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     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 […]

     I was struck by comments of the 2026 Winter Olympics gold medalists. Their greatest emotional reaction came not at the moment of victory, but upon hearing the National Anthem played at the medal ceremony. It's then that Olympic medalists experience pride, emotion, gratitude, even relief. Betsy Mitchell, Marietta native who won gold and […]

     Every settlement in Washington County provided schooling early on. Marietta started classes taught by Major Anselm Tupper in the winter of 1789-90. Joseph Barker: "Tupper had a genius & Capacity & taste for literary pursuits." The same Joseph Barker, master builder and businessman, also taught school in 1793-94 in Stone's Garrison […]

      We talk about how divided our society and political discourse are today. Avoid discussing politics at family gatherings, we say; don't want to trigger an outburst from Aunt Edna or Cousin Eddie. This pales compared to the deep divisions during the Civil War: North vs South, Slave vs Free, States rights vs one Union. Virginia had seceded […]

     Pardon the weather-speak. I'm talking about the Thanksgiving Day Blizzard of 1950. It was a POWERFUL storm with snowfall, temperature, and wind records that still stand. Technically, it was a large extropical cyclone - think of a wintertime land-based hurricane. "Explosive cyclogenesis" means that the storm strengthened explosively and […]

     In the middle of an Ohio winter, there are periods of cold, dreary weather. Not to worry - days will be  getting longer. Here’s an easy, cost effective cabin fever relief idea: take a drive on local roads. You will see signs for towns, streets, and points of interest. Each name has a story behind it.      Start on State Route (S R) […]

      Do you know what "Toponymy" means? I didn't. It refers to a study of place names. Every place has a name, it seems. "Places" can be  towns, counties, roads, neighborhoods, bodies of water - even stars in the heavens. They are often named for people (for example, Putnam Street), other places (Lowell named for Lowell MA), a local landmark […]

Marietta Earthworks drawing by Winthrop Sargent: CLICK ON LINK BELOW. Scroll to see comments by an official of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a key to notes in the drawing, and Sargent’s original transmittal letter, and the earthworks drawing.https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:78a4a6af-cf99-4bfa-97df-3c825f635d25Marietta […]

     Sometimes Marietta connections turn up in unexpected places. My wife and I visited the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. The iconic Iolani Palace stands out in bustling downtown Honolulu. Should we visit? Sounded interesting – but with traffic jams and parking? Good luck with that. We decided to go for it.Iolani Palace with its unique American […]

      The naval gunboat USS Marietta (PG-15) made quite a splash, you could say, when presented with a silver table service by the citizens of Marietta, Ohio, the vessel's namesake, on Sept 1, 1899, on the second anniversary of her commissioning in San Francisco.  USS Marietta. CLICK TO ENLARGE. Picture postcard from the Hugh C. Leighton Co. […]