Destruction of Sacra Via

 

Drawing from "Ancient Mound at Marietta," by Samuel P. Hildreth, 

The American Pioneer, Volume 1, No. 10, October 1842, page 73.

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The Marietta Intelligencer, January 30, 1855:

The Ancient Works

Dear Mr. Editor . . .

One of the pleasantest walks about Marietta is that which takes you to across the elevated square and past the mounds in its neighborhood; but it almost makes me angry to attempt it, for I am compelled to witness the spoilations which are continually going on among our ancient works - the covered way especially. I do really wonder if the spirit of reverence has died out entirely among our citizens! One would surely think so. I don't know how I should feel if I was a bit influential MAN - but as it is, I am ready to blush whenever these things are mentioned, as they invariably are by strangers visiting the place as the objects most note-worthy about here. And I have noticed in all the letters from and about Marietta, either in this paper or others, that with but one exception The Ancient Works have burnished a prominent topic.

Those mounds, the relics of those once mighty Indians now no more, and the Campus Martius - the covered way - which we should cherish as almost sacred monuments of the perils of our brave forefathers - all "passing away" and there is a road cut through the covered way in one place while the rest is being dug away to be made into brick, I believe! Oh Young America!

M. Ellen Winthrope.

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The Marietta Intelligencer, August 11, 1858:

Governor Greiner, of Columbus, was down here some ten days ago and spent the Sabbath. On looking into his paper of last Friday, which did not reach us until last night, we find a two column article headed "A Trip to Marietta." . . . We have room to-day for but a few extracts from his article:

Vandalism

Returning, we passed over the ancient works, the location of which being within its boundaries, has given to Marietta much of its celebrity.

What was our surprise and mortification to find a brick yard upon the Covered Way, and about a dozen laborers busily employed with a pick axe and shovel in digging away the ancient embankments for the purpose of making brick. This sacrilegious outrage, this almost unheard of species of modern vandalism is permitted by the authorities of Marietta, because the contractor promises to pay to the city five cents a yard for the clay to make brick of. Shade of General Rufus Putnam! Only think of it! Digging down these celebrated ancient works to make brick! the inducement five cents a yard!!! What ought to be done with a City Council that would tolerate such an outrage?

A thousand thanks for that, Mr. Greiner. Not very complimentary to the Council, to be sure, but richly deserved. Will you be so kind as to suggest what ought to be done with men who would be guilty of such sacrilege. We can think of nothing bad enough.

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The Marietta Intelligencer, September 29, 1858:

The Marietta Mound and Earthworks

In the New York Christian Inquirer we find a letter from this place, which we judge from the initials to have been written by a gentleman at present a temporary resident here. He writes upon the ancient works of Marietta. From his letter we make the following extracts:

Marietta - remarkable for its beautiful situation among the hills, at the confluence of the Ohio and the Muskingum, and for its college, the best in Ohio, and its Unitarian church, the most perfect, perhaps, as a work of art, in the West - is not less remarkable for its vestiges of a race of men of whom the most vague traditions is lost, the ancient mound-builders. The relics here are, with one exception, as remarkable as any in the Mississippi Valley. They are numerous and extensive, far more so than I had ever supposed.

I knew that in coming to Marietta I was going to the very hear of the mound region, but I cannot picture to you my surprise and bewilderment when last week, on turning a corner, I came in sight of the burying-ground and saw rising in the very midst of the city of the dead, with faultless symmetry, one of the largest mounds of the West. I do not think I could have been more impressed with an unexpected view of the Egyptian Pyramids. In the midst of fresh graves it rises, the grave of the buried Past, a perfect cone, to the height of thirty feet. Some dozen of the largest Western trees are growing upon it, one an oak of great antiquity; but older yet are a few decaying trunks where trees of an unknown age once flourished and died.

When Marietta was settled, all the earthworks were covered with a dense forest; now the trees remain but upon two. I shall have something to say by-and-by of the desecration to which they have been subjected.

A detailed account of the Mound and Elevated Square follows, and the letter thus concludes:

All these works lie on a plateau above the valley of the Muskingum, a fair and grassy plain. There is one other work which to me was as marked as any. I mean the Sacra Via, or Covered Way, as the people generally term it.

From the larger square on the plateau there leads to the river's banks one of the most imposing of roads. It is about seven hundred feet long and lies between two artificial banks, which are in the highest place some twenty feet high. The centre of this road is raised and gracefully rounded. At the foot of the banks this Sacra Via is one hundred and fifty feet wide; from the top of the banks across it is two hundred and thirty feet. Probably nowhere in the world can a finer relic of ancient roadmaking be found.

