Caleb Emerson, July 4th Toastmaster

     Early American July 4 celebrations included toasts, along with a speech and dinner. July 4 was a patriotic observance, not yet the recreational holiday of today. The victory and sacrifice of the Revolutionary War were top of mind. Many veterans or their survivors were still living.

    First, "OFFICIAL" toasts were offered with wording often approved in advance by a committee. These toasts emphasized patriotic themes, heroes, and more - including women. Women? That seemed a gratuitous gesture from the male toastmasters, yet it recognized women's vital domestic role, though women could not yet vote or participate in most male-dominated vocations. After each toast, participants took a drink, gave a loud HUZZAH! (“Huzzay,” as in today’s HOORAY!), and guns or cannon were fired. With each toast and gulp the vibe became more spirited, you could say.

Flag that flew over Fort Harmar. It was a garrison-style flag, 16-20 ft long by 12-14 ft wide, with 13 stars and stripes for the original 13 colonies/states

    "VOLUNTEER" toasts followed the official toasts, offered impromptu by those present. These could be highly personal, humorous, and partisan, often fueled by alcohol.

     Below are toasts (edited) for July 4, 1816, in Marietta, composed by civic leader/newspaper editor Caleb Emerson – document from Marietta College Special Collections. These sentiments reflect the national situation in the post-War of 1812 period. 

1. The day we celebrate. Time can destroy the marble monument and clothe with oblivion the noblest works of man, but the memory of this day shall live.

2. President James Madison. He has been weighed and not found wanting- his service deserves our gratitude. 

3. Congress - may their exertions for the country be more conspicuous, solicitude for their own emolument be less conspicuous. 

4. The memory of George Washington - the faithful guardian of our infant liberties... what tongue shall withhold its praise?

5. Thomas Jefferson - the firm patriot and enlightened sage. Retirement has not diminished our admiration of his virtues.

6. The Army and Navy - they have both conferred immortal honors on their country.

7. Our next president - James Monroe - the pride of his country.

8. The sovereignty of the people - the only source of legitimate power...

9. Gov. Shelby (governor of Kentucky?), the soldier and patriot. 

10. General Jackson - The gallant Jackson and the Battle of New Orleans will be remembered. 

11. Vermont and New Hampshire - northern lights, not blue lights. (A jab at Federalists from a War of 1812 event.) 

12. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut - not the first time that the oldest children turned out to be a disgrace to the family...(another partisan barb) 

13. The western states (those west of the Appalachians) - may their patriotism keep pace with their wealth and strength.

14. Agriculture, commerce, and manufacturing - the main pillars of...our greatness 

15. The patriots of South America- may their struggles for liberty be attended with complete success.

     Click here to view the original document listing the toasts, from Marietta College Special Collections.. Note the edits and the cursive handwriting flourishes.

     Most of Emerson’s toasts resembled typical nonpartisan official toasts. But a few (number 3,11,12) are more personal, reflecting his Democratic Republican Party views. That party was in power; Federalists’ influence was fading. The politics angle made me wonder what current volunteer toasts might sound like with today’s unbridled discourse? I asked AI. Here are a few such AI-generated hypothetical current toasts to: 

“Free elections and the peaceful transfer of power – the quiet strength of a republic, 

Civil disagreement – may we argue ideas without forgetting our common citizenship, Future generations – may they inherit a nation more united than today, 

May public service always place the common good above private gain.” 

These are worthwhile sentiments; maybe we ought to bring back July 4 toasts.

     At the first celebration at Marietta on July 4, 1788, toasts expressed sentiments more specific to independence and the new settlement: 

The United States, Congress, the King of France, The United Netherlands, The Friendly Powers throughout the World, The New Federal Constitution, George Washington and the Society of the Cincinnati, His Excellency Governor Arthur St. Clair and the Northwestern Territory, The Memory of Heroes, Patriots, Captain Pipe (Delaware Indian Chief) and a Successful Treaty, The Amiable Partners of Our Lives (women), All Mankind. 

     Impressive list. Volunteer toasts, if offered, were not documented.

