Planning Your Visit

Campus Martius, a civilian fortification, was built in 1788 by the Ohio Company of Associates. When the fort was disassembled, General Rufus Putnam left his blockhouse on the original fort site. In 1931 Campus Martius Museum was erected over the Rufus Putnam House. The Ohio Company Land Office, the oldest known building in Ohio, was also moved to the museum site. Today, the museum preserves the history of America's migration west, its earliest native inhabitants, and Marietta's pioneers.

Free parking is available at the rear of the museum and on-street. Campus Martius Museum's three floors of exhibits are wheelchair accessible, excluding the second floor of the Rufus Putnam House. No visit to Campus Martius is complete without a visit to the nearby Ohio River Museum.

Also consider a stop at Mound Cemetery where you can climb a conical Indian mound and view burial sites of several Revolutionary War veterans. Here are a few items to help you explore history while in Marietta:

• Map & listing of Mound Cemetery Revolutionary War Veterans, courtesy of The Sons of the American Revolution, Marietta Chapter
• Mounds of Marietta brochure, courtesy of the Washington County Convention & Visitor's Bureau
• Historical Walking Guide, courtesy of the Washington County Convention & Visitor's Bureau

See our links page for many other historical sites in Marietta and the surrounding region.

Exhibits

Campus Martius Museum houses three floors of historical exhibits focusing on the Northwest Territory and its first settlement, Marietta. Visitors can also tour the Rufus Putnam House and the Ohio Company Land Office. Use the links at right to browse through what Campus Martius has to offer.

 Ohio's First Peoples

Marietta's earliest known civilization, Adena/Hopewell moundbuilders, built an extensive mound  and earthwork complex where Marietta now resides. When Rufus Putnam and company arrived they decided to survey and map the mounds. Several were set aside as protected monuments, an unusual act for the 1780s. Our museum collection includes their original maps and surveys plus artifacts of the Hopewell period.

Though no tribe lived at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers, several traveled and hunted throughout the region. Delaware, Wyandott, and Pottawattomie tribes were among those that signed the 1789 Fort Harmar Treaty. As you tour Campus Martius, view authentic clothing, items of trade, tools, and learn of the culture of these late 18th century Native Americans.

 Marietta Pioneers

Many Revolutionary War veterans were granted lands in the Northwest Territory in lieu of payment for their tour of duty. General Rufus Putnam, friend of George Washington, led the Ohio Company to the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers to claim their land grant. Campus Martius Museum exhibits a large collection of original artifacts, documents, and possessions from these pioneers. Learn about colonial migration, Indian treaties, fort building, city planning and more.

 The Ohio Company

The Ohio Company of Associates was formed in 1786 by General Rufus Putnam, Rev. Manasseh Cutler, Samuel Holden Parsons, and Benjamin Tupper with goal of acquiring and settling land in the Ohio Country. After Congress enacted the Ordinance of 1787, creating the Northwest Territory, the Ohio Company made its purchase. Rufus Putnam led the first group of settlers to the Ohio and Muskingum in 1788. Tour the original Ohio Company Land Office where Rufus Putnam worked, oldest known building in Ohio. Walk in the steps of hopeful land owners, view the maps and stake your claim in the Northwest Territory.

 The Rufus Putnam House

Originally a blockhouse in the Campus Martius fortification, the Rufus Putnam House remains in its original location. Most of the fort was disassembled and used in the settlers' new construction, but General Putnam chose to remain on the bluff above the Muskingum River. The Rufus Putnam House is now restored to its original configuration. Step back into to time and see how a pioneer lived in the 1780s. Interpretive guides will show you how Mrs. Putnam fixed toast on an open fire, where General Putnam kept his private papers, and the Putnam family bedchambers.

 Marietta Memories

Browse our collection of Marietta memorabilia throughout the years. Exhibits include antique furniture, clothing, photographs, fire equipment, toys, and possessions of notable citizens. These items tell the story of Marietta over its 200 years of existence.

 Paradise Found and Lost

The focus of the exhibit Paradise Found and Lost: Migration in the Ohio Valley, 1850-1970 goes beyond Ohio's early settlement. It explores two later waves of migration that shaped the state's history: the movement of many rural Ohioans to cities between 1850 and 1910, and the influx of Appalachians from Kentucky and West Virginia into Ohio's industrial centers such as Dayton and Akron between 1910 and 1970.

The exhibit includes 90 objects from Ohio Historical Society collections, ranging from an early mechanized seed drill to a jacket worn during performances by contemporary country music singer Dwight Yoakam, the son of Appalachian emigrants. In addition to artifacts, exhibits contain audio accounts taken from diaries and journals kept by these people on the move, video views of factory and city life, and interactive computer programs showing migration patterns and Ohio's economic development.

 Special Exhibits

Campus Martius reserves one of its gallery for changing exhibits. These displays center on themed topics. Our next exhibit focuses on Victorian Valentines.

February Exhibit - Victorian Valentines
View this private collection of Victorian Valentines during the month of February with your sweetheart!