As I stood on the banks of the Muskingum and let my eye run up this masterly ancient road, and in my mind saw it thronged with the men of an ancient civilization, passing to and from their religious rites on the plateau above, and saw the altars smoking with the victims, and the mound overshadowed with the Divine presence which they adored, I felt that this communing with the Spirit of the Past had richly paid me for my visit West; for the desire to be for a time among these scenes had been one motive in inducing me to spend a few months in Ohio.

There is one great drawback here, just as there is wherever the Present comes in contact with the Past. The utilitarian spirit of the day is here before me and is doing its customary work. It does seem a sacrilege to see a miserable modern Warren Street, running up and down the middle of the magnificent Sacra Via, and to see a road cut directly through the banks which form the sides of it, in order to accommodate the wants of a tannery.

A German colony, too, has located itself on the site of the smaller square, and with making cellars and ploughing gardens and laying out streets, the day is close at hand when not a vestige of it will be seen. The Sacra Via is already harmed beyond telling by the roads which I have mentioned. The top of the large altar is a cow pasture.

But thanks to a few wise souls, the smaller altar is fenced, and the mound is in the cemetery, and they are safe. No, not quite safe. Some are discussing seriously the expediency of excavating the sides of the latter and putting tombs therein. It makes me almost provoked, that is to day, it carries me about as far as Paul would have me go, in "being angry and sinning not," to see this utilitarian spirit wreaking its dollar-and-cent spite upon these mysterious remains. The intention of the first settlers of Marietta was to have them sacredly preserved.

In the frontispiece of the Smithsonian volume of Squier and Davis, you have a good colored view of the Marietta remains. The last picture in the work is a colored engraving of the great mound. In the body of the book is a chart and a full description. I suppose the volume is in most good libraries. That gives a better account than I can give, for I feel the need, of engraving to tell the whole story in a worthy way. But no view equals the seeing. When you look at that mound and stand on the altars, and throw your glance up the Covered Way, you are in the very presence of the past, and the spirit of that gray, dim, mysterious Past oppresses you with its vague and uncertain shadows, but delights you with the bewilderment which it awakes.

W. L. G.

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The Marietta Republican, March 29, 1861:

Sacra Via Destroyed

Sacra Via has been destroyed; several thousand yards of earth have been cut away and made into brick by the retiring member of the Council from the Second Ward. It is pretty generally understood that he has never paid or offered to pay therefore. If this be true would it not be well for voters to ponder the matter well before consenting to return him again?

One of the most beautiful spots in our City has been destroyed by our iconoclastic Councilman, and though he cannot restore the view, he should be compelled to make some recompense for his vandalism. Think of this, voters of the Second Ward.

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History of Marietta and Washington County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, Martin Register Andrews (1902), page 367:

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church 

[Old church building on lower Fourth Street, demolished in 1917.]

The church was begun in 1850 and after three years completed. The greatest amount subscribed by any one individual was $100, and that amount was given by but three persons, i.e., Father Perry, Hugh Brennan and John Burke.

What may be of interest to state is the fact that the clay our of which the bricks for the new building were made was taken from an old Indian mound - supposed to be an old prehistoric fortification, situated about where now passes Sacra Via street.

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The Marietta Times, May 20, 1869:

John Greiner Song

The following original song was sung by Governor Greiner at a gathering of the Odd Fellows, in this place, on Wednesday night, 12th inst.

Floating down the blue Muskingum,
     In the merry month of May;
Forests filled with sweetest music,
     Fields with flowers in bright array,
Coming all, with hearts as lightly
     As the dancing waters flow;
On the way to Marietta,
     On the river Ohio.

Nestling homesteads, blooming orchards,
     "Cattle on a thousand hills;"
Sparkling through the fragrant meadows,
     Murmuring brooks, and crystal rills;
Valley of the happy Elk-Eye,
     Richer landscapes who can show!
Journeying on to Marietta,
     On the river Ohio.

Odd Fellows of the Ancient Order
     Built the mystic Covered Way;
"Campus Martius," "Sacra Via,"
     Mounds and Plain, their skill display.
Good old fellows - funny fellows,
     Did a heap of work to show
Our Grand Lodge in Marietta,
     On the river Ohio.

Proudly thought the ancient builders
     Of these Mounds and Way and Plain,
Monuments of skill and labor
     Should forever here remain.
Vain! - for hands so sacrilegious,
     Clay upheaved so long ago,
Make the bricks for Marietta,
     On the river Ohio.

Now, strange fellows, queer good fellows,
     All Odd Fellows, here we see,
The White - the Pink - the Blue - the Green
     And the scarleted degree.
Boasting nigh four hundred Lodges,
     Thirty thousand members true,
All like these, in Marietta,
     On the river Ohio.

They feed the hungry, clothe the naked,
     Stand by those who stand in need;
Fear the Lord and love your neighbor,
     Is the true Odd Fellows' creed.
Aid the Daughters of Rebecca;
     Then, when you to Heaven will go,
You'll remember Marietta,
     On the river Ohio.

