Timeline Photos

Washington Co.

March 1913 Lowell, Ohio "Lowell Record Office After 1913 Flood" Photo courtesy of Edward Farnsworth

HARMAR'S PAST

The Stevens Organ & Piano Company Gilman & Virginia Streets Harmar "Founded by Collins R. Stevens. Stevens worked for Estey Organ Co., which made the best-selling organ of the day, from 1859 to 1877. In 1888 he opened a store in Marietta selling pianos and organs. Stevens went into a manufacturing business with Orin C. Klock, a piano salesman, in 1892. They made reed organs under the name Stevens & Klock. The company made both organs and pianos, but when piano sales slowed it only made organs. Organs were cheaper than pianos at the turn of the century and many homes had parlor organs. The company name was changed to Stevens Organ Co. when Klock retired, and later it became Stevens Organ & Piano Co. Stevens began making combination reed-pipe organs in piano cases about 1900. The company also made large pipe organs for churches and began making phonographs by 1919. Stevens died in 1921 and the company went out of business in 1924." Sources: http://www.kovels.com/collectors-questions/stevens-parlor-organ.html?fontstyle=f-larger&id=11877 Mark Lupardus. Williamstown History

Timeline Photos

OHIO

Wednesday, May 10, 2017 Let's get MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY & FAMILY in MARIETTA Filming in Ohio ("White Boy Rick, the story of a real-life police informant turned drug dealer."), you might (literally) run into Matthew McConaughey these days. Ziplining Monday in Hocking Hills & bowling in Lakewood are just some of the Ohio areas he and his family have been spotted recently. Surely, with encouragement we could get Matthew to visit Marietta & interview with The Marietta Times or WMOA WJAW. NOTE: More photos in COMMENT section of this post. Sources: * Akron Beacon Journal * Hocking Hills Canopy Tours

HARMAR'S PAST

April 2017 CLUTCH MOV Anchoring Marietta’s Past by Rebecca Rhodes It sees all – the looming windows peer across the river town skyline; the crumbling brown brick walls echo the sounds of cheerful tourists; and the daunting tower stands as a reminder of a time we have forgot. The Anchorage in Marietta was once called ‘The Palace Beautiful,’ and thanks to the Washington County Historical Society, the intimidating home is returning to its former splendor. Douglas Putnam built the Anchorage in 1859. The 26 room, sandstone Italianate villa was a gift for his wife Eliza (nothing says true love like 24-inch think sandstone). Thanks to architect and master builder John Slocomb, who also designed The Castle and the First Unitarian Church of Marietta, the home stands tall with its solid rock foundation and wood from locally grown oak. Just as there is a rich history surrounding the manor and the owners themselves, the WCHS has an interesting story in its journey of possession and restoration. After the last owner, Sophia Russell, passed away, the Anchorage became a nursing home. The house deteriorated as many old homes do, and after a new nursing facility was built, the Anchorage was offered to the WCHS for one dollar. “The current board is very historic preservation minded and has taken many steps to reverse the damage. The end goal for restoring the home would be as a multi-purpose location. Foremost, it would hold the archives of the Washington County Historical Society. In addition, history exhibits would be held in the space not used for archives, and house tours as well as special events would take place,” WCHS Board Member Jessica Wielitzka said. At this time, renovations have centered on the electricity, plumbing and things of that nature. However, dripping faucets were the least of the board’s concern when the roof started leaking and threatened the existence of the building. The crying of both the home and the board stopped when the Anchorage received a new roof last year. The only catch is that they need to raise another $30,000 to $40,000 to finish the job. The Mid-Ohio Valley community has donated in terms of money, furniture, supplies and volunteer work, but as you can grasp, there is still much work to be done. “The goal is to find individuals or organizations interested in sponsoring a room in The Anchorage. For example, the Daughters of the American Revolution sponsored the work done in the parlor, and the parlor is now the finest room in the house. There are 25 rooms still available for those interested in becoming part of The Anchorage’s history and restoring it back to its former glory,” Wielitzka said. While the parlor room has heard beautiful string quartets as aristocrats in their silk print dresses and freshly pressed slacks danced a waltz, other parts of the house may hold answers to a secret past. For many years, there has been talk of an association between the Anchorage and the Underground Railroad. This is due to Douglas and Eliza being related to strong abolition advocates. Douglas’ brother, David Putnam Jr. is well-known for helping runaway slaves. “There are many who claim that when they were children playing in the area around the house, a tunnel was found. Some say it ran to the river, some say it did not. The Historical Society has never found evidence that the tunnel existed, and as the house is so far away from the river, it would be hard to maintain such a tunnel. Due to David Putnam’s strong anti-slavery movements, it is possible that a tunnel ran from the basement of the Anchorage, only to be used in desperate situations. The Historical Society will investigate further as renovations continue on the house,” Wielitzka said. From its beautiful Italianate square tower and wrap-around porch to its abundant past, the Anchorage is a testament to the tourism and historical excellence of Marietta. For more information, or to become involved, call the WCHS Archives at 740-373-1788. Rebecca is a Mineral Wells native attending WVU Parkersburg. By studying public relations, she hopes to one day use her skills to benefit non-profit organizations in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Even though Rebecca loves the written word, she has a passion for history. You can find her digging through postcards at any antique store or giving tours at The Castle of Marietta.

