A "Castle" Tour in Marietta Ohio

Back to our October road trip through Tennessee, Kentucky and on into southern Ohio... We stayed in Marietta Ohio for two nights...and giving the timing the second day was a Sunday.  Sundays can be challenging starting in October as many attractions reduce their hours of operation or just close for the season.  In addition, shopping opportunities except for the chain stores tend to be more limited and some restaurants also close or reduce their hours.

So...I needed an attraction that would be interesting and would keep us busy for a while...

This is "The Castle", an historic home in Marietta that was built back in 1855, based on the Gothic Revival style.  The property itself is historic as it was leased as early as 1808 by a potter and his family, making it one of the earliest pottery manufacturing sites in what was then referred to as the Northwest Territory.  Since 1994 this eye-catching home has served as a museum.

This property occupies two lots or building sites.  Nathaniel Clark and his wife Lydia Sackett, with at least 5 children, occupied these lots...with a residence and the pottery business.  As per one article, the pottery produced milk pans, jugs and jars.  Archaeological excavations have documented that Clark's operation produced both red earthenware and salt-glazed stoneware.

Visitors begin their adventure at the Carriage House.  Built ca 1888, it houses ticket sales for the tour, a small gift shop and a small number of artifacts.  One of these artifacts is this Rockaway Coupe Carriage, built ca 1880s.  Typically these four-wheel carriages are relatively light and low slung.  They feature a fixed top and open sides, that may be covered by waterproof curtains.  There is a heavier version that is more enclosed.  

There is some debate regarding the name of these carriages.  It may be derived from the town of Rockaway New Jersey, where carriages were originally made.  According to other sources, these carriages were built in Jamaica/Queens and they were called the Rockaway because they were used to shuttle passengers between Jamaica and the Atlantic Ocean beaches of Long Island's Rockaway Peninsula.

The decor in the entry hallway to the Castle immediately strikes visitors as being a bit unusual or quirky.  The checkered floor and that big mural depicting the home in a much earlier period set the tone for most of the remainder of the home.  Much of the decor and architectural embellishments stem from the efforts of the last private owners of the property.  

The Castle was the home of some of the town's most prominent and influential citizens.  The original builder/homeowner was Melvin C. Clarke.  He was a prominent attorney and abolitionist.  The home cost $10,000 to build in 1855...about $363,000 in todays dollars.  If that seems like a low number in today's dollars, consider that back in the day homes had little or no plumbing and no electrical to install.

This is Judy...she was our knowledgeable and friendly guide who led us on our exploration of The Castle.  I also believe that she is a member of The Castle's Board of Directors.

The original builder of The Castle, Melvin C. Clarke, was a direct descendent of immigrants who came to North America on the Mayflower... He taught school before becoming an attorney and he was Marietta's first city solicitor.  However Clarke didn't own the home for very long, selling it to John Newton in 1858.  

In 1861 Melvin Clarke organized the 36th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and he received a commission as a Lt. Colonel.  In September of 1862, Colonel Clarke was killed in the battle at Antietam.

This fireplace with its tile surround and contrasting hearth...accented by a lot of wood trim and that antique wallpaper...provides a real central point of focus. 

By the time John Newton purchased The Castle in 1858, he'd suffered through more loss than most people endure in a lifetime.  His entire family, 28 year old wife Susan and all 3 sons died from 'inflammation of the lungs' before September of 1852.  Only John and an adopted daughter named Margaret survived.  Her father was in prison for killing her mother...  

John remarried again in October of 1853, this time to another 28 year old named Sally.  They had one son who died in 1855.  Sally followed their son to the grave in September of that year.  They were buried beside John's first wife and four children.

This photo shows the entrance to The Castle's library.  Note the extensive Victorian era fretwork at the top and the right side of the doorway.

Continuing with John Newton's life, in July of 1858, right after he bought The Castle, John married for the third time, this time his wife Jane, was a widow.  

John was a man of wealth and The Castle would have a site of important entertainment and business functions.  John operated a very successful bucket factory.  During the Civil War he was appointed to the county Military Committee of Five, who were responsible for recruiting soldiers and collecting supplies needed by the army.  In September of 1862, the 7th Ohio Cavalry was organized in Marietta and they named themselves "Newton's Guards" in John Newton's honor.  

