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| Marietta's St. Cloud Hotel on Front Street, decorated for a patriotic event, probably the Centennial Celebration of 1888. Marietta College Special Collections |
On the seventh of April in 1788, a band of pioneers in the charge of Rufus Putnam landed at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers to begin the settlement that would be called "Marietta." The town had been planned and financed by a group of Revolutionary War veterans called the Ohio Company of Associates. Its leaders took a keen interest in the educational and cultural progress of the region, as well as in the sale of land. Included in their early business records is a resolution ordering that "the seventh of April should forever be considered as a day of public festival in the territory of the company." And so it has been that every year from April 7, 1789 forward, at least some of Marietta's citizens have commemorated the landing of the pioneers.
As
Marietta approached the venerable age of 100, preparations for a
spectacular anniversary celebration were undertaken, primarily by
organizations of local academics and business leaders - all men. When
their plans proved to be fraught with discord and a lack of finances,
the women of the town stepped forward with an organization of their own,
the Woman's Centennial Association. Established on August 19, 1886, its
purpose was "to commemorate in any way it may deem advisable, the
settlement of Marietta and the establishment of Civil Government in the
Northwest Territory."
Raising
a large amount of the necessary funds for the commemoration of
Marietta's 100th birthday was one of the women's most significant
achievements. However, another of their projects is also deserving of
special notice, especially for its enduring influence. Members of the
Woman's Centennial Association recognized the importance of preserving
and displaying the artifacts of the past. With this in mind, they began
contacting the people who were descended from the early pioneer families
of Southeastern Ohio and West Virginia, asking them to share family
relics with the public during Centennial festivities.
The
women obtained use of Marietta's armory building, then located on the
south side of Putnam Street between Second and Third (later the site of
the Weiser Building). Their temporary museum, called "The Relic Room,"
displayed over 200 items the women had gathered. The final report
claimed it was "the largest and most comprehensive collection of old
heirlooms illustrating the life of generations now past and gone, ever
before seen in Ohio." Among the artifacts exhibited were oil paintings,
rare books and documents, pioneer clothing and military uniforms,
weapons, farming implements, spinning wheels, candlesticks, tables,
teapots, mirrors, powder horns, and other material culture of those who
had gone before.
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| "Old stove at Marietta Library made 1830. It has been in use at Library Hall, Front St, Marietta, ever since the building was erected in 1802. This picture taken in January 1904 when the stove stands in Library Hall, now used as a Relic Room. M. C. Nye" |
The
Relic Room proved to be "one of the most interesting and important"
attractions of the Centennial. There was no charge to view the
exhibition, which was open "at all times," and thousands of residents
and visitors were inspired and instructed by the collection of rarely
seen objects. It was so popular that managers of the Cincinnati
Exposition requested to host the display of artifacts in that city,
where it remained for several months.
The
ladies of the Woman's Centennial Association were so encouraged by the
success of their efforts that the organization continued long after the
Centennial Celebration was over. They met on Monday afternoons from
October until May on the upper floor of Marietta's Library Hall at 306
Front Street (later the site of the Masonic Temple). Members presented
programs on topics related to history, literature, and music. The
preservation and presentation of artifacts of the past continued to be
part of the group's mission. A more permanent Relic Room was established
at their meeting place, which contained an "interesting and valuable
collection of historical relics of pioneer days." On a wall of that room
a banner was hung with a statement proclaiming Marietta's position in
the history of the nation: "The paths of Abraham led to Independence
Hall; Independence Hall led finally to Yorktown, and Yorktown guided the
footsteps of your fathers to Marietta."
Sources:
The Book of Marietta, by F. M. McDonnell, Marietta, Ohio (1906).
History of Marietta, by Thomas J. Summers, Marietta, Ohio (1903).
The Marietta Times, July 19, 1888.
Report
of the Commissioners of the National Centennial Celebration of the
Early Settlement of the "Territory Northwest of the River Ohio ... Marietta, Ohio (1889).