MARIETTA'S PAST

1955 Hilltop 3rd, Marion & Matthew Streets Marietta

Sign of the Times

June 14, 1828 American Friend & Marietta Gazette Idiot Daughters & Wolf Scalps Among Other City Expenses A General Exhibit of the Revenues and Expenditures of the County of Washington, from June 1st, 1827, to June 1st, 1828. Counsel for defending poor prisoners - 20.00 Barnabas Otis for support of insane son - $52.00 Hosea Cass idiot daughter - $31.37.5 John Green for support of E. Bonny idiot - $19.50 Sarah Kidwell, idiot daughter - $39.37.5 Wolf Scalps - $61.50 Jadidiah Chase cleaning well - 2.00 Counsel for defending poor prisoners - 20.00 Surveying the Muskingum river - 149.30.2 Silas Cook for boarding prisoners and ringing bell, & c. - 99.27 By order of the Board of Commissioners. Wm. A. Whittlesey, County Auditor. June 10, 1828. Source: Historical Marietta Blog, David Baker Photo: Stock

USA

Jennifer & Brian Haught West 4th Street Williamstown, WV HGTV House Hunters featured a Williamstown family this past week with The Marietta Times publishing the following article: "Family on House Hunters’ HGTV Series Traces the Plight of the Haughts" by Peyton Neely The Haught children, Annabelle, 10, far left, Baylor, 14, and Harbor, 12, right, enjoy family time in the new kitchen at their Williamstown home on Thursday. Moving her children from Parkersburg down the road to Williamstown is something Jennifer Haught, 43, and her husband Brian, 40, have been trying to do since early 2016. After taking time searching on her own, Jennifer reached out to several programs on the familiar Home and Garden Television channel hoping to get help from them. “‘House Hunters’ emailed me back immediately the next day and that’s when things got started,” said Jennifer. Episode seven of the current season of “House Hunters” aired just this Wednesday and will be shown in reruns with the episode title of “Wanting a Victorian in West Virginia.” It showed the Haught family’s struggles with finding the perfect home. Jennifer had her heart set on an older Victorian home to renovate and that’s just what they found. “House Hunters” follows individuals, couples or families searching for a new home, with the assistance of a real estate agent. In each episode, the buyers must decide between three properties, ultimately choosing one before the end of the episode. The show concludes by revisiting the buyers in their new home a few weeks or months later, where they describe the changes they’ve made and the effect the new home has on their life. This was an experience that Jennifer and her three children said they will never forget. According to Jennifer, just to film one segment on the show took a whole day. The crew followed the Haughts around for six days before completing the 20-minute episode. “It was exhausting filming and there were so many permits that we needed before we could use certain buildings,” said Jennifer. “The scene where we are in da Vinci’s restaurant, we had to get a special permit just for that to use the whole building.” Regardless of the long days, Jennifer said this was an experience that she will share with her family forever. “We were able to capture the entire house hunting experience on television. Although that made the moving process a lot more chaotic, it was worth it,” she said. The West Fourth Street location in Williamstown had been a home that was poorly taken care of for years. Jennifer said it had been vacant for about 18 months prior to their purchase and there wasn’t even a kitchen in the house. “There was no kitchen and it needed a lot of work,” she said. As seen in the show, the Haught family looks at three homes, two in Williamstown city limits and the other in a subdivision just outside of Williamstown. The episode ends with a still unfinished kitchen and now, nine months after filming it, the Haughts have a nautical-themed kitchen that overlooks the scenic Ohio River featuring new granite counter tops, new flooring and a cleared backyard to better the view. “This view is everything,” said Jennifer. “We’re a family of busy kids that are very active with sports so we spend a lot of time in the kitchen doing homework, eating or just visiting. This kitchen was a big deal.” The kitchen stands where the front porch once did. Jennifer, with the help of local contractors and construction businesses, closed the front porch off with a back wall of the kitchen open only with windows. There is still work to be done. The master bathroom needs to be completed still as well as finishing the final touches of the kitchen. All the electrical and plumbing had to be changed and all the wood flooring had to be refinished. “We are still deciding what color we definitely want to paint the kitchen,” said Jennifer. “It’s mostly complete though.” The four-bedroom home also features a fenced-in yard, a two-car garage and is walking distance for Jennifer’s two sons and daughter to go to both Williamstown Elementary School and Williamstown High School. “We got instantly good neighbors and we are very lucky for that,” said Jennifer. “The community has been very welcoming for us which made this process easier. All three houses were really nice, just not what we wanted.” Though it was an experience doing the whole move on television, all three children said it was exhausting moving and renovating while trying to adjust to changing schools from Parkersburg Catholic School to the Williamstown community. “It was fun being on TV and I really like living in Williamstown now,” said 12-year-old Harbor. Jennifer’s 10-year-old daughter Annabelle said it was fun doing the television show but also kind of stressful at the same time. “It was a mess around the house and I didn’t even have a dresser here,” she said. “I was excited to be on TV and move but it got old.” Jennifer said it was a family bonding experience as they did all the demolition themselves. “It’s been a long process and it still isn’t done,” said 14-year-old Baylor. “I’m looking forward to when everything is completed but I’m happy to be in Williamstown.” About ‘House Hunters’ ¯ “House Hunters” is an American reality series that airs on HGTV. ¯ “House Hunters” follows individuals, couples or families searching for a new home, with the assistance of a real estate agent. ¯ In each episode, the buyers must decide between three properties, ultimately choosing one before the end of the episode. ¯ The show concludes by revisiting the buyers in their new home a few weeks or months later, where they describe the changes they’ve made and the effect the new home has on their life. The Marietta Times story link: http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2017/05/family-on-house-hunters/ Photo: Trish Caldwell-Landsittel via HGTV House Hunters

River(s) Life

1928 Confluence of Muskingum & Ohio Rivers Original Owner Unknown

Timeline Photos

Found in 200 block of Front Street, Marietta. You can claim by calling 740.374.5844.

HARMAR'S PAST

1901 Maple Street Harmar Richard Sams shared this photo with us, which is a photo of a photo that was displayed in the Busy Bee at one time. Of the numerous details in this 116 year old photo there is a motel to be found. * dirt streets * horses * wagons * business signs displayed on the front of various structures