Then in December of 1862, John's third wife, Jane, died suddenly of 'apoplexy'.  He proved that he wasn't a 'quitter', when in September of 1865 he married his fourth and final wife, Helen, who was another widow.  Helen was 20 years his junior and she did outlive him... His adopted daughter lived until ca 1920.

After the Civil War John Newton became a financier and banker.  He also became involved in the discovery of oil locally...obtaining a lease on a piece of property near Cow Run in Ohio.  The well he was alleged to have drilled yielded 50 barrels a day.  Newton was active in many local groups and even served as a member of Marietta's City Council.   John died at The Castle in July 1886.  Helen was 20 years his junior and she did outlive him... His adopted daughter Margaret lived until ca 1920.

Okay...This isn't a normal item that one would focus on when touring an historic home and it obviously doesn't date back to the 1800s.  However, I had never seen a pill-style toilet tank before so I had to take a picture.  While wall-mounted tanks aren't very rare, this round shape is unusual.  I found a ca 1926 Eljer Pill Toilet Tank (only the tank) for sale on eBay with an asking price of $1,795.00.  Then I found a complete set priced at $2,495.00.  

This is the primary bathroom at The Castle. Like many parts of the home, the decor has a number of 'unusual' features...not easily fitting into one era or another.  Part of the variances stem from the influences of the families who lived here...with a significant quirky impact initiated by the last family that lived here. 

Edward White Nye published the Marietta Gazette Newspaper for several years.  He was also involved in banking, accounting (bookkeeping) and oil speculation.  He purchased The Castle from John Newton's estate in January1887.  He didn't live in the house for long, dying in town after 'a hearty dinner' in town in March of 1888.  Edward White left the home to his only daughter, Lucy Nye Davis.  His widow, Hannah Nye, lived in The Castle with her daughter and son-in-law until Hannah died in 1900.

The Castle's dining room is colorful and feels like a cross between Victorian and Eastlake design.  The woodwork, doors and the trim are outstanding.  Love that fireplace too...

Lucy Holmes (Nye) Davis was born in 1849 and, after inheriting The Castle, she cared for her mother and family for the rest of her life.  She married Theodore Davis in 1872.  He'd come to Marietta to work for the railroad, then served as the 'City Engineer' for 2 terms, was elected to the State Senate and then served as the President Pro Tem of that body.

As for Lucy herself, she was a prominent social leader among the wives of the Republican Party of Ohio, was involved in missionary work, and she was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  Lucy died 12 days after breaking a hip at The Castle in November of 1931.  She had just celebrated her 82nd birthday.

This is the parlor, aka the sitting room, at The Castle.  Colorful and very Victorian in nature, it features yet another striking fireplace.  We must remember that other than small cast iron heating stoves, most of the large rooms in a home during the early days were warmed by fireplaces.

Jessie Nye Davis, daughter of Theodore and Lucy (Nye) Davis was born in 1874.  When her mother Lucy inherited The Castle, it became the home for Jesse and her sister Grace throughout their childhood.  In 1896, Jessie married John Lindsay of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.  The wedding reception was held at The Castle...and Jessie lived for a time in Pittsburgh.  She returned to Marietta in 1905 after a divorce.  

Grace had moved on with her life elsewhere, so Jessie lived alone in The Castle with a housekeeper and, in her later years with her little dog, Suzy.  Jessie spent most of her time in the small library with the big doors closed.  Visitors were made to wait in the sitting room while Jessie listened through the doors and decided whether or not to receive the guests.  Jesse (Nye) Lindsay died at The Castle in February of 1974, 5 days before her 100th birthday.  Jessie's heirs, the 2 daughters of her sister Grace, sold off the house and most of the furnishings.

This is the kitchen area of the house...or rather the 'newer' kitchen area of the house.  The stove, with 6 'eyes, a hot water reservoir and a warming 'closet', was built by the A.T. Nye and Son Co., a major Marietta based stove and range manufacturer from the late 1800s and early 1900s.  A.T. Nye was Edward White Nye's brother.  Note the wooden door at the right of that impressive stove.  It isn't a dumbwaiter but neither Laurie or myself can remember what it was used for.  

