Historic Spots Marked

 The Marietta Times, December 17, 1891

Marietta, Ohio, November 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 river bank and the innovations of man, after diligent search was identified, and unmistakably marked by being covered at its mouth by an immense mill stone.*

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 one 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 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 centre of the road now traveled, 122 feet 4 inches, 15 degrees W of N from the 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, is 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

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 Ridgway and G. M. Woodbridge.