(Photo by Evan Bevins) Hidden Marietta co-owner Karita Miller, left, and Washington County Historical Society President Bill Reynolds share a laugh in the belvedere atop the Anchorage in Marietta. Hidden Marietta operates out of the Anchorage, which is owned by the historical society, and contributes a portion of the proceeds it earns toward restoration and repairs to the building.

After more than a century as a lavish private home, over two decades as a nursing home and years of vacancy, one of the most distinctive structures in Marietta is slowly entering a new phase.

Built in the 1850s, the 22-room, Italianate-style mansion is the headquarters of Hidden Marietta, a tour operation with a dual focus on the paranormal and historical. And revenue generated by that partnership is gradually helping the Washington County Historical Society prepare it for even more activity. Since Hidden Marietta moved in the home in 2017, nearly $33,000 has been generated from their tours to put back into repairs and improvements at the Anchorage.

“That is not money that the Washington County Historical Society would have been able to come up with on our own,” said Bill Reynolds, president of the society. “It’s a beautiful partnership.”

For Hidden Marietta co-owner Karita Miller, it’s a labor of love as much as a business decision.

“I’ve been in love with this building since I was tiny, so it’s kind of a dream come true,” she said. “I feel like we’ve brought the building back to life.”

(Photo by Even Bevins) The view from the top of the belvedere at the Anchorage stretches across the Muskingum River and into downtown Marietta.

The Anchorage is a distinctive structure in Marietta, and has ties to notable figures from the area’s history.

“From an architectural point of view, there’s only one other building in Marietta that even comes close to this and that’s the Castle,” Reynolds said.

The mansion was built in the 1850s by Douglas Putnam, a local businessman and grandson of Revolutionary War Gen. Israel Putnam. His second wife, Eliza, fell in love with the style of architecture after visiting New England, Miller said.

“She came back and said, ‘I need you to build one of these for me.’ And Douglas did,” she said.

But Eliza Putnam would only reside in the house for three years before passing away. Douglas Putnam remarried and lived there until his death.

(Photo by Evan Bevins) The view from the top of the belvedere at the Anchorage stretches across the Muskingum River and into downtown Marietta.

The mansion was sold in 1896 to Harry Knox, a boat builder who could see his business from the top of the home. He christened the property the Anchorage and had the driveways and walks in front of the house renovated to look like an anchor.

A couple of other families called the Anchorage home before it was purchased by Eddie MacTaggart around 1918. A benefactor of Marietta College who made his money in the oil fields of Oklahoma, MacTaggart bequeathed the house to his sister, Sophia Russell, upon his death in 1952. She passed away in 1962, and the property was converted into the Anchorage Christian Nursing Home. Harmar Place was built below it in the 1970s, but patients remained in the Anchorage until 1986.

The mansion sat vacant for about 10 years before Marietta Memorial Hospital sold it to the historical society for $1. Members saw it as a potential site for archives or a museum, but a great deal of work was needed.

“There was a tremendous amount of rubbish in it,” Reynolds recalled of an effort to clean up the building a few years ago. “We took the biggest dumpster that was available to rent and we filled it. You couldn’t have put a thimble in it,” and there was still more to be disposed of. A few years ago, historical society members considered mothballing the property and securing it to at least maintain the structure.

“We were in a tight spot,” Reynolds said. “Our funds are very limited. They come from member dues.”

(Photo by Evan Bevins) A ruler is attached to a wall on the second floor of the Anchorage in Marietta to monitor whether a large crack expands over time.

But thanks to the partnership with Hidden Marietta, along with state grant funding, improvements have been made. The roof was replaced in 2018, and additional grant money paid to install a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, remove water from the basement and keep the building stable. The society is finalizing a $100,000 grant, with a $17,000 local match, to remove the elevator shaft added in the nursing home years and restore the porch, Reynolds said.

“There’s a lot to do yet,” he said. “We work on it piece by piece.” Most of the interior improvements have focused on the first floor. Society members hope to establish a kitchen facility capable of providing catering services for events like weddings. That would generate more revenue, which in turn could be put back into the facility, Reynolds said.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

(Photo by Evan Bevins) Washington County Historical Society President Bill Reynolds discusses efforts to repair and restore the Anchorage mansion in Harmar on the first floor of the historic structure earlier this month.

(Photo by Evan Bevins) Washington County Historical Society President Bill Reynolds discusses efforts to set up a kitchen that could be used to provide food at events on the first floor of the Anchorage in Marietta.

(Photo by Evan Bevins) The Anchorage, off Putnam Avenue in Harmar, stands in the sunlight on a recent afternoon. The Italianate-style mansion was designed by architect John Slocomb and built in the 1850s for Douglas and Eliza Putnam.

(Photo by Evan Bevins) The Anchorage, off Putnam Avenue in Harmar, stands in the sunlight on a recent afternoon. The Italianate-style mansion was designed by architect John Slocomb and built in the 1850s for Douglas and Eliza Putnam.