Marietta-Washington County CVB

A pair of eagles perched on sandstone pylons overlooks the entrance to the park. The sculptures were dedicated in 1938 to celebrate the sesquicentennial of Marietta and the Northwest Territory. The pillars and a much larger work also located in the park were made by Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor famous for carving four presidents on Mt. Rushmore. "A Nation Moving Westward" depicts three of Marietta's founding fathers and an Indian woman in a boat. Also in the park, a veterans' monument and a Civil War monument mark significant milestones in local and U.S. history.

At the north corner of Putnam and Front Street is the First Bank Building, which was opened in 1833 for the Bank of Marietta. The town's first bank was chartered in Marietta in 1808 and operated from the Harmar home of David Putnam. The bank building at 101 Putnam Street served as the Bank of Marietta's third and final location. The second floor was complete with a built-in vault and cashier's residence. The bank's charter expired in 1843. Currently a physician's office, through the years the building has been home to a number of businesses.

Across the street, at 100 Putnam Street, stands Marietta’s first post office. Built in 1806, the Georgian-style structure was used as a post office from 1819 to 1853. It is considered Marietta’s oldest surviving commercial building.

In the 200 block of Putnam Street, a pair of lions sculpted by Sam Peale and Sons guards the Washington County Courthouse (1902).

This block is also home to the city’s blossoming theatre district, which includes the Mid-Ohio Valley Player’s Theater and the Colony Theatre - a 1911 vaudeville house-turned-movie theatre currently undergoing restoration.  At the corner approaching Third Street, a mural painted to look like the Wakefield Hotel adorns the place where it once stood.

Marietta’s City Hall, which was reconstructed in 1937 after a fire devastated the original building, is located at 301 Putnam Street. Inside, a series of wall murals by William M. Young tell the story of the pioneers.

Two historic churches tower above opposite corners of the 300 block of Putnam Street. The Unitarian Universalist Church, a Tudor Gothic, was built in 1856. Designed by John M. Slocomb, the structure was made with bricks from nearby Sacra Via.

In contrast to the reaching spires of the Unitarian Church, on the opposite end of the street a round brick steeple crowns the First Baptist Church of Marietta. The stone church was built in 1855.

The Marietta College campus begins at the intersection of Putnam and Fourth Street with Follett House. The Colonial Revival style house was built in 1897 by A.D. Follett – a successful attorney during Marietta’s late 19th century oil boom. With its distinctive double porches, columns, and Palladian windows, the stately manse was owned by the Follett family until 1967. Marietta College recently acquired the property and began the restoration process. The house is currently used for the college’s auxiliary offices.

Also at the intersection of Fourth and Putnam is the Betsey Mills Club. In 1924, William Mills combined two early homes in brick to create a complex in memory of his wife Betsey, who was dedicated to the education and betterment of women. Betsey initiated a sewing club called The Girls’ Monday Club, which provided lessons in the domestic arts for ladies who had no chance for a college education. During her lifetime, Mills purchased the Fourth Street home where Betsey had been born for use by the club. After her death, he also bought the house next door, joined them and made plans for a gymnasium and swimming pool, which were completed in 1927. The Betsey Mills Club continues its mission today – providing services for the women, children and men of the community. 

The 400 block of Putnam is the steepest part of the walk, but well worth the effort. Bordered on one side of the street by the Marietta College campus green, the other side makes way for a charming historic residential area. Be sure to glance back over your shoulder before getting caught up in the splendor of the next home on our list. You’ll have a great view of downtown Marietta, the Putnam Street Bridge, and beyond that another of Marietta’s architectural wonders, the Anchorage, overlooking the west side of town. (See the Harmar Historic Home Walking Tour for more on the Anchorage.)

