Diamond Jubilee: Marietta, Ohio

History

After US independence from England, the new country also inherited the Northwest Territory which stretched between the Ohio and the Mississippi and to the Great Lakes. At that time, the land was mostly untouched by the Europeans except for French fur traders and a few intrepid explorers. Right on the Ohio River, across from Virginia (and close to Pennsylvania) Marietta was the only town of substance. In fact, it served as the capital of the entire territory until more settlers arrived and the territory was gradually subdivided into states. Marietta, as it turns out, has quite a pedigree as a town.

Appearance-wise, it looks like a typical, small American town with a quaint main street. The strange thing was that the whole town was empty (and I mean EMPTY). Partly due to the COVID effect, partly because it was summer and it is a college town, and maybe because we arrived on a Sunday - we saw almost no other living beings. It was downright spooky.

Hotel

Our hotel was the only one available downtown and, due to COVID, it was offering cheap rooms. The Lafayette Hotel was old, too. The interior looks like something from the era of riverboats and Mark Twain (it actually was).

Both The Lafayette and the city of Marietta are of significant historical importance. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent settlement of the new United States in the territory Northwest of the Ohio River. The Lafayette Hotel in Marietta, Ohio, derives its name from the renowned Marquis de Lafayette, a French hero of the American Revolution who made a visit to the city in 1825. A plaque adjacent to the hotel marks the precise spot along the Ohio River banks where Lafayette first arrived, and our local community takes pride in the fact that he was Marietta's first-ever tourist. The Lafayette Hotel, which is the oldest hotel in Marietta, was initially known as The Bellevue Hotel when it was constructed in 1892. The original hotel was considered a luxury hotel that stood at four stories high and had 55 rooms that were heated by steam. It featured a bar, a call bell system in every room, and advertised the availability of hot and cold baths. Visitors could stay for $2-$3 per night during that time! Unfortunately, the Bellevue Hotel was destroyed by fire on April 26, 1916 (pictures of the fire are still on display by the Gunroom Restaurant). The Lafayette Hotel was built on the same location and opened its doors to the public in 1918. In 1936, the Hoag addition was constructed. The Hoag family owned the hotel until 1973, during which time it underwent various changes and updates to become more modern. The Lin family from Columbus, Ohio purchased the hotel in 1991 and has taken significant steps to conserve, renovate, and revive the hotel's heritage and authenticity.

https://lafayettehotel.com/our-history/

I loved the hotel interior and its attempt to recapture a bygone era. I did NOT appreciate the damp smell. Apparently the property floods so regularly, it never completely dries out (ewww). Dampness aside, it was probably the most interesting hotel we stayed in during our travels. We were off to a great start.

Lafayette Hotel

Right outside the hotel was a park and a great view over to West Virginia. I couldn't believe what a lovely situation the town had.

Ohio Riverfront Park

Marietta's downtown was Americana at its best. Unfortunately, nothing was open. AQ and I walked up along the Muskingum River which flows into the Ohio there. That route held the oldest buildings in town.

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Post Street

We came upon a museum dedicated to the history of the Ohio River and it has one of the last (working) steam riverboats on the Ohio/Mississippi River system. Unfortunately, it was closed due to COVID, but we could have a good look around the outside.

Ohio River Museum

In a very weird find, the city cemetery turned out to surround an ancient Native American mound.

The conical Great Mound at Mound Cemetery is part of an Ohio Hopewell culture mound complex known as the Marietta Earthworks. Archaeologists estimate that it was built between 100 BC and 500 AD. Early European American settlers gave the structures Latin names. The complex includes the Sacra Via (meaning "sacred way"), three walled enclosures, the Quadranaou, Capitolium (meaning "capital") and at least two other additional platform mounds, and the Conus burial mound and its accompanying ditch and embankment.

(Wikipedia)

The city fathers established the cemetery around the mound to save it from destruction (why?). In a strange historical twist, due to land grants after the American Revolutionary war, the Marietta Cemetery holds the highest number of officer burials from that conflict.

Mound Cemetery

Higher Education

In another unexpected find, Marietta College, a small liberal arts school, is located in the town (and is old, 1835). AQ and I walked around the empty campus - what a fantastic place. Marietta might be a little dull, but it sure was the perfect small town to put a college. I was impressed. I am sure those that teach there enjoy the relaxed atmosphere.

Court House

Another theme (like covered bridges) that would repeat itself throughout our travels in the former Northwest Territory was court houses. As states joined the Union and divided themselves into counties, official buildings were needed in each county seat. Grand buildings were constructed and since Marietta was so historically significant, it built an oversized courthouse (at least from my perspective). Luckily, we could even walk inside and glimpse the interior. Again, the building looks like it was from another age.

Washington County Courthouse. June 2021.

The only thing we didn't like about Marietta was that it was closed down like a zombie apocalypse. We couldn't complain about the hotel or the weather though. We were lucky on both counts.

The next day we woke up and left early. No breakfast was available at the hotel, so we grabbed something on the road. Next stop was to be Columbus, but we were making a couple of side-trips along the way.

Marietta, Ohio - just wow.