Halloween Dance

The Marietta Daily Times, October 31, 1908

The dance at the Marietta Country Club Friday evening was a decided success. One hundred and eighty people took the five o'clock car for the Club house. The entire house was elaborately decorated. Corn, apples and jack o'lanterns and autumn leaves were in all rooms and strings of black cats made of cloth were festooned about the walls, making very effective Hallowe'en decorations. After the arrival of the car, a grand march was held and the guests all marched to the dining room where the dinner was served. At seven o'clock the Marietta orchestra arrived and dancing was begun, lasting until eleven o'clock.

All were costumed and some were especially interesting as well as amusing. Mrs. Harry Chamberlain was gowned in her wedding dress and wore a veil. Misses Nellie Sugden and Laura Morse were dressed as clowns and were very good. Miss Waldine Rathbone had on one of the latest directoire gowns, pink with large black dots. It was extreme and effective.

Mrs. William Hastings wore an enormous Merry Widow hat and old fashioned shawl, which created much amusement. Miss Carol Hall was dressed as a ghost and Mrs. Harry Curtis as a witch. Both were effective.

Miss Carol Shaw represented a Mexican girl, Mrs. Ed A. Merydith was a Sis Hopkins, Mary Harper a Hobo. Mrs. C. T. McIlyar as a chorus girl with large hat and ballet dress was awfully good. Mrs. George Cann and Miss Blanche Leeper were colored Topsys and created much amusement. Mrs. Ed B. Follett, Mrs. J. Henry Best and Miss Hope Turner were colonial dames.

Miss Kitty Nye was very good as a college student. Mrs. Herbert Milshall represented a Spanish girl and Mrs. Beman Dawes a summer girl. Miss Hanna Sleigh and Mrs. Julia Flanders were "ye dames of ye eighteenth century" and were very good. Dr. Ballard in overalls and wearing a red wig was unusually good.

Charley Grace and Fergus O'Connor were hoboes. Elmer Thorniley, Uncle Sam. Eddie McTaggart and Mr. Merriam, Beau Brummels, and Harry Chamberlain, King Harold.

 

House Warming

The Marietta Register, January 2, 1868

Last Thursday evening, James B. Hovey opened his elegant new house, corner of Fifth and Wooster streets, to his friends, including the workmen upon the building, with a sumptuous oyster supper, and a social time generally - a party of over fifty men.

The house is most complete, convenient, comfortable, one to "brag" of - well arranged throughout and well finished, no better work to be found anywhere. It is two stories - eight large rooms and two small ones in the main building; cellar under the whole, with cement floor; rooms finished with hard wood - black walnut and butternut, some pine above - not painted, but varnished; plenty of closets from bottom to top; attic finished, making a very pleasant, large room. The work is all thorough, highly creditable to all concerned. It has all of the modern improvements - gas fittings, marbled-iron mantels, etc.

Architect and Superintendent, M. H. Needham; stone-work by N. S. Alcock; brick made by Thomas F. Jones, pressed and sorted, laid up with white mortar; brick walls built by William Kexel and Lyman Phillips; slate roof by John W. Smith; tin-work by Jacob Seyler; plastering by Adam Weaver; painting, glazing, &c., by John Klintworth and Jacob Stricker; principal carpenters Argalus Pixley, John Ranger, F. E. Jett, John Goodman, Jr., and ___ Nelson.

A Scrap of History

The Marietta Register, April 19, 1883

A scrap of Pioneer history showing how a Washington county boy became a king.

Among the sturdy men who emigrated from Connecticut to Ohio was one named Stephen Guthrie, who located in the settlement called Newbury, at the lower end of the county. His first wife was Sally Chappell and they raised a family of six sons and two daughters. Four of the sons went to Putnam, in Muskingum county, and became prominent men in that town. The oldest daughter [Laura Matilda Guthrie] married Amos Dunham and died at Pomeroy a few years ago. The youngest daughter [Almira Guthrie] was the wife of Walter Curtis, and died at her home in Newbury in 1881.

Mr. Guthrie’s wife died and he married a widow named Palmer [Martha ___ Palmer] who lived in Marietta, who had previous to her second marriage four daughters and two sons, some of whom will be remembered by the older class of your readers. Mary Palmer [Julia Ann Palmer] married Richard Short [Elijah Short] and settled in Lowell, where he died rather mysteriously many years ago. His widow still lives with a daughter [Mary Short Carpenter] in Columbus. I believe Achasa Palmer [Achsah Palmer] married Erastus Guthrie, a son of Stephen Guthrie who occupied the homestead in Newbury for several years and afterward moved to Malta, in Morgan county, where he died and the widow died and was buried at West Columbia, West. Va.

Waterman Palmer went to Pittsburg, became wealthy in the dry goods trade, and was well known to all Washington county merchants who in those days made semi-annual trips to the Smoky City to buy goods.