     There may have been disagreements and partisan bickering on the other 364 days of the year, but there was usually a spirit of unity on July 4. A participant at Marietta on July 4, 1788 recalled: “We were one great family, loving God and each other, proud of our new home and resolved on success.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Civil War Started at Belpre, Ohio…Almost

       July 10, 1845, 2:00 am. It was pitch black on the Ohio River; a crescent moon had set in the west at midnight. A boat with 6 escaping slaves – 3 adults and 3 children - from the Harwood Plantation in Wood County Virginia had pushed off from Parkersburg, towards Ohio near Belpre. The plan was set up by an itinerant preacher named Romaine. Only the sloshing of oars working through the water broke the silence. Six members of the Underground Railroad ("UGGR"), waited on the Ohio side to guide them north to freedom.

     Also waiting on that dark Ohio shore were 16 armed men from Wood County. They'd been tipped off. The UGGR men helped the escapees ashore. Then the Wood County men burst out of hiding. In the confusion one slave, preacher Romaine, and two UGGR men escaped. All others were captured. The slaves were returned to Harwoods. Recaptured slaves might endure flogging, harsher duty, wearing of collars or shackles, or be "sold down the river” to worse conditions in the Deep South.

     The captured Ohioans were jailed in Wood County without access to their own attorneys. Bail was denied; no Virginia resident was willing sign a bail bond. Prominent Mariettans Nahum Ward, William P. Cutler, and Anselm T. Nye offered to guarantee a bond; that was disallowed.

     Newspaper coverage and word of mouth spread the story. The Richmond Enquirer expressed alarm that … "nests of Abolitionists" in western Virginia counties "have deliver(ed) anti-slavery lectures, without molestation..." warning that Abolitionists' "mischievous and fanatical schemes," … will place lives of Virginia citizens in "imminent peril." The Cleveland Weekly Leader opined that this was a "plot laid in Virginia to entrap men in Ohio.”

     Ohio Governor Mordecai Bartley conferred with William P. Cutler, Washington County’s Ohio House member. Bartley wanted to send 100 militia to extract the prisoners by force. Cutler counseled holding off. There was verbal jousting between the governors. Virginia Governor McDowell lectured Ohio Governor Bartley about the Fugitive Slave Laws. Bartley fired back, “I tell you plainly, Sir, with proper respect and due deliberation, that Ohio will not submit to such wrongs,” and that its citizens may “resort to violence.”

     Tensions remained high. Numerous Ohio groups met to consider measures to free the jailed Ohio men. In Parkersburg, guards were posted at the point, expecting an armed attack from Ohio. One night a guard heard a bustling noise at river’s edge. Word spread that abolitionists from Ohio had landed and were forcing their way into town. The Captain assembled the guards and as noise got closer gave the command: FIRE! The “enemy” was the town bull, so full of bullet holes that it could not be tanned.

     On September 2 the defendants were “perp-walked” to the Wood County Court. They pleaded not guilty. Bail was again refused. The jury trial showed that the justice system was working after all. The jury found the men guilty IF the site of their capture was determined to be in Virginia. The state boundary location became the key to the verdict. It seems counterintuitive to some, but the Ohio River has always been in the state of Virginia. The exact boundary location on the Ohio side could be debated since the river level is constantly changing.

     The boundary question was placed before a Virginia Court of Appeals in December 1845. Congressman Samuel F. Vinton argued that the boundary was the mean low water mark of the river, placing the men in Ohio, not Virginia. The judges deadlocked on the issue; further action was deferred to the next session in June 1846.

     On January 10, the men were granted bail and released. The case was never taken up; maybe the Virginia legal authorities tired of the controversy. Armed conflict was averted this time. Sixteen years later the Civil War was on for real, though western Virginia stayed pro-union, and in 1863 became West Virginia.

 

Griffin Greene, a Man in Perpetual Motion

      What else could a Marietta pioneer possibly accomplish who (a) built a perpetual motion machine, (b) Raised the sunken British frigate FLORA, (c) designed a unique floating water-powered mill in the Ohio River, and (d) helped build the Farmers Castle enclosure at Belpre? A LOT more, as you’ll see.

