MARIETTA From Athens, follow SR 550 to Marietta, or use the Muskingum River route or I-70 and I-77 from northern or central Ohio.

This well-preserved river town was laid out in the late 18th century by The Ohio Land Company. These retired officers of the American Revolution (The “Society of the Cincinnati”) dreamed of a new and better life across the mountains, on land given to them in payment for their military service. They arrived on April 7, 1788, and respectfully planned their town, the first permanent Euro-American settlement in the Northwest Territory, among the huge, geometric, already-ancient earthworks they found here beside the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers. They admired the earthworks and, aligning themselves with Roman tradition (Cincinnatus was the Roman conqueror who retired to his farm), gave them Roman-inspired classical names and tried to preserve them in public squares. Though some were destroyed by later generations, the continued presence of these remarkable antiquities, plus a thriving downtown and riverfront, and beautiful residential and historic districts, make Marietta an especially pleasant destination.

Historic Architecture: Trolley and steamboat tours highlight Marietta’s distinguished history and its often unusual 19th century architecture. Clustered along Front Street between Putnam and Foster Streets are some very early houses, and the first chartered American Masonic Lodge (1790). Historic downtown has many unusual local shops, including famed Rossi Pasta (founded by an art student from Ohio University), which ships everywhere. Among many historic mansions is the spectacular Gothic Revival “Castle” (built in 1855; 418 Fourth Street) open to public view. Across the Muskingum lies historic Harmar village, accessible to pedestrians via a renovated rail bridge. Harmar Hill sits above it, providing good views of the city from Lookout Point, at the top of Bellevue Street.

The-Castle, Marietta

Lafayette Hotel

Festivals and Events: On “Final Fridays” each month Marietta’s shops show artworks, host performing musicians, and offer free snacks; thousands fill the streets. Tens of thousands turn out for the biggest festival of the year: the Ohio River Sternwheel Festival in mid-September. An annual pow-wow in late July is sponsored by a pan-tribal group, the People’s Nation, under Chief Iron Hand. There are many other events during the summer in this thriving tourist town; information is available at www.mariettaohio.org.

The Marietta Earthworks: The unique layout of the earthworks on this high terrace, safe from floods, is best portrayed by Squier and Davis’s 1848 map. It can provide an orientation to the surviving pieces, which are: the Conus Mound in Mound Cemetery, probably the finest Adena-era burial mound where the surrounding ditch-and-ring design is still intact and visible; the rectangular, ramped Capitolum Mound, now a platform for Marietta’s Carnegie Public Library; the larger, rectangular Quadranaou Mound, preserved in a park farther north, with one of its ramps gesturing toward the riverbank along the broad, ancient ceremonial way which the settlers named the Sacra Via.

The Conus Mound and Mound Cemetery: The focal point of Mound Cemetery, at the corner of Fifth and Scannel Streets, is the Conus, with its surrounding ditch and wall. Many Revolutionary War veterans are buried near it, marked by a patch of thickly planted flags. The undulating ditch and wall make beautiful shadows, especially early or late in the day, and add grandeur and solemnity to the mound, which can therefore only be respectfully approached via the level “bridge” from the northwest. Signs here and at the Quadranaou incorrectly date the works at 900 years old; instead they are more like 2000. The first settlers who dug at the mound found human bones and immediately stopped digging and retreated; no archaeological investigations have been made since. The steps were installed in 1837 to avoid destruction from people climbing. The very top of the mound has been flattened somewhat; there are benches, a good view, and a 1976 time capsule. In line with the “bridge” are the remains of the earthen wall connecting the Conus with the surrounding rectangular enclosure.

Conus Mound, Marietta

The Capitolum Mound: The Capitolium Mound named after the smallest of Rome’s seven hills and survives beneath the public library on 5th Street near Washington. The flat-topped, rectangular design was fitted with three ramps: one has become the library’s front steps, one on the right is the most prominent, one behind is barely visible. On the left side of the building is more like a notch, or “anti-ramp” which can offer the experience of “going into” the mound, perhaps for a ritual transformation of some kind. The only archaeological investigation of the Marietta earthworks, done here in 1990 when the Library needed to add an elevator, confirmed that the earthworks are from the Hopewell era, and built purposefully in layers. Charred material collected from an ancient hearth turned out to be wood from many different kinds of trees, from near and far, all burned in one fire. Archaeologist DeeAnne Wymer did the analysis and suggested it may well have been a World Renewal ceremony. The playground next door remains part of the “public use” area set aside by the town’s founders to preserve the mounds. Have a look inside the 1916 Carnegie library to see the woodwork and fireplace on the left wall.

