The future is looking bright for our region’s history, as ground was broken last week on phase one of building a new facility for the Ohio River Museum.

For nearly 50 years, the museum has taught visitors about our region’s past, and importance in the development of not just the Mid-Ohio Valley, but the state as a whole. The Ohio River has been the lifeblood that runs through our past, present and future — it brought members of the Ohio Company to the confluence with the Muskingum, where the settlement of Marietta was established; it (and the transportation it offers) helped our economy diversify and grow; and even today it is a source of leisure and entertainment, playing host to vessels large and small.

A new facility for the Ohio River Museum will only help us better tell that story.

“Our mission at the Ohio History Connection is to spark discovery of Ohio’s stories to embrace the present, share the past and transform the future,” said Megan Wood, executive director and CEO of the Ohio History Connection, a statewide nonprofit that manages museums and includes the state’s historic preservation office. “One of the main ways that we do that is through our very extensive site network that includes these two very important sites here in Marietta: Campus Martius, the museum of the Northwest Territory, and the Ohio River Museum.”

During the groundbreaking ceremony, former Ohio Governor and Marietta Mayor Nancy Hollister said “When this is done, it’s going to be absolutely amazing. The services, the entertainment, the education, the history that will be provided.”

An eager community will keep an eye on the progress — no doubt the scene will change every day as builders move toward their goal.

And once it is accomplished residents and visitors alike will be treated to an improved experience that lets them learn about and connect to the Ohio River in a way that could, truly, “transform the future.”