Coming Up
April-October - Judge and General James M. Varnum
April-October - Fort Harmar Celebrates 225 Years

The Campus Martius Museum highlights migration in Ohio's history. The museum is on the site of the first organized American settlement in the Northwest Territory. Founded by the Ohio Company of Associates in 1788, Campus Martius was a fort that served as home for some of the pioneers while they established Marietta. The restored Rufus Putnam house, part of the original fort, is now enclosed within a wing of the museum. Behind the museum is the Ohio Company's Land Office.

Exhibits on the main floor of the museum pertain to this early settlement and contain many of the original pioneer artifacts. They explore the prehistoric Indian populations that occupied this area and relations with the historic Indians as the white settlers moved in. These exhibits also deal with the organization of the Ohio Company of Associates, surveying of the land, early government in the old Northwest Territory, and life in eighteenth century 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.

The focus of the exhibit Paradise Found and Lost: Migration in the Ohio Valley, 1850-1970 goes beyond Ohio's early settlement. It explores two later waves of migration that shaped the state's history: the movement of many rural Ohioans to cities between 1850 and 1910, and the influx of Appalachians from Kentucky and West Virginia into Ohio's indutrial centers such as Dayton and Akron between 1910 and 1970.

The exhibit includes 90 objects from OHS collections, ranging from an early mechanized seed drill to a jacket worn during performances by contemporary country music singer Dwight Yoakam, the son of Appalachian emmigrants. In addition to artifacts, exhibits contain audio accounts taken from diaries and journals kept by these people on the move, video views of factory and city life, and interactive computer programs showing migration patterns and Ohio's economic development.

A changing exhibit gallery presents temporary exhibits on various topics pertaining to the overall museum theme throughout the course of the year. Please call for the latest scheduled exhibits or look at the Society's calendar.

Location
Campus Martius Museum is at the corner of Washington (State Route 7) and Second streets in Marietta (Washington County).

Handicapped Accessibility
The museum is handicapped accessible. The 2nd floor of the Putnam House and the Ohio Company Land Office are not. One wheelchair is available free for use on site.

Call to arrange group/school/bus tours.

Now under new management by the Friends of the Museums.

Transportation Funds Available

Special offer for Schools outside Washington County.

Visit the Ohio River Museum and we will reimburse your school $3 per student to help with the cost of busing.  If you bring 50 students, we will send you a check for $150.  If you bring 300 students, we will send you a check for $900.

This offer is available March, April, May and early June, 2010 only.

You need to choose one of the packages described below, then call and make a reservation.  We will send confirmation for your principal to sign.  Fax or mail it back.

Call early, dates, times and funding are limited. Funds for buses are provided through the generosity of the Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen.  (J Mack Gamble Fund)

If you choose to tour the Ohio River Museum only: We will provide tours of the Ohio River Museum, complete with worksheets for the students.  We will focus on the history of early river transporation, including flatboats and sternwheelers.  We will also cover human activity and the impact on the rivers, including the freshwater mussels, erosion, and the locks and dams. (Call for more information)

Visit Our Website:  www.campusmartiusmuseum.org  and  www.valleygemsternwheeler.com

ORM Package #1

Admission to the Ohio River Museum:

$3 per student

$3 per chaperone

-Teachers and bus drivers are free.

It's a short walk between the museums. Add $1 and visit both.

Guided tours of the Rufus Putnam House included.

Self guided tours only except for Putnam House at the Campus Martius.

Allow 3 hours for both museums

Total package:

$3 for one museum

$4 for two museums

ORM Package 2

Admission to Ohio River Museum

$3 per student

$3 per chaperone

-Teachers and bus drivers free

Add $1 to the admission above visit Campus Martius Museum

Add $3 for Pioneer Living Program.  Hands-on-education programs. Call for details...

Guided tours of the Rufus Putnam house included.

Total minimum time for this package: 5 hours

Total package $7

Valley Gem Package 1

This package is available beginning in Mid-April

Admission to the Ohio River Museum

$3 per student

$3 per chaperone

-Teachers and bus drivers free

*Add $5 and ride the Valley Gem Sternwheeler and learn about the rivers from a different persepective.

($5 fee applies to this package only. This is a combined package with the Ohio River Museum and Valley Gem provided only through this offer.  40 person minimum for Valley Gem)

Allow 1 hour for Valley Gem ride.  Total minimum time for this package: 4 hours.

 Total package $8

Valley Gem Package 2

This package available beginning in Mid-April

Valley Gem package 2 fee only

Admission to the Ohio River Museum

$3 per student

$3 per chaperone

-Teachers and bus drivers free

*Add $1 per student for Campus Martius

*Add $5 and ride the Valley Gem Sternwheeler and learn about the rivers from a different perspective.

($5 fee applies to this package only. This is a combined package with the Ohio River Museum and Valley Gem provided only through this offer.  40 person minimum for Valley Gem.

Allow 1 hour for Valley Gem ride. Total minimum time for this package: 4 hours.

Total Package $9

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