Campus Martius Museum

Exhibits inside the Campus Martius Museum

"Campus Martius Museum" by jcsullivan24 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Quick Facts

Location:

Marietta, OH

MANAGED BY:

Marietta Museums

Amenities

11 listed

Accessible Rooms, Benches/Seating, Cellular Signal, Fire Extinguisher, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Parking - Auto, Restroom, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Wheelchair Accessible

Lewis and Clark NHT Visitor Centers and Museums

This map shows a range of features associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, which commemorates the 1803-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition. The trail spans a large portion of the North American continent, from the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon. The trail is comprised of the historic route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, an auto tour route, high potential historic sites (shown in black), visitor centers (shown in orange), and pivotal places (shown in green). These features can be selected on the map to reveal additional information. Also shown is a base map displaying state boundaries, cities, rivers, and highways. The map conveys how a significant area of the North American continent was traversed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition and indicates the many places where visitors can learn about their journey and experience the landscape through which they traveled.

Founded in 1788 by Rufus Putnam, Marietta, Ohio, was the first settlement established in the Northwest Territory. The original settlement was surrounded by a stockade built by the civilian-run Ohio Company. The stockade was known as Campus Martius, so named because it put settlers and soldiers alike in mind of the Fields of Mars, a training ground once used by ancient Roman legions.  

At its outset, the settlement was run by the military. It remained under military law until 1795 when the Treaty of Greeneville was signed, ending open hostilities between settlers and local native nations. As a result, Colonel Ebenezer Sproat became the town’s first sheriff. In 1800, the settlement was incorporated into the town of Marietta, a name chosen in honor of Queen Marie Antionette and France’s support of the American colonies during the Revolutionary War. 

On September 13, 1803, Lewis wrote of the town in his journal, stating:

 “we arrived at Marietta, the mouth of the Muskingum river, at 7 OClock in the evening […] Marietta is one hundred miles from Wheeling; lay here all night wrote to the President of U.S. dismissed two of my hands, […] I engaged another at Marietta or the mouth of Muskingum— This evening was visited by Colo. Green the Postmaster at this place, he appears to be much of a gentleman and an excelant republican.”  

Many of the buildings in Marietta’s Historic District date back to the city’s founding in 1788 and, in 1974, the area was added to the National Register of Historic Places.  

The Campus Martius Museum now sits on the site of the original Campus Martius stockade. It encompasses the Rufus Putnam House, the only part of the stockade that wasn’t torn down in 1795 with the signing of the treaty. Focusing on the role that the establishment of Marietta and the Northwest Territory played in early American history, the museum offers a first-hand experience of frontier life. It also tells the story of Ohio’s first peoples, such as the Adena/Hopewell Cultures and other native tribes that inhabited the area, through a combination of static, interactive, and living history exhibits staffed by interpretive guides.   

Admission to the museum is $10 per adult and $5 per child and veteran. Parking is free. Interactive school group programs are available but must be scheduled in advance by calling the museum at [phone] or via email at [e-mail]. Group tours can be arranged by contacting [e-mail]. For more information, directions, and operating hours, visit the website at https://mariettamuseums.org/campus-martius/