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Only 363 days until the next Halloween

How did the pioneers in early Marietta celebrate Halloween? They didn’t. It was a non-event in America before Scottish and Irish immigrants brought Halloween traditions with them in the mid-1800s. Halloween has become the biggest American holiday besides Christmas. We spend $11 billion each year on this spooky occasion. So, how did we get here? Halloween is a centuries-old blend of religious and cultural traditions. The religious tradition is in the name: Halloween or “All Hallows Eve” – is the night before All Saints’ Day on November 1. It was designated by Pope Gregory IV ...

Understanding the Electoral College

Do we actually vote for the president? No. Ballots show the names of the candidates who are running for president; however, we do not vote for them directly. The national popular vote does not count. The actual voting for president and vice president is done by state-appointed electors, who collectively are called the Electoral College. These electors are either Republican or Democratic party members who have promised to vote for their respective party’s nominee. How many electors does a state have? Each state is allocated electors according to the number of representatives they have ...

Dealings with Native Americans in early Marietta

Indian threats were a daunting fact of life in early Marietta. But not all contacts with Indians were violent. Relationships were varied, fascinating, often friendly. Some examples follow. Delaware Indians traded with soldiers at Fort Harmar. Dealings were cordial but cautious. Their dances ...

The Pirates stormed the fairgrounds in 1915

Before the days of television and well-paid professional athletes, teams had to venture out in the off season to not only make a little bit of extra cash, but also drum up interest in the teams they played for. The teams were called barnstormers because they would come into town and play, ...

Washington County once reached Lake Erie

If you think Washington County is big now, you should have been around in 1788; it was huge. One of the first orders of business after the establishment of the Northwest Territory was to set up counties within the new lands. As the first county in the Northwest Territory and future state of Ohio, Washington County filled nearly the entire eastern part of the land that would become the state. The borders were outlined in a proclamation by Arthur St. Clair in July 1788. “Beginning on the bank of the Ohio River where the western boundary line of Pennsylvania crosses it, and running ...

Attack at Picketed Point!

Life in early Marietta was difficult: few amenities, flooding, epidemics, primitive (if any) shelter, and Indian threats. Early on, there were three communities in the new town. Fort Harmar was built in 1786 with its soldiers and residents was located near where Harmar School is today. Campus ...