Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-04-04
TUESDAY, APRIL a. 1899.
Court House Talk,
Marietta, March 30, 1899.
An open letter to the Commissioners OF

as there has been quite NUMBER OF 10
cations suggested, all of which will be
attended with more or less cost except
one and that one is known as Camp
Tupper, some favor the present site,
which has been under water three
times since the present house was
built in 1922. Well, some will say that
is not very bad-three times in n
years. 1t did not cause any great in
convenience, as it has no basement
filed with steam heating apparatus as
a modern house would have. 1t seems
to me that it would be difficult to re-
ject it; but there is another reason of
so much more importance that it
can't be ignored and passed over
lightly-that is the saving of 100000
to the taxpayers. Let us see how this
is to be done: In the first place sell
the ground on which the Jail and
court honse stands-say for $4,000
(there are good business men say it
will bring $5O0OO) an opera house on
one corner and afirst-class hotel on the
other, to cost from $4,000 to $4,000
each. Now put two-thirds of this
amount on the tax duplicate, or say
$4,000 or 100000 where it is now
non-taxable.
The advocates of the present site ia
vor buying ten, fifteen or twenty thous-
and dollars worth of property that is
now taxable, and add it to the present
non-taXable property. By occupying
Camp Tupper we can continue in the
old buildings until the new is finished
saving expense of moving, rent of
offices, etc.
AS Marietta is the county seat the
court house must be located here. If
necessary, you could condemn land for
a site, but fortunately the site was Sc
lected more than one hundred years
ago.
We find in the Ohio Companys rec
ords that their first meeting was held
in Boston March 1st, 1885, and the last
meeting to transact business January
21st, 1896, ten years later, at which
meeting they passed the following res
olution (This meeting was in Mari
etta)
Resolved, unanimously, that the fol-
lowing reserves are to be made: Ten
acres between city square No. 33 and
the three acre lots as already laid out,
which is to be kept as a burying
ground forever; also the two Elevated
Squares, which are known as Cap
ftoleum" and "Quadronaou," to be re-
served either for public walks or for
the erection of public buildings there
on"
You will observe that they were not
given to the city of Marietta. They
were reserved for public use-for the
township as well as the city. The
township made use of Mound cemetery
and does at the present day-those
who have lots yet vacant. The found
ers of the city regarded those elevated
squares as desirable sites for public
buildings. 1t may have occurred to
them that Marietta would be the capi-
tol of the state, as it was the first
place settled; and here was the place
for the State House. They were so
impressed with the idea that they re-
served the ground for public use for
ever.
This ideal spot of ground has laid
for more than a hundred years and we
were going to say neglected.
The court house built upon the Ele-
waited park, which is 1873 feet by 1872,
and large enough to have a wide mar
gin all around the building, and pre-
serve the elevation intact is nine feet
high, which would admit of a base
ment of sufficient depth with the first
floor four or five feet above the sur
rounding ground, precluding the posi-
bllity of any dampness. Besides giving
room for steam heating there would
be room for quite number of offices
for rent
In Howe's late history of Ohio is a
picture of the court house at Marys-
willie the county seat of Union county.
1t looks as II it might have been de-
signed for this particular location. In
front of the elevation is two acres or
more that Is crossed by paths running
diagonally from the four corners.
Camp Tupper should have these walks
and in addition one leading to Third
street. This should be broader and
correspond to the present approach to
the elevation which would be at the
center OF the building. On the end
next to Warren is shown what appears
to be the main entrance, which prob
ably leads to a corridor running
through the center Of the building, as
FAR as lhird street entrance, which is
probably at the entrance. OF a hall |
which also has an entrance on the |
Fourth street side. The plan would |
suit the location exactly.
The Ice Harbor lot for location for
a court house is too absurd to require
any notice. but We will say without
fear of contradiction, that there Is not |
an advocate for that location who
would build residence upon 1t, and
agree 20 live in 1t If the ground were