Walter Palmer, the youngest son, left Newbury, entered the store with his brother, and being a high spirited adventurous youth, became disgusted with the confinement and vexations which generally attend the life of a young clerk, ran away and no tidings from him were received by his anxious family and they supposed he was dead.

Long years after the Palmer family learned indirectly that the brother whom they supposed to be dead, went to South America, became a sailor on the Pacific Ocean and his vessel was lost in a storm. The crew took a boat and after much privation landed on the Sandwich Islands, where they were received with great kindness by the natives.

Walter, with that enterprise and confidence which characterize men in Ohio, made love to the King’s daughter and became his son-in-law. His wisdom, energy and amiable qualities rendered him very useful and influential among the people, and upon the death of the old King was unanimously elevated to the throne, and under his rule reforms were established which elevated the Islanders from a race of savages to a civilized nation. Thus did the truant boy who left Washington county to seek his fortune, become a king and father of the present King Kalulu.

Truly the adventures of this Ohio boy read like a tale of fiction.

C.

Town Notes

The Marietta Register, November 26, 1889:

Mr. Editor: In rambling over the pioneer city of The North West Territory (perhaps some of your readers may have heard that expression during the winter and summer of 1888) a casual observer may see many things worthy of comment. For instance, one cannot avoid seeing and coming in contact with the mud on our streets. It is simply disgraceful. Last summer our worthy solons, who turn the municipal crank for "all of us," expended many hundreds of dollars, nay, I am told it reaches into the thousands, in grading Putnam and other streets, and covering the slag used thereon with a black mask that seems a composition of all that is vile, either for the purposes of dust or mud. The result is that the streets present the appearance of the rolling waves of the sad, sad sea, while the black and red mud have united and are "deeper, darker, deadlier" than ever before.

I notice by the papers that our taxes have run up to 27.80 on each dollar of taxable property. What have we to show for it? Muddy streets, yes; rather poor light (on account of poor oil) yes, still it does seem that we are "paying dear for our whistle." Who is the "young Napoleon of finance" that controls the levy and expends our revenue?

The good news is wafted abroad that we are to have a real "Union Depot," and Dame Rumor has it that it will be erected on Second Street near Putnam. If that be so, some enterprising man, or woman either for that matter, should put up a fine hotel in that vicinity. Such an investment would no doubt prove remunerative.

For years past I have noticed a certain black oak tree located in this city that has held its leaves, apparently dry and dead, until the warmth of spring caused the expanding buds to push them off; this year the first few frosts entirely denuded the tree of its leaves. What conclusions do our weather prophets draw from this circumstance?

Other cities and towns use their electric lights in lighting stores, factories, and even private dwellings; why has it not been done here? If the city goes into the light business, why not do it thoroughly? Why not put in more dynamos and have light for private use?

The enjoyable (?) weather we have been having is another fruitful theme, but remembering the old proverb, "Change of weather is the discourse of fools," we subside.

Observer

*     *     *

The Marietta Register, December 5, 1889:

The Council will hold an adjourned session Friday evening to consider the proposition of the T. & O. C. E. R. R. concerning the new Depot and fill. There should be liberality without jeopardizing the city's rights.

The section of the city under consideration might well be given over to the railroads, if they will redeem and utilize it. But unless thus reclaimed, it will be long years before anything can be expected.

Oh, the streets, the beautiful streets - with the cinder under the mud. The slag is uneven as the billowy sea, and the wagon wheels go cathud. The money we've spent on the rotten mill-ash would have graveled at least half a mile. We told the Dads, too, when the folly began, they'd soon wish all the stuff in a pile. But, "no," they protested the ash was half iron, would pack and resist lots of wear. They said, "talk is cheap," and, when we had passed, they muttered, "the City Dad swear." And now we must pay our full share of the tax, quite enough the richest will say, and tramp in the mud - the black, slimy mud - getting worse the more that we pay.

  

The Telegraph

The Marietta Intelligencer, February 10, 1848

A meeting of the citizens of Marietta and Harmar was held at the Court House on Tuesday evening, which was addressed by T. C. H. Smith, Esq., agent of the New Orleans and Ohio Telegraph Line, who presented some interesting statements respecting various telegraphic lines, and invited our citizens to subscribe stock in the Company which he represents, and thus secure an office at this place.

The amount of stock required here is only $5000. Our citizens will be called upon in a day or two for their subscriptions, and we cannot doubt that the full amount will be promptly subscribed.

We suppose it can hardly be necessary to say a word respecting the importance of this enterprize. It is enough that our citizens know that the stock will be profitable, and if taken that the line will be completed within four months, and we be thus speedily placed upon a footing of equality with citizens of towns which are now enjoying the advantages of this wonderful instrument of communication.