Historic Spots Marked

The Marietta Times, December 17, 1891

Marietta, O., Nov. 20, 1891.

To the New Century Historical Society:

Your committee appointed at a recent meeting of the Society to mark historical spots in and around Marietta, in attempting to discharge this duty, have found themselves surrounded with difficulties innumerable and in this report, which is respectfully submitted, they but offer the results of broken history in support of their conclusions.

The Well at Fort Harmar, which for years has been disappearing in consequence of the crumbling of the riverbank and the innovations of man, after diligent search was identified and unmistakable marked by being covered at its mouth by an immense mill stone. Note - This is the stone spoken of as follows in Delafield's Washington County History in 1831, page 28: "In making a pair of mill stones out of a block from a quarry in Salem Township, there were discovered the marks of some ancient working of the same stone, and on penetrating to the depth of a few inches, there was an iron wedge discovered, firmly imbedded in the rock. The stone with this wedge in it is now the upper mill stone in Mr. Merriam's mill in Salem Township." Mr. M. in after years removed his mill to the Muskingum near mouth of Bear Creek, and this stone in 1887 was taken from the river by Capt. Sayre, Sidney Ridgeway and G. M. Woodbridge.

The place of the Landing of the Pioneers, April 7, 1788, (to one of your committee pointed out by one of that number, Amos Porter, many years since) was as nearly marked as possible, and the marking was as follows:

An iron rod once inch in diameter and three feet eight inches in length was driven even with the surface of the ground, near the mouth of Monroe Street, on the bank of the Muskingum River, on the lower side of the gully, 71 feet from the southwest corner of the Dudley Devol house, which point is 10 degrees E of N from the iron rod. From the iron rod to the upper corner of the Nye Foundry, 122 feet 4 inches in southeast direction. The iron rod was placed 33 feet 2 inches in a direct line to the outer curb of pavement 20 degrees northeast.

Picketed Point - Marked as follows: An iron rod, three feet eight inches long, driven even with the surface of the ground at the southwest corner, near the confluence of the rivers. This rod placed near the center of the road now traveled, 122 feet 4 inches, 15 degrees W of N from lower corner of office of Nye Foundry.

The southeast corner, marked by iron rod drive in landing 58 feet from the west corner of the Flat Iron Corner store house built and formerly owned by Dudley Woodbridge (near Boiler Corner); direction from rod 15 degrees west of north.

The northeast corner, marked as other corners, in back of the Ebinger building, now occupied by Mr. Sulzbacher, 90 feet from the east line of Front Street, 12 feet 6 inches from the northeast corner of building, 106 feet from the south line of Butler Street.

The northwest corner, marked by iron rod placed near Muskingum River bank 106 feet south of south line of Butler, 36 feet west of building.

For a more full account of the subject matter treated in this report, inquiring minds are referred to the invaluable work of Dr. S. P. Hildreth, entitled Pioneer History, published in 1848.

Your committee would respectfully ask further time for investigation, and to be allowed in the future to report upon other points of interest.

Committee:

George M. Woodbridge

William H. Leeper

J. D. Cadwallader

Pleasant Trip to Newport

 The Daily Register, November 22, 1904

Enjoyed by the Register Man and His Friends - Thriving Village Destined to Grow and Flourish Steadily for Years.

One of the most thriving little towns of the county and, in fact, in this part of the Ohio valley, is Newport up the Ohio. The location is an admirable one, well adapted to a much larger town than now exists. Its people are a cultured class, enterprising, loyal to home, sociable to a large degree, and most of them descendants of pioneer families. 

While a good many of the homes and buildings are of recent erection, there still remain in the old town the buildings put up by the pioneers of that county, the Greens, Greenwoods and others. Those structures were well built. They are large in size, colonial in architecture, high ceilings, broad verandas and in every way comfortable and attractive to those who are cramped up in the modern house of the present. 

It was our pleasure and privilege on the last Sunday to drive up the beautiful valley from this city to Newport. The country is covered with the rust of autumn, and more burnt and dry by reason of lack of rain since July, except perhaps a light sprinkle. We drove because there was no trolley. There ought to be one built to and through Newport on to Matamoras. We know of no section better adapted to such an improvement, none more deserving of such and none to which a line would be more advantageous. We are told that the delay in building the line is due to the fact that quite a number of large owners between Marietta and Newport refuse to grant the right of way through their farms. They have not yet realized that they are standing in their own way, and it may be some time before they realize this to be true. While it may seem like considerable of a sacrifice to them to give up a strip of land, there is no doubting the statement that an electric line would be a great benefit to them in many ways and would also enhance the value of their farms. But they must live and learn as regards this. We believe with the proper encouragement on the part of land owners, a line would be constructed without delay. If not by one man or set of men by another. There are many people looking about for suitable routes for electric lines, and why not make it possible to have one to Newport?

We have gone our way, accompanied by neighbors, and at 11:30 we find ourselves in the yard of Junius Greenwood, and that gentleman is taking our horses to a good dinner. We approach the house where the estimable wife greets us and the odor of a well cooked country dinner meets the nostrils of a hungry four. The big house, remodeled to an extent, the old oven in the open fire place, the cheese cupboard and other things that we believe we would have left in, were gone, the rooms furnished with the tidy things and comfortable furniture, the old open fire place still there, but instead of the red oak logs the natural gas log has supplanted it and there is no more carrying of the cord wood. There is nothing more needed regarding the dinner to which we were invited to partake than that it was a regular Greenwood dinner. That's all; that's enough. There was nothing lacking.