I came across this photo of the A.T. Nye and Son Manufacturing plant on the Internet.  This was not a small operation!  The plant was located at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers.  In addition to cooking stoves, the company built heating stoves (like for a parlor), kettle pots, Dutch ovens and more.  In this interesting old photo, there is snow on the ground, folks out on the frozen river and there is a paddlewheel riverboat frozen against the shore.

The Nye family was everywhere around the turn of the 20th Century.  A business directory listed the manufacturing plant, 2 different attorney offices with the family name and the Nye Hardware Store.

So, continuing with The Castle's story, who was responsible for saving The Castle, albeit with a number of 'unusual' decorative features and alterations?  

The answer is that a pair of siblings, Leslie Stewart Bosley and his sister Bertlyn Bosley saved the home...with Leslie adding his own quirky touches throughout The Castle. 

Leslie graduated from Marietta High School and then spent 2 years at Marietta College before transferring to Duke University.  Later, he attended both Harvard and Yale, receiving a Master of Fine Arts degree from the latter school.  Over the following years, Leslie moved to New York City and wrote for theater and radio plays, then advertising copy and some early television programs.  He also did considerable work for both the Guggenheim and Ford Foundations.  Leslie retired and moved back to Marietta in 1972.

Bertlyn graduated from Marietta High School, the Western College for Women (Miami University) and then she attended Simmons College where she took courses in pre-med and nutrition before interning at Johns Hopkins University in Dietetics.  Subsequently she went on to earn both a Masters Degree and Doctorate from Columbia University. Bertlyn's career involved travel and she served as the first nutritional director for the State of North Carolina.  Later she worked with the U.S. Public Health Service, the Department of the Interior (with various Native American groups).  Next was her work for the Pan American Health Organization...setting up nutritional programs and university curricula for Central and South American countries.  Finally, she worked as a consultant for the University of Public Health in Puerto Rico...retiring and moving back to Marietta in 1979.

This is the old kitchen complete with the fireplace that was used for cooking before iron stoves took over the job.  This is a simple and utilitarian room...much like one might expect in a home from the mid-1800s where the homeowner would have had servants taking care of cooking and much more.

Neither Stewart nor Bertlyn ever lived in The Castle.  The renovations stretched over almost 2 decades.  Bertlyn developed Parkinson's Disease and became wheelchair bound.  She died in January of 1989 at the age of 82 and Stewart passed on just 2 years later in 1991.  Neither of the siblings had any children and both left investment funds to assure the future maintenance and operation of The Castle as an educational museum.  Both are buried just a block away from The Castle in Mound Cemetery next to their parents.

Our visit and tour of the Castle was both entertaining and informative.  It was well worth the price of admission!  The Castle Museum is located at 418 Fourth Street in Marietta Ohio.  Phone: 740-373-4180.  Admission is $10.00 for adults and $9.50 for seniors.  Active military are free and military families are half price.  10% discounts are available for members of AAA and AARP.  To learn more, just go to https://mariettacastle.org/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A Passing and a Birthday Dinner in Webster Groves Missouri...

The second part of our Thanksgiving family road trip was our three night stay in the St. Louis Missouri area.  The goal was to visit with a variety of Laurie's family members including sisters Glenda and her husband Ken, Karole and her husband Bob and of course, Bonnie and her husband Bill.

On a very sad note, we also visited with a number of Laurie's cousins...at a hospice care facility.

Cousin Johnny Templeton had been fighting cancer for quite a long time and he'd recently been admitted to hospice care.  His wife Rose, his brother Alan, his best friend, his children, our little group of 6 and a number of other family members paid him a visit on 12/3/24.  He passed on 12/4/24.  Rest in Peace Johnny... He would have been 82 on 12/16/24.

While in St. Louis, we celebrated Laurie's birthday.  Although it was a couple of days before her actual big day, we were headed home before then.  Bonnie and Bill had selected an upscale restaurant in Webster Grove Missouri for Laurie's birthday bash.  The timing was right for both Laurie and I as we both were a bit under the weather.  When we got home we determined that we both had bronchitis.  Just lovely...

This is Madrina.  The restaurant offers a 'modern take' on classic mid-century Italian-American dining, providing handcrafted cuisine in a casual atmosphere.  The menu is contemporary but its inspired by traditional recipes.

