Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-07-04

ihiS CITY gave $lOO,OOU and Harma
$4,000 towards this enterprise. TIL
u road got as far as Harmar, and wa
> only partially completed between her
l. and Bellaire. We still have $4,000 o
that debt hanging over us at Az pc
!. cent interest Harmar did better; sh
paid off her railroad debt long ago
> The town was slow of growth. howev
er.. Nothing seemed to move her
Two generations had now passed
QS52) and only about FIVE Thousand
Inhabitants could be enumerated
within her boundaries. Yet here wal
the place that a largecity should have
been built many years ago. The loca
tion was unsurpassed and Marietta
had all that many another place had
that outstripped her and became rich
and great many years before she had
been incorporated as city which did
not happen until the year 1852.
In the year 1888, Marietta completed
her one hundredth year and series OF
great centennial celebrations was be-
gun at Marietta The two at Marietta
were closely followed by one at Cincin-
natl and one at Columbus. An i'm
mense throng of people visited Mari :
eta during the celebrations held here.
One Of them lasted week and attract
ed people from out side and many
! from distant states. Many prominent
men and women of the country were
here and Marietta seemed from that
date to start on 4 new existence.
Meanwhile we had begun to look
around us and ask ourselves what the
matter was. Why most of our young
men were going west, taking Drawn
and brain we wanted. Leaving to
build up the western states and at the
1t was found without much trouble
that what we needed was more busi-
ness and more manufacturing plants.
Places where men could find work the
year around.
The War Of the Rebellion had come
and gone, the oil excitement of the
Cow Run developments had come and
started the city off with a great boom,
had inflated the prices OF real estate
away above normal, and had gone,
glimmering, leaving the city In worse
condition than before IL anything.
Something more substantial, some-
thing more enduring must be found
for the city or we would never pros
per. So an organization of the busi-
ness men of the city was effected.
MARIETTA AND HARMAR BOARD
OF TRADE.
Vigorous and determined effort was
at once made to lead the way to better
things. The scope of this article does
not allow of extended notice of the
various steps of this organization.
First came water works, then street
paving, then sewerage. and so on;
step by step, wisely and economically,
but not without opposition, numerous
public improvements were advocated
and secured. The Board of Trade and
City Council worked together. So, in
securing new industries the Board of
Trade stood for the city and carefully
considered many propositions of var
ious enterprises to come here to To-
cate, striving as best they could to en-
none but those that were of
real merit. The effect of all this was
to be felt at the time of the
census of 1890. when the enumeration
showed that we had over eight thous-
and inhabitants. Harmar was added.
as we'll as considerable outlying terri
tory, before the census of that year
was taken and the town gathered an
impetus that nothing could stop. Dur
ing the panic of 1898 and subsequent
years. Marietta did not feel the hard
times. 1t should be remembered here
that the so-called oil boom of the last
lew years had not at that time affect
ed Marietta to any appreciable ex-
tent. Every year prophets of evil
would say. well, you have nothing
here to support this increase and moth
ng to maintain these prosperous
times. Wait until next year.. will
give You until next year." Well, next
year came and the next, and the next.
and so on each year has been better
han the last, and the new discoveries
If oil in this neighborhood has great
" helped the city. The new manu-
'acturing plants which are be-
ng constantly put up here
Ind the influx of skilled me-
,hanics and well to do people has done
| great deal to render permanent the
that has come to us within
he last few years. The recent sensus
should show population between
5000 and 1900 people
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A Different style. Ii