entirely satisfied with results. For years the name of Marietta was a by-word and a reproach when mentioned in connection with thriving communities of much more recent origin all through the country; but it is so no longer, being synonymous now of enterprise, thrift and public spirit.

Whatever the causes, therefore, certain it is that Marietta took on new life with the beginning of its second hundred years. First, business in all branches began to improve, reviving the hope that may have sprung eternal, but which certainly had grown dormant in the breast of the community. With the improvement in business came the ambition to place the town where it belonged in the galaxy of the lesser cities of the country, and a wide-awake energetic Board of Trade was the outcome. 

Then followed an era of public improvement, in the midst of which the old town is now flourishing like unto the traditional Green Bay tree. Within the past eighteen months the city has purchased and put into operation an electric light plant, and now has the greatest number of street lamps in proportion to population, and the best lighted streets of any place in the State; a complete and comprehensive system of water works is under construction; a first-class and splendidly equipped line of street railway has been secured and is already in operation; natural gas has been piped into the city, and is in very general and acceptable use, and with plenty of it; acres upon acres of land right in the heart of the city, but heretofore valueless because subject to overflow with every rise in either river, has been filled and brought into the market; a really elegant union passenger station, modern in design and equipment, has been constructed; another magnificent new building is now under construction for the college as a memorial to the late President Andrews; a new college for women has been established and is in successful operation; another National bank, with big capital and whose deposits are already amounting up to a quarter of a million, has been started; plans have just been secured for a larger and modern hotel, and ground has just been broken for a new Opera House, while it is the purpose of the city to pave its principal business and residence streets during the current year.

The foregoing list, to which should be added innumerable dwellings, either finished, under construction or projected, certainly speaks volumes for the place. And last, though by no means least, the city has added some  two thousand to its population by the annexation of Harmar, just across the Muskingum river. And these are only a few of the more noteworthy signs of improvement within the period named.

With all these substantial evidences of the town's prosperity, the people feel much encouraged as, indeed, they have every reason to be. The new life that has been infused into the place gives solid assurance of a bright and prosperous future.

There is no "boom" - simply a healthy, substantial improvement. Outsiders, too, are hearing of it and the influx of strangers during the past year has been so great that it is next to impossible to secure a house, notwithstanding the large number of dwellings that have been erected recently. And the new blood in the community is pushing business until Marietta will soon take rank as one of the important distributing points of the State. With two rivers, the Ohio and Muskingum, and five railroads, with another under construction, this last statement cannot be gainsaid.

The social life of Marietta has always been a distinguished and distinguishing feature of the place. The seat of one of the oldest and best known colleges west of the Alleghenies, an institution that takes rank with the great colleges of the east, and now with the new college for women - Elizabeth College - not a "female seminary," but a veritable college for the higher education of women, the social atmosphere of the place is at once, intellectual, cultured, and moral. There is little gayety here of the extreme kind, but a vast amount of social entertaining. There are literary clubs and card clubs and reading clubs and magazine clubs galore, with stated and frequent meetings, a feature of which are the excellent suppers for Marietta people are essentially good livers.

This communication would not be complete without some reference to the existing political conditions. the city government at present is Democratic, but the county - Washington - which naturally is Democratic, is now in the Republican column, owing to schisms among the Democrats. There are some strong men here, too, and men who rank high in Democratic councils. This is the home of Hon. Henry Bohl, one of the staunchest, truest and purest Democrats in the State; it is the home of Gen. A. J. Warner, whose reputation is not circumscribed by State limits; and there are others in both parties whose names, if given here, would be recognized at once as party leaders, but that the limit fixed for communications of this character has already been stretched, the lack of space precludes the enumeration.

Marietta is bound to be heard from in future in the business world as it has for many years in the educational, and The Post will be one of the mediums, for there is abundant material still left where this came from for many other communications.

F. A. L.

  

Marietta Park

The Marietta Register, May 9, 1867

That this Park generally and more appropriately known as "The Commons," should be used exclusively as a cow pasture seems an anomaly in so orderly and systematic a place as Marietta. No doubt those who reserved these grounds for the public benefit thought they were doing a good thing, and could picture in imagination the time when they would become an inviting retreat for those who had a leisure hour to while away under the shade, upon the banks of the river. But this time has not yet come, and it may never come.

Several hundred feet of the banks have washed away within the memory of persons now living. That immediate steps should be taken to preserve them from the encroachments of the water is apparent to all. It is true that a feeble effort has been made to do so by driving piles at long intervals, but they have proved ineffectual, and at almost every freshet, large slices of the sod are carried away.

Several lines of trees have been set out with military precision. Many of them would do well if they had a fair chance, but the cows have girdled some of the finest, and others have died a natural death and have not been replaced by live ones.

There are so many beautiful gardens, orchards and shaded spots in Marietta, where those who own them can enjoy the verdure and the songs of birds, that the necessity of a public park may not seem to be urgent. Still, there are those who have not these places of private resort. We have also a beautiful Cemetery, with its ancient mound, surrounded by many historic graves. Its grateful shade is refreshing, inviting and free to all. Yet it does not seem fit that the sensitive ear of the mourner should be shocked by the merry laugh and the light words of those who go there merely for pleasure.

Having already the ground for a place of public resort and amusement, would it not be well for the City Fathers to see that it does not wash away, so that if we do not need it, some future generation may have it to appropriate it to its legitimate use.

As to the cows, they can do the land no permanent injury; besides, they keep down the weeds and are excessively ornamental!

 Observer

 

Former Local Man Tells of Swimming Days

Marietta Daily Times, August 2, 1940

John L. Harrison of Washington, D.C., alumnus of Marietta College, class of 1887, former resident of Harmar who holds his contacts with Marietta friends, has written interesting reminiscences of the old days of his boyhood. He was one of the prominent baseball players in his college days, and is remembered by many friends. Until his retirement in recent years, to make his home in Washington, he was engaged in educational work in Topeka, Kansas, and later at Kimball, West Virginia.

The first article in the series of his reminiscences sent to The Times is as follows:

There appeared recently an item in The Times stating that the bathing beaches were opened and life guards provided by the city. To the "old timers" living elsewhere but still interested in the old home town, this must awaken a nostalgic recollection of boyhood days spent so happily along the blue Muskingum and placid Ohio. One always remembers his friends in their kindlier moods, free from anger and fury; and so, with the two rivers, one's mind sees them calm and peaceful as they appeared on those warm summer days so long ago.

In our boyhood days some 50 years ago, we Harmar boys sought out our own bathing places and were our own life guards. We had a monopoly on good swimming places in the Muskingum River and we jealously guarded against any encroachments on our own territory by the "Marietta Rats." The enmity existing between the boys of Harmar and those of Marietta forbade any exchange of courtesies and so swimming by either in the other's territory was taboo.

Our swimming places were five in number. The first was from the railroad draw bridge abutment (the draw span was formerly on the Harmar side). Here the channel was kept dredged and the water was deep. The locks were on the Harmar side and this was another favorite swimming place. From the top of the lock wall down to the water when the lower gates were open was perhaps 12 or 15 feet and high diving was the game there. The apron of the dam was utilized also but only by the expert swimmers.

Strange as it may seem, every Harmar boy knew how to swim. Where he learned, I do not know, for we passed up all the shallow beaches and used only the jumping off places. The most popular place of all was "The Logs," a long, wide raft in front of the old bucket factory, now I believe a unit of the Brickwede Brothers plant.

Here, on a summer evening, 20 or 30 urchins, together with older boys, used to meet, waiting for darkness. As we always bathed a la Sally Rand or Lady Godiva, the Harmar marshal issued this stern edict: "You kids stay out'a there 'til you see three stars or I will throw you in the can." As he was sort of a Jake Dye person, we knew he meant it, so we sat about and waited until some kid would yell "there's one," and then someone else would call "over yonder's another," and then, upon discovery of a third star, a mad scramble ensued to be the first in and to avoid being the last.

The Logs was an ideal bathing place, for each log had been stripped of its bark and sawed lengthwise, so that the surface of the raft was smooth with very narrow chinks in between. Of course every one who bathed there could swim from the youngster's dog fashion efforts to the man-fashion finished performer. The water was eight or more feet deep, and it was a proud kid who could "bring bottom" and fling the gravel among the bathers. We had a spring-board also, and it was a favorite stunt after a long dive to show the various astronomoical bodies such as the stars and moon.

Marietta Daily Times, August 5, 1940:

Tells Friends Marietta Is Beautiful City

John L. Harrison, who left Marietta soon after his graduation from Marietta College in 1887, has held sentiment for his old home town throughout the years, and at intervals expresses his love and loyalty through the public prints. He has been an annual visitor to Marietta in recent years and is always greeted cordially by those who remember the Harrison family of Harmar.

His brother, Walter C. Harrison, Marietta College, class of 1891, who for many years was in an official position with the Westinghouse Electric Company in Pittsburgh, retired last year and made his first visit back to Marietta in many years. The brothers have a home in Washington, D.C., where they are living  in retirement.

In the last section of reminiscenses written to The Times, Mr. Harrison writes:

Beautiful Small City

In speaking of Marietta among my friends and acquaintances, I always refer to it as the most beautiful small city in the country. I honestly think it is. There is a something about the town - a broad peace and quietude born of the stately trees, the reposeful homes, the friendly hills, the shining rivers, that stamp it as unique and individual. One can hardly live in the presence of such attractions, without chameleon-like, absorbing the qualities of his surrounding; hence the citizens are cultured, broad-minded, highly intellectual, lovers of beauty and freed largely of narrow prejudices.

Those of us who were born and raised there can never forget loyalty and affection for the old home town. Its tendrils have woven themselves about our very being.

In my occasional visits back to Marietta, I note with pride the progressive tendency of the city, but how I miss the old personnel. Fifty-three years is a long, long time, and changes are but natural. So, I walk the streets peering hopefully at the passing faces seeking vainly for a familiar one, and when one is encountered, it is bewildering to see the white head and other signs of old age.

Memorial Comes Back

The misty memories of the past come flooding back, bearing a picture of the one before me, full of youthful energy and strength. It is startling for a moment, and then I reflect with amusement, that I must present the same counterfeit presentment to him or her, Ah, well, "thus runs the world away."

There is one unchanged thing in Marietta which I noted with pleasure and which carried me back to those good old days of long ago, and that is as youthful and lusty today as it was back there in the 1880s. That is the voice of the old river - the Muskingum dam. I stood for a full half hour last summer on the railroad bridge and listened to the deep diapason of its musical roar and realized I had at last found an old friend which remained eternally young and sparkling as a spring wild flower, although bearing the weight of millions of years of turbulent existence. Of all things in this old world, water alone is exempt from physical penalties. Time corrodes metals and disintegrates rocks, but water remains unaffected - eternally young.

 

Reporter Shown Through Bosworth, Wells & Co.

The Marietta Tri-Weekly Register, March 11, 1890

A leisure half hour favoring, we yesterday dropped into the office of the pioneer wholesale house of Bosworth, Wells & Co., and were shown through all the different departments of their business by the junior member of the firm, and buyer, Mr. W. S. Gracey.

For thirty years their offices have been in the rear of the main building, but last fall, during the absence of the senior partner, handsome offices and salesrooms were fitted up at the front, where, on entering, the customer is greeted with a tastily arranged line of samples of the stock and the welcome aroma of hot coffee which always boils for its friends.

Connected with the salesroom, and having an equal frontage on the street, is their office, where the genial Dr. presides at the books, and Mr. M. P. Wells, the senior partner - and the only survivor of the original firm - attends to the finances. Above his desk were large framed photographs of the different members of the firm running back to 1840.

What a span of business life, with all its cares, responsibilities and anxieties! Fifty years! And yet it is the measure of Mr. Wells' connection with the firm, and he is hale and vigorous yet. But Mr. Gracey is waiting and we pass the office portal and enter . . .

The Main Storeroom, where soaps, canned goods, tobaccos, teas, crackers, and an endless variety of case goods were piled high and deep. Stopping a moment to listen to Al Shiers, the bill clerk, calling off a bill of goods that was all lingo to our untutored ears, we pass on through an alleyway between piles to the old office, which looked strange enough, all shelved and stocked with confectionery and chewing gum, enough to keep the dear girls in business till gray-headed. Then, through tiers of cheese and washboards to . . .

The Warerooms, where endless piles of wooden-ware, sugar, Arbuckle and other roasted coffees, brooms, pork, lard, hams, dried beef, bologna - things we know and things we don't know - but piles everywhere - all "in good order and well conditioned" as the bills of lading say. We were surprised at the magnitude of the stock and pleased with the air of order and neatness that pervaded the building. Mr. Gracey very patiently explained everything and added that without system a stock like this would turn the business into chaos.

We were about to go, thinking we had been "shown through," when we were led up to . . .

The Second Floor, where we were bewildered with the display of household tinware in piles and pyramids - everything from a spoon to a half-barrel dish-pan. This department occupies half the area of that floor. Passing between long counters loaded with bright ware of all kinds, we entered the dry goods and notion department, where tables, side-counters and shelving were packed with a wearying variety of useful and fanciful articles, from a needle and fish-hook to a comic clock and a bolt of pant goods.

We started to turn back when our guide led us through an arch into a large room, saying, "this is our drug and spice department," and the odor of snuff, pepper and toilet soaps verified the name. On long counters were arranged over one thousand cases of paregorics and peppermints for the babies, machine and sweet oils, essences of cinnamon and wintergreen for circus days, Godfrey's cordial and laudanum for days after, rows of boxes of pepper, mustard and spices, barrels of drugs in bulk, cans of harness oils, tiers of toilet soaps - all making an assortment for all conditions of man and beast.