The atmosphere at Madrina can best be described as a contemporary throw-back version of an older Italian steak house straight from the Frank Sinatra/Rat Pack era.  Dark wood, burgundy leather banquettes, relatively low lighting, etc., all part of the restaurant's 'feel'.  FYI, Madrina translates to "Godmother" in Enlish. 

A thoughtful server volunteered to take this photo of our little birthday group.  From the left, Bill, Bonnie, the birthday girl Laurie and yours truly.

While I'd heard of beer 'flights' and wine 'flights' and even moonshine 'flights', I'd never heard of martini flights.  The first grouping was coffee and chocolate orientated "Espresso Flight" and it's a standard item at Madrina. ($20.00) The second grouping is Madrina's "Holiday Flight" and it included peppermint, latte, etc. ($25.00) We all shared portions of this adult martini extravaganza experience.

Our primary server actually was the sommelier or professional wine steward at Madrina.  She was probably frustrated in that we didn't consume a couple bottles of her finest wines.  Laurie gave her a little satisfaction when she described a type of wine that she liked.  Then Alisha showed her the bottle of wine she believed fit the description, provided a taste, and then filled Laurie's wineglass.  This was Farro Falanghina Campi Campi Flegrei. ($13.00 glass) Laurie really enjoyed her wine...

As is our norm when dining with Bill and Bonnie, we went a bit overboard with the appetizers.  This was the Beef Carpaccio, very rare chilled beef with arugula, frisee, capers and fresh parmesan. ($22.00) It came with the little toasted slices of baguette.  It was good, but I would have preferred it with lemon, a little olive oil as well as a bit of salt and pepper.

FYI... Carpaccio was invented by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry's Bar in Venice Italy.  He originally prepared it for a local Countess who's doctor had recommended that she eat raw meat.  The dish was named after Vittore Carpaccio, a Venetian painter known for the characteristic red and white tones of his work.

Our next appetizer was a real winner with the whole table.  This is Madrina's Whipped Ricotta, smooth ricotta cheese, drizzled with local honey and sprinkled with eatable blossoms and served with two types of warm grilled bread. ($14.00) The only problem was that it was very filling and we practically licked the serving plate clean...

As has been noted many times before, Bill loves seafood!  We all like it but it's a passion with Bill.  So our third appetizer was Mussels Alla Crema...Gulf of Maine mussels in a garlic cream sauce and served with warm toasted bread for dipping. ($18.00) There were a lot of mussels...all good...and we all agreed that the garlic cream sauce was just about the best shellfish sauce we'd ever had.

At this point, we were getting full...but we still had salads and our entrees coming up!  Three Mayfair Salads were served.  They included Little Gem lettuce, Pecorino, prosciutto, croutons and Mayfair dressing. ($12.00 each) 

Fortunately, the service at Madrina is slow paced allowing diners to enjoy their various courses and beverages...as well as providing time for chatting.  This also allowed up to pace our food intake!

I was the outlier who veered off course, choosing an alternative salad.  This is Madrina's House on the Hill Salad.  It features iceberg greens, tomatoes, red onion, artichokes, mozzarella and a creamy vinaigrette dressing. ($11.00) It was a satisfying break from our appetizers.  I left the onions off the salad.

Now onto the entrees... While a number of steaks were available, only one of us wandered onto the "Secondi" or meat portion of the menu.  Among the steaks are a 16 oz. prime ribeye as well as Bistecca Florenina, a three-finger-thick porterhouse steak that comes with 2 side dishes and up to 3 sauces.

I wanted to try something different...something other than the norm for me in an Italian themed restaurant.  So I ordered the Spaghetti Chitarra Carbonara, with crispy guanciale, creamy eggs, pecorino and black pepper. ($25.00) Sadly, my entree was too sweet tasting and salty for my liking.  It turns out that guanciale is Italian salt-cured meat prepared from pork jowls or cheeks.  You can't win them all!  I should have ordered the Shrimp Capellini.  

Laurie loves veal and despite a number of other tempting possibilities, she ordered Madrian's Veal Parmigiano, with crispy veal, pomodoro sauce and fresh mozzarella. ($40.00) It was good but she had expected thinner more, tender slices of veal.  The 'crispy' designation might have been a forewarning.  I ate a bite of it and I agreed that it was OK but not great.