     Griffin Greene was born in Warwick, Rhode Island in 1749. Not much of his childhood years are recorded. He had little formal schooling; perhaps a reflection that manual, practical skills were considered by some as more important than “book learning.” The Rhode Island Greene family tradition was manufacturing and business ventures. In his twenties, he and his cousin Jacob built or inherited an iron forge. It thrived during the Revolutionary War making war materials. He was close to another cousin, General Nathanael Greene, namesake of Marietta's Greene Street and one of Washington's most dependable senior officers. General Greene was Quartermaster General of the Continental Army. Griffin Greene served for a while as an assistant quartermaster, under Nathanael. Griffin himself was an engineering genius. Some innovative accomplishments mentioned below are prime examples.

     SALVAGING THE FLORA: He invested in a company that salvaged sunken ships during the Revolutionary War. He oversaw the salvage in 1780 of the British frigate FLORA which had been scuttled to keep it from the Americans. The boat was sunk in shallow water near Newport RI harbor. Here was the plan. Step 1 - A diver using a primitive diving bell plugged holes in the hull. Step 2 – Griffin designed and built a huge pump, reportedly inspired by the French Encyclopédie, powered by horses on a flatboat walking in circles. Imagine seeing horses walking in circles on a boat in the ocean. That pump removed an incredible 144,000 gallons per hour. The FLORA was raised in just 6 hours. British loyalists watching nearby "could hardly believe their eyes" as the FLORA emerged. Raising FLORA was a success but operating her for profit was not. Griffin sailed FLORA in 1783-84 to France and sold her at a loss. While in Europe, he observed a floating water-powered mill in Holland. Keep that thought.

Model of French frigate LaVESTALE ca 1790s, formerly HMS FLORA that Griffin Greene salvaged. From Facebook page Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg

     In 1788 Griffin Greene moved his family to Marietta, Ohio, seeking new opportunities. Soon he added a new activity to his engineering-oriented life: government service. He was appointed justice of the peace and judge of the county court. After moving to Belpre, Griffin regularly went to court sessions in Marietta, rowing in a canoe. Later he served as postmaster and customs collector. Not bad for a guy with little formal education and no legal training.

     FLOATING WATER POWERED MILL. A water powered grist mill was crucial for the early settlers to grind corn and other grains into flour or meal for cooking. Rotary hand mills were slow and very laborious. The floating mill that Griffin Greene saw in Holland? That inspired him to design one for use in the Ohio River near Belpre. Jonathan Devol actually built it. Here’s the set-up: two flat boats, one larger than the other, are connected by planks of wood. The water wheel is in the middle, powered by the river current. The larger boat houses the machinery and workers. The smaller boat is merely a pontoon to support the wheel. The whole structure is anchored to shore. The floating mill has advantages compared to a fixed mill on a river or stream bank: it automatically adjusts to the water level, does not require a dam or sluice gates, can be positioned where water flow is optimal. This was the first such mill in America.

Diagram of floating water powered mill, from water level (top) and overhead (bottom). Building and machinery is on the left, water wheel in the middle, and floating pontoon on the right.

     PERPETUAL MOTION MACHINE. Griffin became obsessed with building such a machine. He was living in Belpre at the time and helped build the Farmer’s Castle protective enclosure for the community in 1791. Joseph Barker’s Recollections (spelling as written): “Griffin Green,… one of our engenious, interprising,& useful citizens… constructed a Machine of considerable size &  expence: it consisted of three Arms about twelve feet long, (weighted) with Lead at each end, & erected Virtically.” Hard to visualize. The machine did run “with the steadiness of a nice timepiece” for several hours…but inevitably it quit. The device stopped, but Griffin Greene never did.

 

How Ohio Got It’s Nickname, the Marietta Connection

      How did a poisonous tree nut that's hard as a rock yet renowned as a good luck charm and cure for rheumatism become Ohio's nickname? "It just turned out that way," an Ohio Department of Natural Resources (“ODNR”) brochure says. Hardly a definitive answer, but there is a Marietta connection.

     The buckeye tree was common in Ohio's original forests, growing along streams and fertile bottom lands. The trees are medium sized, growing to 60 feet. There were many practical uses for early pioneers, according to ODNR:

- Cabin Building: Because the trees were easy to clear and the wood was soft and light, buckeye logs were used to build early cabins.

- Household Items: The wood was easy to work. Pioneers carved necessities like spoons, bowls, troughs, and cradles.