The Quadranaou: The Quadranaou Mound stood, with the Capitolum and two other platforms now gone, inside the larger rectangular earthwork enclosure called “the town” by the first settlers. In a city park on Warren Street, between Fourth and Third, the four-ramped Quadranaou is the largest and grandest of Marietta’s remaining works. The huge scale and multi-directional ramps gives a sense of the grand gatherings and ceremonies that must have taken place here. Of the four platforms in this enclosure, this one had four ramps, the Capitolium three, a destroyed one two, and another none. It was at the Quadranaou that Dr. Cutler made the first effort in the U.S. to date earthworks scientifically: using tree rings, he estimated an age of more than 900 years. (It is actually double that.) Like other enclosures at Mound City and Newark, Quadranaou Park was used as a Civil War mustering camp.

Quadranaou Mound, JQJacobs

The Sacra Via: Below 3rd Street begins the long, broad public park strip called the “Sacra Via” This grand, ancient, 150-foot-wide processional way between the river and the enclosure was carved into the edge of the terrace and framed with parallel earthworks creating an embankment height of up to twenty feet. Walking to the river and back recalls the processions that could have passed here. The embankments are gone (used to make bricks in 1855 for the Unitarian Church at Third and Putnam) but the elevated positions of some of the houses near the bottom of the Sacra Via show how the terrace was cut. The angle of this broad avenue was set to the winter solstice sunset behind the steep Harmar Hill across the river: from the brick monument to the descendants of original Marietta deed holders, positioned at the top of the Way, the sun will drop into the exact alignment during the week surrounding each December 21.

The Campus Martius and Ohio River Museums: Stories of the founding of Marietta in 1788, and the lives of the settlers in the early years, are told in this museum, named after the Campus Martius, the fort-like beginnings of the settlement (partly preserved) at 601 2nd Street. Exhibits include some ancient items suggesting the beauty and intricacy of the earthwork-builders’ craft artistry. It is possible to tour the house of settlement leader Rufus Putnam, who also surveyed the earthworks and drew an early map. The city grew quickly after steamboats came to the Ohio and Muskingum rivers after 1811. The Ohio River Museum, on the Muskingum at the foot of St. Clair Street, tells this history and preserves for public enjoyment the “William P. Snyder”, the last of the steam powered towboats. It was steamboats that brought other early visitors to the earthworks, including the famous (first) American architect Benjamin Latrobe, who was delayed here for two days for boat repairs, and so toured the earthworks and recorded his impressions.

Harmar Historic District: The Harmar Historic District lies across the Muskingum, reached via a preserved railroad bridge from downtown. It was here in 1785 that the first Euro-American presence (Fort Harmar) was built to prevent white squatters from entering Indian territory. Later, when the Treaty with Six Nations (signed here) and the Treaty of Greenville pushed Natives farther west, Fort Harmar became unnecessary. Captain Jonathan Heart, an officer at the fort, made an early investigation and map of the earthworks which eventually reached the hands of de Crevecoeur in France, causing the first splash of excitement in Europe about American earthworks, around 1800.

The Muskingum River Route:From Marietta, a scenic route follows the valley of the Muskingum River to the northwest through Zanesville to Newark. The Muskingum River once had many mounds along its valley, though few remain today. The river was “canalized” in 1841 and linked to the rest of the state’s water transportation system. A series of hand-operated locks was installed that are still in use today, maintained by Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources. Boat cruises available from Marietta include lock demonstrations and lunch (Ohio specialties) at the Stockport Mill Inn. Using the locks, all 112 miles of the river are navigable, following the path of early archaeologist Warren Moorehead, who explored the river valley in 1878 to discover its mounds, circles, and other earthworks, and who gave a lecture at the McConnelsville Opera House (still open and putting on shows).

Eating and Sleeping: Downtown Marietta offers lodgings at the Lafayette House Hotel, an early 20th century high-rise (740 373 5522). On the hilltop across the Muskingum, with a lovely porch and great views, is The House on Harmar Hill Bed-and-Breakfast (300 Bellevue Street; 740 374 5451). Lodging is also available at The Cottage on Washington Street (at #406) and Bed & Wine, a loft above Marietta Wine Cellars (170 Front Street). A superb meal featuring locally-made Rossi Pasta may be had at The Levee House, on the riverfront (127 Ohio Street; 740 374 2233). The Lafayette Hotel’s spacious, wood-paneled Riverfront Bar and Grill serves good breakfasts and a huge Sunday brunch. Along the Muskingum River route, stay and eat at the Stockport Mill Country Inn (in Stockport; 740 559 2822) with its unique rooms and river views.