Bill once again did his 'seafood thing'.  For his entree, he went for the Shrimp Capellini, roasted shrimp with artichokes and a mustard creme sauce over capellini noodles. ($33.00) He also chose the Roasted Mushrooms, shown just above his shrimp, as a side dish. ($12.00) Not only did this entree look appealing, but he really enjoyed it too!  He did share some tasty roasted mushrooms with Bonnie and Laurie...

Bonnie ordered the most intriguing listing on the 'primi' portion of the menu.  Her giant Raviolo was stuffed with ricotta, mascarpone, Ozark forest mushrooms and duck egg and it was slathered in a rich hazelnut butter sauce. ($24.00) With the mushrooms, it wasn't for me but everyone else tried it and they raved about it...just how rich and fantastic it tasted.

The atmosphere at Madrina is outstanding and our service was fitting given the setting.  Opinions on the food ranged from amazing to OK, but let's face it, it's often a matter of choice and personal tastes.  Given the prices for this upscale restaurant, to us it falls into that 'special occasion' type of dining venue.  One upside for Bonnie and Bill was that they were able to take home a portion of everyone's entree!

Madrina Restaurant is located at 101 West Lockwood Avenue in Webster Groves Missouri.  Phone: 314-963-1976.  Madrina is open Sunday through Thursday from 4 PM until 9 PM and they stay open on Friday and Saturday until 10 PM.  Website: https://madrinastl.com.    

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by to help celebrate Laurie's birthday!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Thanksgiving in Omaha Nebraska...

Our goal each year is to visit our son's family in Omaha for Thanksgiving plus a visit to Laurie's extended family in St. Louis Missouri...all on the same road trip.  Usually we visit St. Louis before the Holiday followed by David II's family for the 'big day'.  We reversed the trip this time, overnighting in Jacksonville Illinois before making that final push to Omaha, our first family stop... 

At our stage and age, the fate of this annual family quest is tied to the weather.  If snow is in the forecast in either location, we spend the Holiday at home.  This year we got lucky!

It was meal prep time in Omaha.  Amy and David II led the production team but David III and Emmett Lee worked together to produce one of the menu items.  This year was a first for me in a number of years.  I didn't carve the turkey with David II providing backup...taking over that task.

I decided to take this photo of the dining room table in its pristine stage while it was still untouched by food.  My mother's watercolor paintings hang on the wall at the end of the table.  

Amy and David II had decided to approach this Thanksgiving feast a bit differently than either Laurie or I had experienced before.  This Four Course Menu was created so we'd know the order of the food to be presented and what items we could expect with each course.  The intention was to extend the length of the meal as well as the family time at the table.  As most of us have experienced previously, hours are spent putting the Thanksgiving meal together, but 20 minutes after its served, typically everyone is done.

Now onto the food...

This is the first course menu item that David III and Emmett Lee put together.  This is the cucumber/tomato/mozzarella (with basil) appetizer.   Simple but satisfying... I ate 4 of them myself.

These were the sausage cups...cheese and sausage in won-ton wrappers.  This may have been the most popular of the items offered in the First Course.  Even better, there were enough extra ingredients, we enjoyed more sausage cups the following day!

These were the bacon-pimento crostini.  Like almost any offering involving bacon, these crostini were a hot item.  The good news for me...don't like pimento...was that everyone else loved them so while they filled up with crostini I was able to 'raid' some of the other items.

This was one of the items I was able to 'raid' while others were focused on other items included in the First Course.  I managed to snag 3 of these deviled eggs, my favorite being the ones with the blue cheese.

This was Laurie's plate for the First Course.  Note the 2 sausage cups and she did grab one of those deviled eggs.  Fact is that Laurie makes the best deviled eggs...but these were very nice indeed.  

A few more food photos... This is the Chorizo stuffing, part of the Second Course.

This is the standard style of stuffing...still my favorite, especially with a late night turkey sandwich!

You might notice that I didn't take any photos of the platter of sliced turkey, the mashed potatoes or the gravy.  I thought that y'all have seen plenty of those types of photos in the past... Incidentally, the turkey was nice and moist!