- Prosthetic Limbs: Due to its light weight and resistance to splitting, the wood was used in the manufacture of artificial limbs.

- Good Luck Charm: Pioneers believed that carrying a buckeye nut in their pocket would ward off rheumatism and bring good luck.

                          Buckeye Tree. It’s one of the first to leaf out in spring. Photo by author.

     The Marietta Connection: Respected historian Samuel Hildreth stated that the local Indians called the first sheriff Ebenezer Sproat "Hetuck, " meaning "Big Buckeye," because of his towering 6' 4" frame. It was an expression of respect; they’d seen him lead a ceremonial procession in September, 1788. Sproat became known as Big Buckeye, the story goes, and the nickname eventually spread to include all Ohioans. It’s a believable tale, and it connects Marietta to the Buckeye tradition.

     Some historians, including Raymond Irwin, question the Sproat Big Buckeye story: First, though a popular narrative, the story does not appear until Hildreth's Memoirs publication in 1852, 64 years after the event. Irwin says it's not mentioned in any other records in the 1700s. Second, linguists find no Native American word "Hetuck," meaning "eye of the buck." But wait, there was a contemporary mention of Hetuck. “Joseph Barker, Recollections of the First Settlement of Ohio” is an early history compiled from Barker’s own records. About Sproat, Barker wrote: “He was a fine Martial figure, his Physical Capasity occupied more room than any Man in the County. The Indians named him Old Hetuck, the Big Buckeye.” (Emphasis added, spelling and punctuation from the document). Could editors have inserted this later from Hildreth’s reference? Maybe, but the punctuation and spelling give it credibility to me. I’m an Ebenezer Sproat-Big Buckeye believer. It’s official. 

     The “buckeye” term, though, had a decidedly negative meaning in the early 1800s, referring to an inept or uneducated backwoods person. 1840 was the year that buckeye and Ohio became synonymous. William Henry Harrison, a popular Ohioan, was the Whig candidate for President. An opposition newspaper commented that Harrison “was better fitted to sit in a log cabin and drink hard cider than rule in the White House.” Harrison alertly adopted that very log cabin persona, emphasizing his humble beginnings. He was thereafter pictured in front of a cabin with a barrel of hard cider. On the cabin walls were coonskin caps and…. strings of buckeyes. His campaign went viral in 1840. Wagons with replica cabins were at every rally. The formerly disrespected Buckeye stereotype became the proud symbol of all Ohioans. Canes made of buckeye wood were a fad, sold for souvenirs along National Road – today’s U S 40. At a rally in Pennsylvania, in one two-mile long procession of 1,500 people, 1,497 carried buckeye canes. William Henry Harrison was elected but sadly died with weeks of being inaugurated.  

Image of 1940 campaign buckeye wood cane (top) and close-up (bottom) showing “hard cider” cask on top of handle.    From americanhistory.si.edu

    The Harrison campaign was probably most influential in the Buckeye story. But Washington Countians can proudly say “It started here in 1788.” Probably.

     I was backpacking once in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The first night, there was a periodic loud clank on the metal shelter roof. The culprits were falling buckeyes. Buckeyes in Tennessee, imagine that. I felt right at home. Only later did I discover that those were yellow buckeyes, not THE official Ohio buckeyes. Oh, well.

 

 

 

Tulip Poplar, A Flowering Tree and Valuable Resource

     Each year in early May, I notice beautiful flowers lying on the ground in our woods: light green, yellow, and orange color, the size of a golf ball, with a tulip-like circle of petals. Are these from a wildflower or maybe an escapee from someone's garden? No. These small exquisite flowers are from huge 100 foot trees – tulip poplar, using the flower namesake, or yellow poplar.

     Early Ohio was heavily forested by huge trees hundreds of years old, such tulip poplar, sycamore, and oak. They were a valuable resource to the early settlers for construction and other functions. Poplar has long been a staple wood for siding, flooring, and doors. Oak, cherry, walnut, and curly maple get all the glory in fine furniture. But many of those furniture pieces also contain poplar behind the scenes - in the drawers, backing, and shelving.

