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 Martius was a fortified mini-city about one acre in size located where Campus Martius Museum is today. Picketed Point was the community on the "point" where the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers converge. It included residences along with businesses serving traffic on the Ohio River.
Caption: early drawing of Picketed Point, from Wikipedia with credit to Marietta College Special Collections. CLICK TO ENLARGE.
The "Picketed" name was a later addition in 1791 when blockhouses and a protective enclosure of wooden posts (“pickets”) of about 4 acres was built around the community. William Stacy and Sheriff Ebenezer Sproat oversaw construction. This was after the Indian massacre at Big Bottom, along the Muskingum about 25 miles from Marietta. The blockhouses are seen in the photo at the corners of the community. They offered protection in event of attack and were occupied by sentries standing watch.
If any one of the three communities experienced an emergency, they fired a cannon. That would be answered by a cannon firing from the other two. Help would be mobilized. Area residents could seek shelter within the closest protective enclosure.
One historical account recounts the following Indian attack episode at Picketed Point.
"On a very rainy, dark night, the sentinel from the bastion of the Campus Martius saw by the help of a flash of lightning an Indian skulking about almost under him; the cannon was fired, answered at "the Point," but nothing further was seen, but plenty of their tracks in the morning. Some short time after, Capt. Joseph Rogers from Pennsylvania. and one of the men with him, were killed and scalped on the hill in the Indian path leading from Mill Creek to the Campus Martius.
Edward Henderson…who was with Rogers — although a number of balls passed through his clothes — made his escape, was followed by the Indians, but being an athletic man he outran them and, taking a circuitous route over Duck Creek, came in (along) the Ohio, and reached...Picketed Point. He was immediately recognized by the sentry. Colonel Sproat was called — a cannon was fired, and answered at the Campus Martius and Fort Harmar. The story ran through the garrison (at The Point), and from the simple statement that Captain Rogers was killed, and Henderson had been chased, it rose to that the Indians had chased him into the garrison, and were at the gates, making the attack.
All was confusion, but everyone made immediately for his alarm post. Some little circumstances served to mark the propinquity of different individuals ; the first person for admittance at the central block-house (at The Point) was Colonel Sproat with a box of papers; then came some young men with their arms, then a woman with her bed and children.
Then came old William Moulton — from Newburyport — aged 70, with his leather apron full of old goldsmith tools and tobacco ; his daughter, Anna, brought the China tea-pot, cups and saucers; Lydia brought the great Bible, but when all were in, mother was missing. Anna asked, “Where is Mother? She must be killed." "No." said Lydia, "Mother said she would not leave the house looking so; she would put things a little to rights, and then she would come." Directly mother came, bringing the looking-glass, knives, forks and spoons, &c.
Soon messengers were exchanged with the Campus Martius and no appearance of hostilities were discovered. All returned to their homes in the morning."
Such was life in early Marietta.
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