On to the Third Course!  This was the Zucchini Casserole made using Laurie's recipe from her mother.  Excellent as usual and David II reported that it was better than the stuffing as part of a follow-up turkey sandwich.  

I've always loved sauteed carrots...even more now that I can't enjoy most green vegetables.  I had 3 helpings of these carrots.

Ah!  Mac and Cheese, our grandson's staple food item.  When they were young, it was one of the few items they wanted to eat.  Now they still love it...along with a plethora of other foods as their dietary menu has greatly expanded.

This was the Sweet Potato Souffle.  I'm not 'into' sweet potatoes but just about everyone else at the table was.  

...and the Fourth Course, fruit, cheese and olives.  I focused on the pineapple, cheese and blueberries.  What a feast!

Bottles of this wine...Albino Armani Pinot Grigio...were served with the Thanksgiving meal.  It was such a big hit with Laurie that she actually took this photo so she could visit our local Total Wine store to buy some for her cache of wine at home.  

The primary advantage of me taking the photos is that I don't have to be in them!  This was our Thanksgiving family photo.  From the left: Amy, daughter-in-law and mother of our two amazing grandsons; Grandson Emmett Lee (21); Grandson David III (24); Amy's mother Bonnie; Amy's father Dan; our fabulous son David II; Grandmother Ru Ru (Dianne), and my better half, Laurie.

This Four Course Thanksgiving Dinner was a winner...pacing the meal out over time and allowing everyone to be together and visit.  Definitely more work and coordination for Amy and David II.  But Laurie and I really enjoyed this approach to this big holiday meal! 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by to share Thanksgiving with us!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A Sunday in October - Marietta Ohio

It was a Sunday in October and we were on our road trip from eastern Tennessee to western Tennessee, across Kentucky from west to east, and then along the Ohio River to Marietta Ohio.  What to do on a Sunday?  Other than big box stores and chains, most smaller retailers tend to close on Sundays.  Some local attractions close as well.  A bit of research and I knew what our first stop after our 'yummy' breakfast at the Hampton would be.

Fortunately for me...and for Laurie...the Antique Mall of Marietta at 135 2nd Street was open for business!

This antique mall...made up of individual booths who lease the space...is huge and it was loaded with all kinds of antique, vintage and not-so-vintage items for us to browse through.  I'm pretty sure that we made a purchase or two...but I'm not sure what they might have been.  Learn more about this antique mall at https://www.facebook.com/AntiqueMallofMarietta/.

Our next stop was at the Ohio River Museum with the W.P. Snyder Jr. Towboat.  The museum is located at 601 Front Street in Marietta along the Muskingum River...a tributary of the nearby Ohio River.  We knew that it was closed but I wanted to see the old towboat and whatever else might be visible at the museum site. (The closed museum can be seen in the background of this photo as well as next 2 pictures)

Shown above is the Tell City pilothouse.  The steamboat Tell City was build in 1889.  She was named after Tell City Indiana and she carried passengers and freight on the Ohio River until she sank at Little Hocking Ohio in 1917.  The pilothouse was removed from the wreck and it served as a summer house on the front river lawn of a family in Little Hocking for many years.  Eventually, it was gifted to the Ohio Historical Society for inclusion among the historic displays at the Ohio River Museum here in Marietta.  It is the oldest surviving pilothouse from the era that Mark Twain wrote about.

I included this photo of the bicycle rack at the Ohio River Museum because I thought that the design was both creative and useful.

So why is the Ohio River Museum closed...and it apparently will be for some significant period of time.  The plan is that a new museum will be constructed on the site.  Partners in the project include several different historical groups based in Ohio.  From what I can determine, the museum has been closed since at least some time in 2022.  One article I ran across stated that the museum is scheduled to reopen in 2025.  That date is highly dubious... I didn't find any on-line updates for construction or a reopening, but perhaps I just didn't ask the right questions.

This is a restored "Shanty Boat" on display on dry land at the Ohio River Museum.  It may be the oldest and possibly the only surviving shanty boat along the Muskingum River.  Referred to as the Schoonover Shanty Boat, that family acquired the shanty boat from a family in Lowell Ohio back in 1968.  The Schoonover family used it as a cottage until it was donated to the Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen in 2010.  