Mr. Stanwood was flying around filling orders from the stock in the last three departments, of which he is in charge.

Asking if this was all, we were led into another room, neatly carpeted, where we were shown a handsome display of scales, from the delicately poised and finely plated counter scales, with sensitive agate bearings, to the large floor scale - all of the Howe Scale Co.'s make - for which the firm are agents.

Finding our way back to the office, we asked, "How trade was?" and were told that it never was better at this time of year; that people had to eat, whether it was muddy or dry - and, turning to his work, Mr. Wells added, that business was done very different from former years. Then the firm cut its pork, sifted beans and traded for all kinds of country produce. Now goods are bought in car lots, lard, meats, sugar, syrups, wooden-ware, &c., and on virtually cash-in-hand terms. By buying in such quantities only - both on account of lower prices and lower freight rates - can a business firm compete with large city competitors who are constantly sending their representatives over the trade.

The firm send their salesmen over five railroads and two rivers, and their reputation and long experience give them decided advantages with the trade both in buying and selling. They are justly proud of having, in no single instance, in all their fifty years of business, allowed an obligation to pass maturity, and no house east or west stands higher in reputation for business integrity.

The active management of the business is in the hands of Col. D. P. Bosworth, who recently returned from the East, and Mr. W. S. Gracey, who has been connected with the business for eight years.

 

Events of 1885 as Gleaned From the Leader's Columns

The Marietta Leader, January 5, 1886

January

The ladies of the Congregational Church present their pastor's wife, Mrs. C. E. Dickinson, with a handsome silk quilt.

Phoenix Mill changes hands. Messrs. Torpy and D. R. Greene assume the management.

Mrs. Mullen, aged 93-1/2 years, of Belpre Townsihp, died.

Mrs. Henry Wendelken, wife of the Front Street grocer, died.

Sheriff Rose took charge of the county jail.

A rise in the Ohio River lets out 3,930,000 bushels of coal.

Jacob Young, an old and well known citizen of this city, died of lung fever, aged 68 years.

The Jury in Ellis Hardy murder trial rendered a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree.

M. Seipel & Co., purchase the drygoods stock of W. James Harte.

Hub factory sold for $13,000.

Miss Addie Roberts, daughter of George Roberts of Constitution, died of typhoid pneumonia, aged 18 years.

Mr. H. P. Whitney of Fourth Street fell and re-broke a leg that had just about healed up.

From the night of the 14th to the night of the 16th there was an almost incessant rainfall of over three inches of water.

Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Clark of Butler Street celebrated the 25th anniversary of their wedding.

Mrs. I. R. Rose had a heavy fall down a flight of 17 steps and received painful injuries.

The river reached a stage of 31-1/2 feet. Marietta escaped a disastrous flood by the timely arrival of a cold wave.

The boys made a skating rink of the ice on the back water.

Dr. Z. D. Walter and wife, W. D. Devol and wife, Mrs. W. W. Rathbone and daughter, visited the New Orleans World's Exposiiton.

The steamer Chesapeake sunk in the Ohio River near Little Muskingum, caused by a windstorm beating her hull against the rocks.

Amanda Muncey of Harmar roasted alive from an explosion of coal oil which ignited her clothing.

Rev. T. H. Monroe delivers an oration of great ability before Bartlett Lodge, No. 293, F. & A. M.

Messrs. Hall & Bailey assign to Jewett Palmer.

At the delinquent tax sale 114 pieces of property were sold.

Council passes a natural gas ordinance.

Ice cutting commenced on the canal on the 23rd.

Thomas Cleary, manager of O'Connor's quarries at Constitution, fell and broke his collar bone.

Mrs. Maggie Paden, an old and estimable lady of Belpre, died Thursday, January 22.

The Ohio Transit Company, T. D. Dale, President, made a sale of its pipe lines and tank lines to the National Transit Company.

The ladies of the Unitarian Church hold a fair and festival.

Mr. John Chase died January 23rd.

D. P. Bosworth, Jewett Palmer, T. F. Davis, Murray McMillen, J. E. Terry, of this city; Thomas Wiseman, G. W. Early, Harmar; I. W. Putnam, Belpre; W. C. Smiley and I. L. Devol, Beverly; Reese Thomas and wife, George W. Stanley and wife, of Lower Salem, were present at the State G. A. R. Encampment at Akron.

Died at her home in Cornerville, January 5th, Miss Mecca, youngest daughter of Reverend J. D. Riley, aged 23 years, 7 months and 12 days.