Tulip Poplar flower

Tulip tree facts and observations:

USE AS LUMBER IN EARLY OHIO: Poplar boards for temporary huts were loaded on a flatboat carrying the first settlers on April 5, 1788, 2 days before they arrived at Marietta. Master craftsman Jonathan Devol used poplar extensively for boards and building walls. Rufus Putnam noted the value of tulip poplar for construction. Because the wood was straight-grained, lightweight, and resistant to warping, it was used extensively for the siding, flooring and finish work of early structures, including in parts of the Rufus Putnam house at Campus Martius Museum. Marietta’s "Old Courthouse" built in 1799 had 3 ft. thick walls made of "double tiers yellow poplar logs, 18 inches square and neatly hewed and dove-tailed at the corners of the building." Poplar logs were sometimes called "canoe wood" because Indians used them to make dugout canoes. You can see a dugout canoe at the Ohio River Museum when it reopens next year.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY. Manasseh Cutler, prominent leader and science whiz, used a huge poplar tree on the Quadranaou Mound to estimate the mound's age. He computed the tree ring age at 464 years, suggesting the tree began growing in 1324 A.D. Further study suggested that this tree was probably the second or third generation of similar trees on that mound. This meant the Marietta earthworks were over 1,000 years old at the time. Cutler’s archaeological study of the poplar trees influenced the Ohio Company leaders to preserve the earthworks and revealed that earlier civilizations had occupied this area long ago.

"WITNESS TREES." Poplars were used, along with other large trees, as "witness trees" in survey descriptions marking corners of lots. One source says there were more than 5,600 witness trees used in surveys of the Ohio Company lands in southeast Ohio. Trees were more permanent and visible than available man-made markers.

HIGH LOOKOUT FOR SCOUTS. This one surprised me. Scouts often climbed the towering tulip poplar trees for a better view to locate Indians' war parties or camp sites. These trees were often 100-150 feet tall, taller than most other trees, allowing a view of many miles. A wisp of smoke, rising dust, or a glint of reflected sunlight on a metal surface could reveal the enemy's location. Indians did the same thing. In the unsuccessful Harmar and St. Clair 1790-91 campaigns to defeat Indians in western Ohio, Army units were being observed long before they realized they were in danger.

Tallest tree in Ohio at Hueston Woods State Park, 176 feet tall 

The base of each tulip tree flower matures into a cone-shaped woody structure which distributes dozens of winged seeds over the winter. To paraphrase the oak tree proverb, “Mighty poplars from little flowers grow.” Sometimes the tulip tree releases a dripping fluid when it flowers. Not to worry, it’s sweet-tasting nectar, not “honey dew” (aphid excrement).

Harmar Beach and the Old River

      A Marietta Daily Times writer in 1917 referred to a Marietta bathing spot on the Muskingum River as "Our Coney Island," referring to the iconic amusement parks on Coney Island in Brooklyn. That comparison was a stretch; there were no carnival rides. But rivers were a major source of recreation: fishing, swimming, boating, or just enjoying the scenery. The river levels were a few feet lower, leaving more dry land for beach area than we see today.

     Harmar Beach was located near where Harmar School is today. A series of 1916 newspaper articles from the “Historical Marietta, Ohio” blog paint the picture. Quotes are from that blog. 

      The Register Leader, July 31, 1916: "Hundreds of young people in Marietta...found relief from the heat wave in the cool waters of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers, the most favored spot being the newly discovered bathing beach at the mouth of the Muskingum river on the West Side... Several hundred people (swam), while an even larger crowd (watched)...To add to the excitement of things on the river front, George Whiting, a local baseball player, jumped from the railroad bridge into the river, others following his lead."

        Countering this enthusiasm was a stark reality: rivers were dirty and unhealthy. Sewage ran untreated into the water. Marietta Daily Times on August 3, 1916: "Sewers Too Close to Bathing Beach." A Dr. Ballard, chair of the bathing beach committee of the Chamber of Commerce, recommended against swimming at Harmar Beach because of a sewer discharge just above the beach area. Undeterrred, West Side residents had started a fund to build bath houses and a boardwalk to access the beach.

CLICK TO ENLARGE. 