The afternoon was spent about the village meeting old acquaintances and talking about Newport and her future. She has a bright future and oil is at the bottom of it. Aside from the fine farms that surround the town the oil development is the thing that will make the mare go. Newport is the center of a very important production. Recent developments have made it very attractive and it looks now like a second Belmont field, than which none more is important for a series of years existed, is to be opened just below the town. In fact, it is now up to the operators to define the direction the streak runs and see to what width it exists.

The Berea pool, which has been developing for a year or two, has now taken on new life and on the hill tops and in the valley may be seen the numerous new rigs, the wells drilling, pumping or flowing. The "find" of the field to date is the James Morrison & Co. well on the Friedel, which is about ten days old and still doing in the neighborhood of 300 barrels each twenty-four hours. This lease is attracting the fraternity far and wide, and there is promised during the coming weeks more wells of the like importance, the development of a great oil field and the enriching of many men, providing they get in line. 

The Snakards of this city are considerably interested in this Friedel lease. Joe takes his good fortune with the smile that is always his, whether in luck or disappointment, and we are glad to see the smile of good fortune on his countenance. Jimmie Morrison and D. C. Stewart are also interested. The former is a fixture in Newport. He found a fine wife there and is nicely settled in the village. Jimmie is one of those popular Democrats and is the only one of his political faith to hold office in the township and is the Treasurer. You wouldn't take him for a Democrat to look at him, neither would you take Dave Stewart for a Democrat. Davis is on the gold standard, all right. Look at his teeth for proof.

The people of Newport are to have the Marietta telephone line ere long. There are thirty-five subscribers to the new system and the poles are on the ground, ready to be set, after which the wire will be strung. This addition will give the people the advantage of having phones in their houses. As it is now, they have but the Central station, which is inconvenient at times, to say the least. The new system will hardly be ready for the people to be thankful for it on Thursday, but will certainly come as a welcome adjunct about Christmas time. It can't come too soon for the good people of Newport.

We are glad we went to Newport. We renewed some old acquaintances and saw many things of interest. Newport is a coming town. It will double in size in the next three years. Mark the prediction and if it gets the trolley, as it deserves to, it will just keep on growing. The visit to the town was a diversion from the every day life of Marietta. We shall not soon forget the ride, the oil fields, the scenery and the dinner and the hours spent in Newport and at the Greenwood home.

A. D. A.

   

Letter From Marietta

Weekly Messenger [Boston], January 15, 1818

Marietta, Nov. 11, 1817

Dear Friend - I now take this opportunity to inform you that we arrived here all in good health. I crossed the Ohio River at Charleston, Oct. 18th, 80 miles below Pittsburg, then went about 90 miles to Sairville - then I struck the Muskingum - then I went down by land sixty miles to Marietta.

I find this to be a poor, muddy hole; the mud here is more disagreeable than the snow in Massachusetts. My advice to all my friends is not to come to this Country. I intent to leave it as soon as the spring opens, and mean to be back before May is out. And there is not one in a hundred but what is discontented, but they can't get back having spent all their property in getting here.

It is the most broken country that I ever saw. Poor lean Pork is 12 cents per lb. They sell Salt at 4 cents the lb., poor dry Fish is 20 cents per lb. The Corn is miserable and we cannot get it ground, we have to pound it, those who have Lanterns grate it. Rum is 25 cts. a gill. Sugar is 37 cts. per lb. and as for Molasses, there is none. Iron is 12-1/2 cents per lb.

My horses stood the journey well. They are yet alive and in good health and flesh, but they tell me every day they are homesick and want to go back. They say they were good servants to bring me here, but will be better to carry me back.

This Country has been the ruin of a great many poor people. It has undone a great many poor souls forever.

There has been a great freshet in Marietta. They had to drive the Cattle back to the hills, and to paddle all thro' town into their houses. I wish you to show this letter to all my friends, especially to Mr. Wyman and to write me as soon as possible.

Zacheus Parker

[To:] Mr. Daniel Wells

Barlow Burglary

 The Marietta Register, May 6, 1880

Barlow, Ohio, April 26th 1880.

Mr. Editor:

On Thursday night, April 22d, some miserable starved out sneaks broke into Dudley Hartson's cellar between 10 and 5 o'clock, and took therefrom one five gallon jar of butter and a three gallon jar of lard. They also visited the meat barrel and fruit cupboard. 

We presume the sneaks thought we would think the things were taken in the afternoon, as it was known the family were absent, but we happened to know for certain that all was right in the cellar between 5 and 6 in the evening. 

We are satisfied they are no strangers to our house or cellar. They left very plain footprints in the soft mud of the cellar bottom, one quite long with narrow heel, apparently that of a woman, wearing about a No. 7 shoe. The other rather short and thick with nails in heels and toes, undoubtedly that of a man. We do not imagine they came from afar.

The good people of Barlow will do well to keep their outside cellar doors locked and not leave their houses alone night or day. This is not the first time by some half dozen or so that we have missed small articles, such as corn, soap, sweet potatoes, chickens, apples, eggs and other things, and we think it about time to take some measures to dry up such business.

Losers