Marietta in Washington County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Public Landing

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 23, 2017

1. The Public Landing Marker

Inscription. The roadway down to the river from this point was once the busy route for freight and passengers using the many steamboats that served Marietta. For more than 100 years, boats in a variety of trades on the Ohio and Muskingum rivers made this landing an important shipping point. The Pittsburgh-Charleston steamer Liberty ended the packetboat era in 1936.

Smokestack designs on the column are from a few of the boats that once regularly called here. The combination of feathers, puddings and rolls topping the tall, black stacks was a tradition of steamboat architecture. The stacks reflected the tastes of the owners and the most elaborate were not always found on the largest boat.

Erected by the J. Mack Gamble Fund, Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1936.

Location. 39° 24.635′ N, 81° 27.119′ W. Marker is in Marietta, Ohio, in Washington County. Marker is on Front Street near Greene and West Ohio Streets. It is at the fountain at Bicentennial Plaza. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Marietta OH 45750, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Bicentennial Plaza (here, next to this marker); The Ohio River’s Wild Side (a few steps

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from this marker); Shipbuilding (a few steps from this marker); Boiler Point (a few steps from this marker); Lafayette (within shouting distance of this marker); Children Of American Revolutionary Soldiers Memoria (within shouting distance of this marker); Marietta’s Historic Corner (within shouting distance of this marker); S. Durward Hoag (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marietta.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 23, 2017

2. The Public Landing Marker

The Public Landing in Marietta, Ohio image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 23, 2017

3. The Public Landing in Marietta, Ohio

Marker, and Bicentennial Plaza, are at the top of the roadway.

Bicentennial Plaza Plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 23, 2017

4. Bicentennial Plaza Plaque

Dedicated on July 13, 1987, to commemorate the Bicentennial of the Ordinance of 1787, and the 200th birthday of Marietta, the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory.

Richard F. Celeste, Governor, State of Ohio • Thomas W. Johnson, State Representative • Robert Ney, State Senator • Nancy Putnam Hollister, Mayor • Marietta Bicentennial Commission

With grateful appreciation to the following contributors: The Peoples Banking and Trust Company • Marietta Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution • The Airolite Company • River Gas Company • Rotary Club of Marietta • Marietta Savings and Loan • B. H. Putnam • Hayward W. Strecker • McDonald’s of Marietta, Inc. • The Wesel Family • Broughton Foods Company • Chevron Chemical Company • Pioneer Garden Club • Fred R. Price • Chuck and Annie Warren • Marietta City Council • Bergen Brothers, Inc. • Paul and Kay Callihan • Mr. and Mrs. W. J. McCarthy • The Lafayette Hotel • Greenleaf Landscapes, Inc. • Kaneff’s Nurseries • Thompson’s Landscaping • Miller Memorial Co., Inc. • Home Builders Association • Vanguard Paints • Dotson Painting Co. • Marietta Noon Lions Club • JPTA Participants • YAMDI Associates • Adolph Beren

Bicentennial Plaza and its Plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 23, 2017

5. Bicentennial Plaza and its Plaque

The monument shows outlines of smokestacks. The two visible in this photograph are for the Greenwood (1898-1925), left, and the Lorena (1895-1916). Also on the monument are smokestack outlines for the Kanawha (1896-1916), the Betsy Ann 1899-1931, the T.N Barnsdall (1890-1904), and the Liberty (1912-1936).

Credits. This page was last revised on May 5, 2017. It was originally submitted on May 5, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 360 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 5, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.