February

John Shrake & Sons finish a flouring mill with a capacity of 100 barrels per day.

Walker W. Wilson had a hand mashed while at work on the C. W. & B. new iron bridge.

Theodore Suck of St. Marys drowned in Middle Island Creek, while attempting to cross on the ice. He was a prominent citizen.

George Lyne found guilty of keeping a gambling house and fined $100 and 20 days in jail.

February 6, Col. D. P. Bosworth resigns Post Commandership of Buell Post G. A. R. in order to enter upon duties as Senior Vice Commander of the State Department.

February 5, Jerry Beagle, bridge builder on the C. & M. R. R., killed at Kimbolton by the collapsing of a boiler flue.

Will B. Waters enters the Marietta National Bank as Clerk.

The Harmar bond case trial commenced Wednesday, February 11. Saturday evening of the 14, the Jury retired and deliberated until Monday morning and failed to agree, standing six to six.

February 11, J. H. Rathbone, Supreme Lecturer of the Kinghts of Pythias order, lectured before Raynold Lodge of this city, subject: "The Mission of Our Order."

February 12, Captain A. B. Waters died from kidney troubles, aged 67 years.

A new post office was established at Deucher's, this county.

The second iron span of the railroad bridge was swung February 15.

February 11, mercury registered in the morning 10 degrees below zero.

Reverend G. R. Gear immersed 13 converts at the Baptist Church, February 22.

The Salvation Army invaded the city on the 22nd.

February 17th, thermometer 2 to 4 degrees below zero; 18th 10 degrees above; 19th, 3 to 7 degrees below; 20th, 10 degrees below; 21st, 11 degrees below; 22nd, 6 degrees below; 23rd, 8 degrees below. On the 21st at Children's Home it was 15 degrees below.

February 24th, snow fell to a depth of seven inches.

March     

On the 10th, Manly W. Mason of Coal Run was sentenced by Judge Campbell at Caldwell to 8 years for perjury, and his son, Frank Mason, was sentenced to 7 years for burglary.

Death - In this city on the 15th, Mrs. Julinda Payne, aged 80 years. Wife of Major George Payne.

William Foster of Tunnel, this county, was buried on the 9th by Harmar Lodge F. & A. M.

The case against Ellis Hardy for murder was nullied on the 9th by Judge Sibley in special session of court.

Mrs. Lizzie Gross purchased one-half of the Ward estate known as the Sweet Valley farm for $4,500.

Fred Weiss, once a prosperous hatter of this city, was found dead by the wayside on the road to the County Infirmary on the 17th. The coroner rendered a verdict of death from freezing.

March 18, the first wild geese of the season were seen flying north over the city.

Thomas Holden of Grandview Township died on the 16th. Aged over 80 years.

Adam Minch of Adams Township was crushed to death by a heavy log rolling over him.

On the 22nd, Mr. John Reynolds of Newport, aged 98 years, died from the effects of paralysis.

The residence of Mrs. Contner on Montgomery Street was destroyed by fire on the 25th.

On the 24th, Winthrop B. Hawkes died at Colorado Springs of consumption.

Mrs. Pattie Beebe died at Waterford on the 17th, aged 84 years, 16 days.

The building block belonging to E. W. Nye Esq. on Front Street, just below the canal bridge, on the night of the 29th burned at a loss of $1,500 to Mr. Nye; $2,200 to F. Lambert Reis; $500 to George H. Hovey; $100 to J. L. Stephens and a trifle to the Singer Sewing Machine Company, all occupants of the block.

April     

The Leader published a "Sermon to Young Men" delivered by C. E. Dickinson at the Congregational Church on the 5th.

On the 4th, Richard Beebe of Rainbow was thrown from his horse and injured so severely as to cause his death the next day.

Robert Greenway died at his home on Front Street on the 2nd of consumption, aged 29.

Died in this city, April 5, Joseph E. Hall, Esq., aged 93 years. He was a resident of this city for 68 years.

Mrs. Fannie Irvine and Mr. Laughlin Devine were united in marriage on the 2nd.

Mrs. Sarah Fulton Guitteau died at her home east of the city on the 2nd, of heart trouble.

On the 4th Elisha Kennedy was severely hurt at the C. & M. yards on Greene Street, and had both feet amputated by surgeons to avoid mortification of the mangled feet.

C. A. Brown and family of Belpre left on the 6th for Kansas.

The Washington County Pioneer Association met at the Court House at 1 p.m. on the 7th.

S. V. Department Commander D. P. Bosworth mustered Cutler Post G. A. R., No. 502, on the 10th.

City election held on the 6th. J. H. Dye was re-elected Marshal over john C. Smith, competitor.

