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For many citizens of the county and particularly Marietta, devotion and honor to our early pioneers has been a sustained legacy. The landing of flatboats of the Ohio Company of Associates at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers on April 7, 1788 was a monumental advancement of national importance. Those adventurers and investors may have never dreamed that their steps ashore would be remembered and celebrated each year for generations.
Keeping it all in the "family," the grandsons of significant pioneers, Col. Israel Putnam, Gen. Rufus Putnam and Gen. Benjamin Tupper, realized a formal organization should be created to sustain and celebrate our local heritage. Letters were sent out to citizens of the county who were descendants of the early pioneers to organize and join the group. In 1870, the Pioneer Society of Washington County was formed and membership was open to descendants whose ancestors had lived in the county before 1830. Upon more consideration, membership was extended for those who ancestors arrived before 1850. Following the Pioneer Celebration held on April 7, 1870, at the Congregational Church, the members gathered in front of the gallery of J.D. Cadwallader on Front Street for a portrait.
The Pioneer Society held a celebration each year on April 7 in honor of the day the first pioneers stepped ashore.
When it was time to plan the 1888 Centennial Celebration, the Pioneer Society was short in membership, so new rules allowed any man who paid $1 and signed its constitution could become a member. Interestingly, the many German immigrants who arrived in mid-century were also encouraged to participate in the Centennial activities. The Pioneer Society of Washington County along with the Women's Centennial Association joined forces to present a memorable Centennial Celebration on April 7, 1888. The women began raising funds that included selling memberships in the Pioneer Association. They wrote 400 letters to Washington County families asking for relics, artifacts, and historical documents of their ancestors. The women planned the centennial meal for 1500 people and published a "Centennial Cookery Book" that sold for $1 a copy including German recipes. The 1888 Centennial Celebration included decorating the city with metal arches over the streets, a pageant, speakers and the celebratory dinner.
Much controversy surrounded this event and actually a second celebration was held in the summer. But the Pioneer Society was dedicated to keeping the original founding date. For many decades thereafter, the Pioneer Society of Washington County patriotically celebrated the early pioneers with an annual dinner and various activities.
In 1956, a representative from the Ohio Historical Society expressed that other counties in Ohio, with less historical significance than Marietta, have historical societies.
Members of the Pioneer Association and the Women's Centennial Association worked toward the consideration of forming one historical society. In 1961, at the Pioneer Day Dinner on April 7, Harry Pettit, as master of ceremonies and acting chairman of a proposed Washington County Historical Society, was elected first president of the new society. The historical artifacts and historical documents that these two groups had collected over the decades were placed in the care of the county society.
Harry Pettit asked that all people "interested in preserving the history and heritage of the area" to join the Washington County Historical Society. Today, the invitation is still open for people who love local history to join the society.
Jann Adams serves on the board of WCHS. To learn more about Washington County Historical Society services and membership, call 740-373-1788 or visit wchshistory.org