Campus Martius Museum was built on the site of the original stockade, built by the Ohio Company between 1788 and 1791. The name, Campus Martius, chosen by the Ohio Company, comes from Latin for Field of Mars, the military camp where the legions of ancient Rome once trained. Known by the early settlers as the stockade or Campus Martius, the original fortification was built to house and protect the members of the Ohio Company during the Ohio Indian Wars of 1790 to 1794. By 1795, after the signing of the Treaty of Greeneville, the stockade was no longer necessary. Buildings were then dismantled, the wood planks used in the construction of some of the homes located throughout Marietta.
Of horizontal plank construction, the Rufus Putnam House, part of the original stockade, is enclosed inside the museum. Rufus Putnam and his wife, Persis, remained in this house on its current site until their deaths. The house was restored by the Ohio Historical Society (currently the Ohio History Connection) between 1966 and 1972. The museum is also the present site of the Ohio Company Land Office, which was moved there in 1953 to insure its future preservation. In this office, land deeds were allotted for the original Ohio Company Purchase. Here, Rufus Putnam, the first surveyor- general of the United States, made some of the earliest maps of the Northwest Territory.
Free parking
Free parking is available at the rear of the museum and on-street. Campus Martius Museum’s three floors of exhibits are wheelchair accessible, excluding the second floor of the Rufus Putnam House.
Campus Martius Museum Hours
| Monday-Saturday | 9:30 to 5 |
| Sunday | Noon to 5 |
| Closed | New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day |
Rufus Putnam House Tour Times: 10AM, 11AM, Noon, 1PM, 2PM, 3PM, 4PM
Admission
|
Museum admission |
|
|
| Friends of the Museums or Ohio History Connection Member |
Free |
|
| Adult |
$10.00 |
|
| Students K to College (with ID) |
$5.00 |
|
| Children 5 and under (excludes groups) |
Free |
|
| Active Duty Military & Veterans (with ID) |
$5.00 |
|
| See our groups page for school and workshop rates. | ||
We are a Blue Star Museums Participant!
Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and museums across America. Each summer since 2010, Blue Star Museums have offered free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, from Armed Forces Day through Labor Day.
Directions
Campus Martius Museum is located at 601 2nd Street, Marietta, Ohio, on State Route 7, minutes from I-77.
Map
Use the interactive map below for specific driving directions.