Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1941-10-16
WHERE INDIAN AND
PIONEER MET
(By Silas Thorla

We have been making periodical
visits to the staid old town of Ma
rietta for more than three score
and ten years.
In the early part of the last CEN
tury our great grandparents, Will
liam and Nancy McAllister, with
large family left their New Hamp-
shire home and set out for what
was known as the Northwest Terri
tory. Like all the adventures
from New England, they journeyed
overland to Pennsylvania, struck
some tributary, built or procured
some kind of raft and on this
makeshift of a boat, floated down
the Ohio. We are led to believe
that their destination was farther
down than Marietta, but on account
of serious sickness they made a
landing about two miles above the
town, at spot about half mile be-
low the Little Muskingum and per-
haps a mile above the mouth of
Duck Creek. Death overlook the
father and the widow was left with
IL children my grandmother being
next to the eldest. Perhaps they
seized "squatter's rights" anyway
they took possession of an old cabin
that stood on square mile tract of
land that had been set apart for
school purpose-known as school
lands. Evidently for a time they
paid a rental, but in the course of
time they became the owners and a
portion of it is still in the hands of
one of the descendants, Hervey Ce-
Gil, who lives in Marietta. Inside
this square mile, within the sound
of the court house bell, most of
them lived and died.
Our first visit down there was
back in the horse and wagon days
before the railroad was built up the
Duck Greek valley, and it took the
larger part of two days to make the
trip. In this gasoline motor age we
go in an hour from Caldwell. The
day may not be far distant when
an hour will be wasting too much
time for SO short distnace. Then
we will die off faster from so-called
heart disease. Go faster, live fas-
ter, die faster, perhaps.
Marietta, as you know, is the old
est organized city west of the Allie
med with historical interest. There
was time when it seemed to be
tagging in it's growth and develop
ment. Many Of the younger men
looked upon the older group as OBJ
jectionists, whose funerals would
clear the deck for action. Others
said it was college town and moth
ing more could be expected. To the
writer, it seems that it has both
gained and lost-that the loss was
inevitable. With it's broad tree
lined streets, it certainly has gained
in beauty and old-time interest. A
delightful place to live if the ground
you occupy is above high water
mark.
AS we turn off Putnam street to
go down Front, there has been d
great transformation-once low.
tiful edifices on elevated home
made ground. But from there TO
"Picketed Point" Lafayette IIotel,
old Front street has lost much of
its old time glamour. Too many
business rooms empty or for rent. I
These floods do the job. AS we sat
in the little Lafayette park, across
from the hotel, and gazed up along
Ohio street bordering the river it
was scene of desolation as COM
pared to what it was three score /
years ago. In that day the ievees
were crowded with river craft.
AS we sat there, musirs, we
tried to visualize some of the ma
jestic and stately steamboats, that
piled the waters like the "Granite
State," Courier" Queen City"
and others, but it was difficult to
get. our imagination keyed up, as