Marietta, Ohio Petition to Incorporate

Abstract

This petition to the governor of the Northwest Territory asks for the incorporation of the city of Marietta. It is signed by Rufus Putnam, who led the expedition that resulted in the founding of Marietta in 1788. The first settlement in the Northwest Territory, Marietta is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers. The petition is two pages and measures 8" x 13" (20.32 x 33 cm). Rufus Putnam (1738-1824), a Massachusetts native, rose to prominence as a Revolutionary War officer and founder of the Ohio Company. As superintendent of the company, Putnam oversaw the construction of the stockade Campus Martius and laid out a plan for the town of Marietta. He served as a member of the Ohio Territorial Legislature in 1801, a representative from Washington County at the first Ohio constitutional convention, and a trustee of Ohio University