Postcard 1930 Muskingum River Lock and Dam No 1 at Marietta. From getluckyvintage.com

     City Council was monitoring the situation, too. The Register Leader on August 18, 1916 reported that Council debated the beach and sewer situation in Harmar "at considerable length." Should sewer outflows from area homes be moved? A Council Sewer Committee had estimated that relocating the sewer might cost $5,000 ($100,000 today). No action was taken. Council President Crawford stated dismissively that the sewer discussion "was of too petty a nature to occupy the attention of council."

     Swimming in the rivers was nothing new. John L. Harrison, raised in Harmar, remembered fondly warm summers in the 1880s spent swimming with friends. Harmar boys "had a monopoly on good swimming places on the Muskingum River, and we jealously guarded them against any encroachments by ‘Marietta Rats.’" That term reflected the "enmity" between Harmar boys and Marietta boys. "We passed up all the shallow beaches and used only the jumping off places" - such as the railroad bridge, lock walls, and dam apron. Another favorite was a spot near the Marietta College boathouse that Harrison called "the logs." Here they skinny dipped from a raft of logs, but only after dark - a requirement imposed by the Harmar town marshall:"You kids stay outa there until (dark) or I'll throw you in the can."

     Remember the Coney Island reference earlier? The writer was talking about the beach at Devol’s dam, depicted in Michael Dickenson’s painting. I remember swimming, fishing, other antics there - such as sliding down the dam itself into the boiling cauldron of water at the bottom. It’s still a pleasant place today.

CLICK TO ENLARGE.  

Michael Dickenson painting (cropped) of Devol’s Dam beach circa 1960. From artistmichaeldickenson.com

      On a visit to Marietta decades later, John Harrison noticed “one unchanged thing…the voice of the old river…an old friend which remained eternally young.” That was the mesmerizing roar of water rushing over the Muskingum dam at Marietta. That same dam was my go-to place during several summers growing up. I remember smoking cheap cigars while fishing with friends from the outer lock wall, reveling in that voice of the river and feeling the mist from the falling water. What river memories to you have?

OMAR and the trolley

     

CLICK TO ENLARGE. Lower Front Street, Marietta OH 1947. From Pinterest.com.

Comedian George Carlin used to say that people or things he did not like should be "phased out," for example, people who attempt to harmonize the final refrain when singing Happy Birthday. He was not wishing people dead; it was just his amusing way of saying that certain things annoyed him. Changes in society regularly bring about transformation, and certain things become obsolete, and - you could say - are phased out. And something new is phased in.  

     Two focal points in this lower Front Street photo in 1947 were being phased out - the trolley and the sternwheel steamboat. Ironically both modes of transport - interurban electric railroads (think trolleys) and steamboats themselves wrought major changes in the 1800s and early 1900s. The interurbans connected hundreds of cities and towns, hauling freight and passengers. They were electric powered, lighter construction than regular railroads, more passenger-focused with frequent stops, and often ran on existing city streets. Our local system operated for nearly 50 years from Parkersburg to Marietta and northwest to Beverly. It ended shortly after this photo (maybe this was its final run), replaced by buses and automobiles.

     The steamboats revolutionized freight and passenger transport for industry in the 1800s. Dredging and lock and dam systems opened many rivers for steamboats – and for recreation. Both the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers have such improvements. But steam powered towboats like OMAR were being displaced by more powerful and cost efficient diesel powered towboats. Today, towboats and other carriers on inland waterways move 15% of total freight in the United States. The OMAR, named for the coal mining town Omar WV, was similar to the W P SNYDER JR boat moored at the Ohio River Museum. OMAR was "phased out" as a towboat pushing coal barges in 1961. But then, when most similar boats were scrapped, she began an amazing encore career as a museum and showboat. OMAR was enlarged and renamed RHODODENDRON for the West Virginia Centennial celebration on 1962-63. She moved to Clinton Iowa in 1966 and entertains audiences today as the CITY OF CLINTON Showboat Theater.

     What do you see in the photo? Hotel Lafayette is on the right, the Dime Savings Society clock on the left. Most of the cars shown are 1930s vintage. Automakers in 1947 were just starting to make new vehicles after WW II. Look at the paddle wheel on OMAR. It's not moving. Why? The barely visible rowboat at the shore gives a clue; crew members are transferring to or from the boat. They still do similar crew transfers between stops today.