Crowning the intersection of Fifth Street and Putnam is the Mills House. Built in 1822 for H.P. Wilcox, the Federal style house was purchased by Marietta College in 1937 and continues to serve as the president’s residence. The house bears the name of the Mills family, who owned the house for about 100 years beginning in the 1830s. Col. John Mills, father of William (Betsy’s loving husband), bought the house and added the Greek Revival style entrance and porches.

The George White house at 322 Fifth Street was built in 1855 for Sheriff W.P. Skinner. The Greek revival style home was purchased by the White family in 1908. Before becoming Ohio’s governor in 1931, White was a successful oilman, a congressman, and chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He served two terms as governor during which time he created the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The House of Seven Porches was built in 1835 by a Marietta College professor. The most distinctive features of this stately Greek Revival style home are its seven porches – four in the front and three along the back. Over the years, the house had many different owners and was known by several names. For a time it served as a bed and breakfast, but it is now a private residence.

Continue northwest on Fifth Street to Mound Cemetery – the final resting place of ancients, pioneers, and Revolutionary War veterans. When the pioneers settled Marietta, they chose an ancient burial mound as the site for their cemetery. A staircase on the northern side allows visitors access to the top of the mound. A marker near the mound designates the burial sites of Revolutionary War veterans – more than in any other cemetery.

At the intersection of Washington and Second Street you’ll see the Campus Martius Museum, which shelters the Rufus Putnam House. Built in the summer and fall of 1788, it was home to Marietta’s founding father until his death in 1824. It was part of the original fortification constructed by settlers at Campus Martius and is the only surviving building. Putnam was a Revolutionary War general and friend of George Washington who led the Ohio Company to settle the Northwest Territory. The house is available for viewing during museum hours.

One of the most unusual homes in Marietta, Larchmont has the appearance of a southern plantation situated high above the street – shaded and separated from the neighborhood by a forest of trees. Built in the 1830s for A. Waldo Putnam and his southern bride, C. Ann Sevier, who was the daughter of Tennessee’s first governor, the Greek Revival mansion is named for two trees in the front yard. Two large cypress trees, mistaken for larch trees, provide the estate’s cover and distinctive look. The home was owned by a couple of different generations of the Putnam family, including Benjamin Putnam, grandfather of Nancy Hollister, Marietta’s first woman mayor and Ohio’s first woman governor. More recently, under new ownership the house has been undergoing extensive historically authentic renovations.

The Seyler House was built in 1871 for Hiram Gear, a prominent attorney who authored law books and philosophical, political and religious articles. He was the son of another Hiram Gear who was the pastor of the Baptist Church.

At 408 and 404 Front Street, two historic homes – both resplendent in Greek Revival style - have been combined. The Holden House was built in 1852 for Joseph Holden – an early merchant from Massachusetts. The Shipman House was built in 1834 for the Rev. Luther Bingham, pastor of the First Congregational Church, who had to sell it to Samuel Shipman, a dry goods merchant, before it was finished. In the 1970s the houses were joined for an expansion of Peoples Funeral Home.

The Buckley House at 322 Front Street was built in 1879 for the Woodbridge family, descendants of Marietta’s first storeowner. The Victorian house is named for oil producer Jerry Buckley, who lived there with his wife Lillie from 1900 to 1955. A legendary love story involving the Buckley House influenced rumors of a ghostly apparition haunting the property. Now a restaurant, the house has also been a bed and breakfast.

The Meigs House, a stately Federal-style home was built in 1802 for Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr. – who was Marietta’s first postmaster. A successful attorney and merchant, Meigs was also a judge for the Northwest Territory, chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, U.S. Senator, and the fourth governor of Ohio. One of the most elegant houses in town for decades, in the early 2000s the home went through a complete historically accurate restoration to transform it back to its original state after its expansive rooms had been partitioned off for use as doctor’s offices. 

The First Congregational Church at 318 Front Street is another of Marietta’s most beautiful places to visit. Built in 1906, it was the third building to serve the congregation. The twin bell towers patterned after a Boston church are notable landmarks along the Muskingum River.