F. E. Twitchell's (now Jenvey & McClure's) grocery was burglarized on the night of the 13th and about $46 stolen, besides valuable papers.

Captain Howard Hallett of Lower Salem died on the 15th after a short illness, the remote cause of which was a wound received in the war.

Mr. S. A. Fuller, undertaker, died at his home on Third Street on the 15th, from paralysis.

On April 20th, Mr. Samuel Brown, the oldest citizen of Coal Run Village, died, aged 78 years.

The County Jail improvements completed.

The National Transit Company purchased the pipe lines between Macksburg and Marietta from the West Virginia Transit Company.

Mrs. Seldon S. Stowe died at Middleport on the 22nd and was brought to Muskingum Township for burial.

The I. O. O. F. Lodge No. 67 of this city held a banquet on the 26th. Honorable W. F. Curtis was presented by the Lodge with a gold-headed cane as a token of respect and esteem.

May    

On the 1st ministerial papers were circulated by the various churches.

Mrs. Amelia Meisenhelder, aged 63 years, died on the 7th.

Wallace & Company's Circus and Menagerie exhibited in the city on the 9th.

Patrick Slattery died at the Soldier's Home, Dayton, on the 6th.

John S. Bukey, Esq., retired from the drug firm of Styer & Bukey on account of poor health.

Captain Edward Knox of Harmar died on the 13th, aged about 54 years.

Memorial services were held May 24th at City Hall under the auspices of the G. A. R. Posts of this city and Harmar. Reverend C. E. Dickinson delivered an address.

On the 25th the grand jury found an indictment against Fred Joy for the murder of Willard Pearce on the 15th.

Memorial Day was fittingly observed by the various G. A. R. Posts and citizens in general of our city and county. The morning being beautifully befitting the occasion. At night exercises were held at the City Hall, which were of an interesting character. Captain T. F. Winthrop delivered the principal address, which was eloquent and eminently appropriate.

June    

Reverend H. J. Taylor left on the 1st for Tacoma, Washington Territory, to an appointment over a Congregational Church. He went under the auspices of the Congregational Missionary Board.

Grandma Woodruff, mother of George R. and Reverend Norton Woodruff, died on the 1st, aged about 85 years.

Jacob E. Lockwood, one of Belpre's prominent citizens, died on the 5th.

Mrs. Schilling, mother of Mrs. Louis Goebel, died on the 7th, aged 76 years.

On the 7th, Martin Schmidt Esq. broke his leg by falling from a swing.

 John H. Welch was killed at Napier on the M. M. Railway on the 7th by falling from the banister of a bridge, which gave way with him. William Barret and Peter Reddy were bruised considerably at the same time.

Dr. G. W. Blake of Lower Salem died at his home on the 10th from a complication of diseases.

The youngest son of James Coggswell, living near Little Hocking, shot and killed himself accidentally on the 13th.

The thirty-fifth annual commencement of the High School took place at City Hall on the 12th. Eleven young ladies graduated.

C. B. Gates Post gave an enjoyable festival at their rooms in Harmar on the 15th.

The Cantata of Culprit Fay was given at the City Hall Friday evening, the 26th. It was a pleasing affair and attended by a great number of our citizens.

Commencement exercises of the College begun Sunday afternoon with an address before the Society of Inquiry by Reverend W. G. Ballantine, '68, and in the evening an address by Honorable W. P. Cutler on deceased Trustees.

Monday, June 29th, at 3 p.m., prize declamations by members of the Sophomore and Freshmen classes at the Congregational Church. In the evening historical addresses before the two literary societies.

Tuesday, the 30th, in the a.m., meeting of the Board of Trustees and Alumni Association. At 3 p.m. Reverend Charles E. Lindsley read a poem and Honorable John F. Follett delivered an address before the Alumni.

Farmers reported a slight frost on the morning of the 30th.

The Marietta Leader, January 18, 1886
 
July    

Wednesday, the 1st, at 10 a.m., Address memorial of Deceased Professors by Douglas Putnam Jr., and Semi Annual Address by President I. W. Andrews were delivered at the church, followed by conferring of degrees.

The Alumni Dinner took place at the City Hall at 12 p.m., about 200 participating. At 2 o'clock the guests adjourned to the main hall upstairs. Honorable A. T. Goshorn presided. Speeches were made by Governor Hoadly, Dr. Moore, Honorable J. F. Follett, Rev. C. C. Hart, Dr. D. B. Cotton, Judge M. F. Force, Reverend D. W. Rhodes, and General A. J. Warner. In the evening the President's levee, commencement ball at City Hall, and class suppers occupied the time of the students and guests of the college.

Mrs. Joseph Cross died in Barlow Township, aged 70 years.

Fires in grates were burning on the 1st and in the evening wraps were comfortable.

William and John Shedd arrived from Persia, Asia, on the 1st, after a journey of 10,000 miles.

The M. E. Sunday School pic-nicked to Cutler on the 2nd and the U. B. School went to Blennerhassett Island on the Dale.

The Glorious Fourth was hot and dusty. City full of country folks and Parkersburgers. The main attractions of the day were horse racing at the Fair Grounds and baseball at the ball park, between the Clippers and Shamrocks of Cincinnati. Many private exhibitions of fireworks at night.

Dr. C. W. Eddy and Conrad Krigbaum appointed by Council as members of the Board of Health. Fred Blume elected to fill vacancy caused by resignation of Isaac Atkinson on the 7th.

The Joy murder case occupied the Court's attention from the 6th to the 11th. Seventy witnesses examined. Jury returned verdict of manslaughter. Judge Sibley sentenced Joy to eight years hard labor in the Penitentiary. On the 13th Sheriff Rose escorted the prisoner to Columbus.

On the 9th, the Baptist Sunday School went to Blennerhassett on steamer Strecker.

On the 10th, hail fell in the country west of Marietta.

Squire David Martin of Lawrence Township died on the 14th from kidney disease. Aged 63 years.

The knights of Pythias excursioned to Vincent Grove on the 16th.

Samuel A. Harris died at his residence east of town on the 16th. Aged fifty years.

The new Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated on Sunday the 19th. Reverend C. H. Payne, D. D., President of Delaware University, preached the dedication sermon and officiated, assisted by the pastor, Reverend T. M. Leslie, G. W. Burns, Reverends C. d. Battelle, McCormick, Kayhoe, Cooley, and Cole. Over $4,900 were raised to pay off the debt remaining on the building.

Some 225 business men of this city, including city and county officials, excursioned over the Mineral Railway on the 17th.

On the 21st and 22nd the Veterans of the 63rd O.V.I. held a reunion at Beverly.

General U. S. Grant died on the 22nd. The Leader of the 28th came out dressed in mourning for the gallant hero.

July 31st, Mrs. Laughlin, mother of Mrs. Professor Andrews, died at the residence of her daughter on Second Street. Aged 82 years.

August     

On the 2nd, a heavy rainstorm set in at 3-1/2 o'clock, lasting until the evening of the 3rd. Over four inches of water fell.

On the 4th, the Republican County Convention met at the Court House and nominated a strong ticket.

On the 5th, the Republican Senatorial Convention for the 14th District convened at Beverly and nominated A. W. Glazier of Belpre for State Senator.

On the 5th, Bertie Shaw fell from the cars at the draw of the C. W. & B. R. R. bridge to the rocks below a distance of 35 feet and sustained serious injuries.

Married on the 5th, George L. Payne of Springfield, Ohio, and Miss Anna E. Mixer of Harmar.

Birth - August 6th, a son to Dr. O. M. Willis and wife.

On the 7th, James B. Halll of Aurelius Township died, aged 80 years.

On the 11th, Gilbert O'Neal's store at Newell's Run was burglarized. $95 were stolen.

On the 10th, at Belpre, Kuhn Brothers' tannery burned. Loss $5,000.

Governor J. B. Foraker passed through the city on the 10th on his way from the Caldwell reunion. An impromptu reception was held at the National House and the Governor made a short speech.

Death - At Newbury on the 14th, Mrs. Julia Oakes, aged 78 years.

Camping parties became the rage.

Death - On the 24th, in Harmar, James Webb.

Washington County Teachers' Institute in session from the 24th to the 28th. Two hundred and twenty-three teachers enrolled.

On the 26th, Mr. and Mrs. Joline Hopkins of Dunham Township celebrated their golden wedding.

The Democratic County Convention convened on the 25th.

The Democratic Senatorial Convention at Beverly on the 26th nominated John M. Amos of Caldwell for State Senator.

 September  

On Wednesday, the 2nd, Will B. Greene died at his home on Cutler Street of consumption. Aged 31 years.

The Defiance Fire Company dedicated their new hall on the 4th.

Judge J. B. Foraker spoke at City Hall to a large and enthusiastic audience on the afternoon of the 8ty. In the evening he spoke at Lowell and Beverly.

Death - In Decatur Township on the 6th, Michael Gallagher, aged 63 years.

Birth - In this city on the 12th to Ex-Mayor C. W. Richards and wife, a son.

Reunion of the Ohio Brigade in this city at the City Hall on the 9th and 10th. The Leader in its issue of the 15th published a full roster of surviving members of the Brigade.

Death - Near Whipple on the 17th, Jacob Flanders, aged 83 years.

On the 16th, 17th, and 18th, the Washington County Fair occurred and was largely attended. The receipts were larger than the year previous.

Death - In Warren Township on the 4th, D. Camp, aged 84 years and 11 months.

Death - In Warren Township on the 16th, Mrs. Julia Perdew, wife of David Perdew.

On the 18th Aberius Judd of Lowell died of paralysis.

On the 26th General R. P. Kennedy addressed a large audience at the City Hall.

Barlow Fair took place on the 24th and 25th. It was a great success. Receipts amounted to about $700.

On the 30th I. R. Waters, Esq., was thrown from his buggy and seriously injured. A young horse he was driving became frightened, which caused the accident.

October   

Married - On the 6th, William A. Batchelor of Milwaukee and Miss Emma M. Granger of this city.

12th - O.V.T.A. gave a tournament at Bull Creek before 2,000 spectators.

13th - Election day, quiet rainy and muddy. The Republicans received returns in Strecker's building and the Democrats in George A. Benedict's vacated store room.

The Republicans elected their whole county ticket by majorities ranging from 494 for Mason Gorby for Commissioner down to 267 for John McCormick for Prosecutor.

In this county, on the 10th, Henry Posey Sr. died, aged 80 years.

The Republicans of this city and vicinity jollified on the evening of the 17th. They had a red-letter time.

Death - In this city on the 18th, Daniel Becker Jr.

The Ohio Branch of the W. B. M. I. and O. W. H. M. U. met at the Congregational Church, this city, on the 22nd.

An adjourned session of the Washington County Teacher's Institute met at Beverly on the 24th.

On the night of the 31st, Bosworth's cigar factory at Newport, this county, was burned. Loss $2,500. Insurance $1,200.

The remains of Mr. Frank Towsley, who died at Athens on the 29th, were buried in this city under the auspices of the G. A. R.

Edward McGovern was killed by the cars at Harmar on the 30th.

Hallow E'en, night of the 31st.

November  

The month came in with a rush and roar.

Mr. John Swift, a former well-known and highly-esteemed citizen of Marietta, died at his home above Williamstown on the 1st. He was buried from the Baptist Church, this city.

November 2nd, Dr. J. B. Mellor of Harmar, died.

Peter Riffle of Belpre Township was sentenced by Judge Sibley to five years hard labor in the penitentiary for incest. Sheriff Rose took him to Columbus on the 9th.

On the 6th, the Woman's Home was opened to the public.

On the 8th, Miss Lillie Posey, daughter of Dudley Posey, died of consumption.

Allie Lightfritz, on the 11th, was run over by freight cars in Harmar and died on the 12th.

Colonel W. B. Mason, after a lingering illness, died on the 11th, aged 62 years, 2 months, and 25 days.

Edward Strauss, son of J. D. Strauss, Esq., Washington Street, died of typhoid fever on the 15th.

The frame dwelling of Mrs. Charles Hall on Greene Street was burned on the 16th.

Mrs. Hannah Starlin, a highly respected lady of Coal Run, died on the 19th.

Thanksgiving Day was generally observed by our citizens.

On the 24th occurred the marriage of Thomas Ewart Esq. to Miss Agnes S. Tibbetts.

Death - Mrs. E. E. Cutter, aged 78 years, 10 months and 5 days, at Watertown on the 28th.

Colonel J. F. Hoy of Baltimore commenced a series of temperance lectures at the Baptist Church, this city, on the 29th.

The Kittie Rhoades Combination played at the City Hall during the week, ending on the 29th.

December   

Drilling commenced on Gas Well No. 3 on the Cherry farm on the 1st.

Riley Druse of Belpre died on the 1st, aged 75 years.

On the 7th Mason Gorby qualified as County Commissioner.

On the morning of the 7th, mercury indicated 5 degrees above zero. The Muskingum was frozen over.

On the 22nd C. B. Wells died at his residence on Fifth Street. His funeral took place on Christmas Day.

Louis Steiger died at his home in Fultonburg on the 22nd.

Christmas was a raw and chilly day, but greatly enjoyed and closely observed by our citizens. The Sunday schools of both towns indulged in their usual festivities.

On the 29th Mr. George Flower of Centre Belpre and Miss L. Elizabeth De La Matre were united in marriage.

Watch meetings were held at the M. E. churches of this city and Harmar, New Year's eve. The church bells of the two towns rang out the old year. The year went out under clear skies and with a keen atmosphere.