Marietta, Ohio

Marietta is the oldest organized municipality in Ohio and the first official American settlement in the Northwest Territory. Located at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, Marietta was named in honor Marie Antoinette, Queen of France during the American Revolution.

Marietta is a river town on the Ohio River and hosts the annual Ohio River Sternwheeler Festival each Labor Day weekend with sternwheeler races, live music and an antique car show that draws 1000s of visitors each year.

Marietta is a picturesque town that features tree-lined brick streets with handsome architecture that has been preserved over the years, that combines to welcome visitors to the city as it has been doing since the first day back in 1788.

Marietta History

In 1788 a group of 48 men, led by General Rufus Putnam, arrived in what is now Marietta. They brought with them the first government sanctioned by the United States. Fort Harmar, a military outpost built 3 years before, lay across the Muskingum River. Native Americans living in the area were not pleased with the arrival of these white settlers who immediately started construction of two forts, Campus Martius, which stood at the site of the museum which today bears it's name, and Picketed Point, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers. At the same time, a community was also being built in the wilderness from plans made before the groups departure form Boston.

Settlers began arriving as did Governor Arthur St. Clair who presided over this new territory, and, by the end of 1788, 137 people populated the area. The Treaty of Greenville was signed with Native Americans in 1795, which legally allowed settlers to move from the safety of the fortresses and spread out into the surrounding territory.

Campus Martius

Campus Martius was the name of one of the 2 forts built where Marietta was built. It is also the name given to the museum now located in Marietta. The museum has exhibits that focus on the early settlement of Marietta and Ohio and contain many of the original pioneer artifacts. The exhibits also explore the prehistoric Indian populations that occupied this area and describe the relations early settlers had with the historic Indians.

Other areas of the museum explore such topics as surveying, early government in the old Northwest Territory, and life in early Marietta. A separate area exhibits a variety of material from the Marietta area down through the years, from items of household furnishings, to toys, to tools, to fire prevention equipment.

Early Adena People in the Marietta Area

As in many river areas throughout Ohio, a complex of earthworks that fascinated the early settlers, because they provided evidence of an earlier people who had once inhabited the land. These mounds were the first of Ohio's prehistoric Indian earthworks to be accurately surveyed, mapped and described. When discovered, they were curiosities and much speculation was generated about who built them and what they meant.

Ohio's Historic Markers

You've probably seen at least a few of the over 1000 metallic historic markers located across Ohio describing our rich cultural history. All of these sign posts are made in Marietta Ohio by a company called Sewah Studios, Inc.

Sewah Studios was founded in 1927 by Mr. E. M. Hawes and began operation in what was formerly an organ factory on the west side of historic Marietta. In naming the company, Mr. Hawes spelled his last name backwards and for no particular reason, added the word studios. Since the name is our greatest asset, we have never considered changing it, confusing as it may be to some people. The company was purchased by the family of the current owner in 1954 and a new plant was constructed at the present site in 1959. The company was incorporated in 1992.

See also Scenic Covered Bridges near Marietta