When our Order it shall govern,
     Men no more will be deceivin',
Wives no longer will be scolding,
     Odd Fellows will then be even.
Every maid shall have a sweetheart,
     Every widow have a beau,
And a home in Marietta,
     On the river Ohio.

Daughters of Rebecca, blooming,
     Brethren, they are something slow,
Don't get home till nearly midnight,
     Dearest Becky's - is that so?
Ridin' a goat is rather tiresome,
     Sad experience tells us so;
Prove it we can in Marietta,
     On the river Ohio!

Restoring Historic Blockhouse

The Daily Register, July 8, 1905

 

The old Block House which stands at the corner of Second and Washington streets as a monument to the pioneers and the earlier days of Marietta haw been rented by the Marietta Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The chapter expects to become installed in the new quarters some time during the summer. All meetings and social functions and, in fact, events which have connection with this society will be held there after possession is taken.

Just now the old building, which has stood for so many years, is undergoing a period of restoration. The owner, Miss Minna Tupper Nye, is now here from New York and is personally overseeing the work of preserving and restoring the old structure. When the contractors shall have finished it, it will present a very neat and appropriate appearance. The original color of grey will be given the exterior of the building, and that peculiar shade of blue, which graced the doors, will cover them again.

The old open fireplace, which is large enough to sit in, will be opened and placed in condition for use. The woodwork will be gone over and refinished, and several minor changes will be made throughout the interior. New doors and shutters will be placed in the building, and when it is finished, it will be one of the most attractive places in this part of the country.

Miss Nye, the owner of the building, seems to have taken a very patriotic step in renting the building to the Daughters of the American Revolution, for the fact that it will be the chapter house of that society in the future, in a way, keeps up the historical connection of the place.

The chapter expects to become installed in the new quarters some time this summer.

[This structure is the Rufus Putnam House, now enclosed in Campus Martius Museum.]

Handsome Band Stand Erected in City Park

Marietta Daily Times, June 16, 1911

Substantial Concrete Structure Is Completed By The Commissioner.

Marietta's beautiful City Park now has a band stand which is a credit to the city, and which will add materially to the beauty of the popular recreation ground. The new structure was completed Thursday.

It is made of re-inforced concrete throughout. The floor is elevated to a height of twenty feet, and under the floor are rooms which will be used for the purpose of storing chairs, tools, etc. Around the band stand, which is octagonal in form, a terrace will be constructed, and leading down to the terrace from the stand, is a short flight of concrete steps. A temporary railing has been placed around the top of the stand, but Superintendent of Parks, F. L. Reed, under whose supervision the work has been carried on, stated last evening that a railing would be built later that will add much to the beauty of the stand.

The second concert of the season will be given next Tuesday evening, and the music will be furnished by the Marietta Band, under the direction of C. D. Bethel. This organization gave an excellent concert in the city park a few weeks ago, and nearly a thousand people enjoyed the music.

The Belpre Library of the Early Days

 The Marietta Register, June 19, 1879

For the Register.

The library formed in 1804 at Amesville, in what was then Washington County, now Athens, is a matter of general knowledge. It has been often referred to as a signal instance of the beneficial effects of good books in a community. That township has produced some remarkable men, as Bishop Ames and Thomas Ewing; and many of the families resident there at the beginning of the century, like the Browns, Cutlers, Walkers and others, have been noted for their intelligence and elevated character. The formation of that library is a matter of familiar history, and the descendants of those who founded it may well be proud of the part their ancestors took in establishing such an association.

Another library formed by the early settlers in another part of the Ohio Company's purchase is not so well known. When the writer prepared the centennial historical sketch of Washington County, three years ago, he was ignorant that such an association had existed. His attention was arrested by seeing among some old memoranda of early times preserved by Colonel John Stone of Belpre, a receipt for money paid for a share in a library in Belpre in 1796. He at once wrote asking for information respecting that library and for the facts presented in this article he, and the public, are indebted to Colonel Stone.

In the "Lives of the Early Settlers," by Dr. Hildreth, there is an allusion to the library of General Israel Putnam, from which the inference is possible that Colonel Israel Putnam, son of the General, might have brought with him to Ohio a number of books from the collection of his father, and that these became the nucleus of a public library. However this may be, there is abundant evidence of the existence of such a library at Belpre at a very early day. The receipt referred to above, and which is before me as I write, is as follows:

"Marietta, 26th Oct. 1796. Received of Jonathan Stone by the hand of Benj. Miles ten dollars for his share in the Putnam Family Library. W. P. Putnam, Clerk."