It was believed that the boat was left high and dry during the 1936 Ohio River flood and that it had previously served as a fishing cottage.  Inside the refurbished shanty boat there is a small 'kitchen' area, a bit of storage, a bunk bed and other items from the 'shanty boat era'.  This shanty boat was built ca. 1920s.  These boats were small floating houses made out of salvaged materials.  They traveled the river system in the USA, allowing people to find new job opportunities by traveling from one river town to another.

This, in my opinion, is the "pièce de résistance" of the Ohio River Museum.  She is the W.P Snyder Jr., a historic towboat/pusher that is moored on the Muskingum River.  She is a National Historic Landmark and she is also the only intact, steam-driven sternwheel towboat remaining.  The towboat has a draft of only 5 feet 2 inches, she's 175 feet long and she's powered by twin compound steam engines developing 1,500 horsepower.

This towboat was originally built for the Carnegie Steel Company by Rees and Sons Company in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.  In 1945, she was sold to the Crucible Steel Company of Pittsburgh and she was renamed the W.P. Snyder Jr. in 1945.  She towed coal on the Monongahela River until she was laid up in 1953 at Crucible Pennsylvania.  In the summer of 1955 she was given to the Ohio River Museum.

As I looked down the Muskingum River toward its juncture with the Ohio River, I noticed that a more modern form of 'shantyboat' may still survive.  Certainly floating home exist around the USA.  The Portland Oregon floating home community consists of around 1,400 dwellings, making it the largest in the country.

This is the historic Mound Cemetery in Marietta Ohio.  This historic cemetery was developed around the base of a prehistoric 'Adena' or Hopewell burial mound which is know as the "Great Mound" or "Conus".  The city's founders preserved the Great Mound from destruction by establishing the city cemetery around it in 1801.  This cemetery has the highest number of burials of American Revolutionary War officers in the USA.

As we circled the cemetery we got a good look at the one of the two platform burial mounds in the Mound Cemetery.  I was a bit taken aback by the benches situated on top of the mound.  These 2 mounds are part of an Ohio Hopewell culture mound complex known as the Marietta Earthworks.  It's been estimated that the complex was built between 100 BC and 500 AD.  When the Earthworks were originally surveyed in 1838, the complex included a large square enclosure surrounding 4 flat-topped pyramidal mounds, another smaller square and a circular enclosure with a large burial mound at its center.

 

A prominent land speculator named Nahum Ward founded the Unitarian Society in Marietta back in the winter of 1855.  He served as Mayor of Marietta and he was quite the socialite.  He held a reception for the Marquis de Lafayette in 1925 and in 1843, John Quincy Adams was his guest of honor.  In January of 1855 he placed a notice in the Marietta Intelligencer asking 'all friends of liberal Christianity to assemble at the Court House for the purpose of establishing a Unitarian Society in the community.  

Construction of the Unitarian Universalist Church began later that year and in June of 1857, this church was consecrated.  Mr. Ward paid $25,000 for construction of the church and, when it was complete he sold it to the congregation for one dollar.  The Gothic design of the church was based on a chapel that Ward had admired on a visit to England.

This is the former Becker Lumber and Manufacturing Building at 121 Pike Street in Marietta.  Becker Lumber started business in 1888 and in 1901 they moved to this 4-story quasi-Dutch colonial brick behemoth.  Later the company became known as Croy-Marietta Hardwoods.  The structure is 64 feet wide and 112 feet long and its listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, this large structure has been repurposed into a modern apartment building providing homes for many.  It's called Marietta Mills Apartments and it still has the original drop ceilings from the roof top, original ceiling beams on the bottom floor...and all the exposed brick on the interior is original.  It houses about 50 residents in one and two bedroom apartments.

When we drove through the area where the Mound Cemetery was located, we noted a number of handsome old homes...and several of them had historical markers in front of them.  This particular home was built in 1852 for J.B. Shipman.  Then in 1877 it was purchased by Elizabeth and Marietta College Professor J.L. Mills.  Descendants of the Mills family lived in the home until 1961.  Although it doesn't seem to have endured for long, Professor Mills also established the Elizabeth College for Women in 1893.

That's all for now.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by and spending some time sightseeing and shopping with us!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave