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In 1895 Colonel Harry D. Knox purchased the Putnam homestead from Mrs. Douglas Putnam. The price paid for the Putnam homestead on the side of Harmar Hill was $12,000. Then the Knox family, Morris German Knox, a widower, and his children, Harry, age 33 years and Sallie, age 29, moved into the mansion. They called their home, The Anchorage. Harry Knox was a partner in his father's company, M. G. Knox & Son, boat builders.
William Knox, M.G.'s father came to Marietta from Maryland in 1820. William, a carpenter, married Sarah Hook, and began building boats with her father, Henry Hook, as the Knox and Hook Company. William was also a riverboat captain. William and Sarah had a large family of 7 sons. After Henry Hook died and these sons grew up, the boatbuilding business became William Knox & Sons Boatyard based in Harmar. Several of the sons were also ship carpenters and one, Charles, a steamboat captain.
In the 1840s, the Knox & Sons Boatyard built six steamers and one baroque, a large vessel with three masts.The Knox vessels mainly navigated the Ohio, Missouri, and Mississippi Rivers, but could also be found in faraway ocean waters. M.G. Knox had the reputation of one of the finest designers of packet boats, which were medium sized boats designed for passenger and freight transportation. At one time there were more steamboats built by the Knox family on the Ohio River between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati than any other boatyard. By the time the company closed in 1903, the Knox & Sons Boatyard had built over 100 steamboats.
Interestingly, in 1870 a severe storm blew down some of the buildings in the Knox & Sons Boatyard. M.G. Knox was one of the first on the scene to help rescue the men under the destroyed buildings. One of the men injured was Rolla Merydith, who later in his life became a successful bridge builder. Merydith's son, Edward, also a well-known bridge builder would eventually buy the Anchorage from Harry Knox.
Harry Drown Knox was a master of steam vessels and commanded several boats during his career. Colonel Harry Knox of Company B, Seventh Regiment of the Ohio National Guard served on the military staffs of three Ohio governors and represented Washington County in the Ohio Legislature. Colonel Knox was instrumental in bringing the Ohio National Guard Armory to Marietta.
The local newspaper social sections often contained the stories of the elaborate entertaining of Sallie Knox assisted by her friends. The Knox mansion was termed bright with lights as the officers and their wives listened to the music of Company B mandolin and guitar club. The home was described as offering a welcoming reception hall, a roomy portico, and a comfortable dining hall. The Knox & Son's boatyard was sold to Captain Hammitt of Pittsburgh in 1903. The Knox family, Morris, and his children, Harry and Sallie, both of whom never married, lived in the Anchorage until 1905. The family then moved to a home on Fourth Street. Morris Knox died in 1924 and his daughter Sallie in 1950. Harry Knox continued his interest in river transportation and became an active member of the Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen. Through Harry Knox efforts the first riverboat exhibits were created in 1941 for the Campus Martius Museum. Colonel Harry Knox died in 1944.