Here was a library organization with its stockholders and officers, the value of a share being ten dollars. The organization had probably been recently effected, as the Indian War was not ended till 1795. Captain Jonathan Stone, father of Colonel John Stone, was doubtless one of the original shareholders, and this receipt was for the payment for his stock. In the records of the Probate office of Washington County, among the items in the inventory of the estate of Jonathan Stone, dated September 2, 1801, is this: "One share in the Putnam Library $10.00."

In the Ohio Historical Collections, by Henry Howe, under the head of Meigs County is an account of pioneer life written by Amos Dunham, who settled in Washington County about 1802 and afterwards removed to Meigs. He says: "The long winter evenings were rather tedious, and in order to make them pass more smoothly, I purchased a share in the Belpre library, six miles distant. . . . Many a night have I passed in this manner (using pine knots in place of candles) till twelve or one o'clock, reading to my wife, while she was patcheling, carding, or spinning."

Have we any testimony as to the library from those now living? Mr. Edwin Guthrie has distinct remembrance of his father's having books taken from the Belpre Library. Colonel Otis L. Bradford remembers that the library was kept at the house of their nearest neighbor, Isaac Pierce, Esq. Mrs. Smith, of Pomeroy, remembers her mother saying that her husband (Amos Dunham, mentioned above) could always find time to attend the Belpre Library meetings regardless of hurrying work. 

Colonel John Stone recollects that Esquire Pierce was the Librarian and kept the library at his house. He remembers attending at several times the meetings for drawing books, and has a distinct recollection that the association was dissolved by common consent, that he was present at the sale or distribution of books and selected the Travels of Jonathan Carver. The time of dissolution he cannot give precisely, but thinks it was about 1815 or 1816. He is probably the only person now living who was present at that time.

But if the organization was thus dissolved and the books distributed, cannot some of them be found? Mr. George Dana reports six volumes among his books. John Locke's Essays concerning the Human Understanding, London, 1793, has "Putnam Family Library, No. 6," which is crossed, and underneath is written "Belpre Library, No. 29." The Practical Farmer, title page gone, but dedicated to Thomas Jefferson in 1792, has "Putnam Family Library, No. 5," which is crossed, and underneath is written "Belpre Library, No. 6." He has also Robertson's History of Scotland, 2 vols. inscribed "Belpre Farmers' Library, No. 24," and Johnson's Lives of the English Poets, 3 vols., inscribed "Belpre Farmer's Library, No. 10." Both the last two works were published in 1811. It would seem that the name was changed from Putnam Family Library, as the inscription on some of the books is Belpre Library, and on others is Belpre Farmers' Library.

Mr. I. W. Putnam writes that there are in his family, The History of Vermont, 1794, 1 vol.; Bassett's History of England, 4 vols.; Hume's History of England, 6 vols.; and Goldsmith's Animated Nature.

In the family of Mrs. O. H. Loring are 5 volumes of Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, published in England in 1783. Some of these contain the name of Wanton Casey, as well as the words "Belpre Library." Mr. Casey married the daughter of Major Goodale and returned to Rhode Island, probably before 1800.

There are then in these three families twenty-three volumes belonging originally to the Belpre Library and inscribed with one or the other of the designations mentioned above.

Se have thus documentary evidence of the existence of this library, which is confirmed by the testimony of living witnesses, and by the production of more than twenty volumes having upon them the original library mark. How many volumes were in the library is not now known. One of those referred to above bears the number 80. From the titles quoted it will be seen that the works were solid and good. The library was established as early as 1796 and continued in operation for twenty years or more.

That the settlers of the Ohio Company thus established two libraries at a very early day cannot be disputed. And the communities where they were established were both such as we might expect in intelligence and character. A large number of the present families of Belpre are the descendants of the early settlers. The ancestors of all the families in whose possession are the old library books were in Farmers' Castle at Belpre during the Indian war. And so were the ancestors of nearly all whose names are mentioned in this article.

I. W. Andrews.

Marietta College, June, 1879.

Indian Chief Will Address Civic Clubs

The Marietta Daily Times, February 22, 1926

Chief William Red Fox of the Sioux tribe of Indians will address many of Marietta's civic Organizations this week, beginning with the Civitan Club which body heard the Chief at today's luncheon at the Wakefield Hotel. The Chamber of Commerce banquet tonight will have the Indian Chief as its guest. The Kiwanis will have him as a guest Tuesday noon The Rotary and Lion clubs will each hear him. Arrangements are being made for special talks to be given at the college and schools of the city.

Between times, Chief Red Fox will appear upon the Hippodrome state for brief demonstrations at the daily performances.

Through the Paramount Pictures officials the Chief was secured to make a few personal appearances in connection with their new picture, "The Vanishing American," written by Zane Grey, who is a personal friend. Red Fox is a life member of the Boy Scouts of America and will probably meet Marietta's scouts at a mass meeting before the week is over.

The picture was filmed in the heart of the Navajo reservation and tells the story of the fast disappearing Indian tribes.