Rufus Putnam House
Encyclopedia
The Rufus Putnam House, also known as Campus Martius or Campus Martius Museum State Memorial, is a historic building in Marietta, Ohio
. It was built as part of the Campus Martius
fortification by General Rufus Putnam
, during the early settlement of Ohio
by the Ohio Company of Associates
.
The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
individually, and it is also a contributing property
of the Marietta Historic District
. The building is the only surviving part of the Campus Martius fortification and has been enclosed inside the Campus Martius Museum
building.
The house has been called “the most outstanding architectural combination of New England tradition and frontier necessity preserved in Ohio today.”
Construction began soon after Putnam arrived in 1788. Each wall of the building was built prefabricated. Four inch thick by foot wide hewn oak timbers were mortised and tenoned, and fastened with wooden dowels into a diagonal braced frame. Random-width four inch thick planks were fitted to complete the wall laying on the ground. Each plank was numbered with roman numerals, then removed so the frame could be raised, and then re-assembled. Eight by eight inch oak floor joists with neither foundation or basement were used, and tulip poplar floor boards were laid, but not fastened until seasoned.
The building was completed late in 1790. The green planks used in original construction shrank, and it was necessary to wedge lath into the cracks, until clapboard was applied later. With the end of the Northwest Indian War
, the Campus Martius
fortification was no longer necessary, and Putnam bought the adjacent blockhouse, and used the lumber to add a four room addition to the original four room house in 1795.
Putnam’s wife died in 1820, he stayed in the house till he died in 1824. After Putnam’s daughter Elizabeth died in 1831, the house was sold to the Nye family, who occupied it for many years, followed by tenants late in the 19th century. The Marietta Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
leased the building starting in 1905. In 1917 the state bought the Campus Martius site, and placed it under the control of the Ohio Historical Society
. Few Putnam pieces remain to decorate the interior, so other pioneer families donated items about 1927, including the Meigs, Fearing, Devol, Blennerhassett, Mason, Hildreth, and Sprague. The building, which now has a basement, was enclosed in the south wing of the museum later.
A 1903 history says the building was commonly called The Old Block-House.
An earlier home of General Putnam's, the General Rufus Putnam House
in Worcester, Massachusetts, is also listed on the National Register.
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...
. It was built as part of the Campus Martius
Campus Martius (Ohio)
Campus Martius was a defensive fortification at the Marietta, Ohio settlement, and was home to Rufus Putnam, Benjamin Tupper, Arthur St. Clair, and other pioneers from the Ohio Company of Associates during the Northwest Indian War. Major Anselm Tupper was commander of the Campus Martius during the...
fortification by General Rufus Putnam
Rufus Putnam
Rufus Putnam was a colonial military officer during the French and Indian War, and a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
, during the early settlement of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
by the Ohio Company of Associates
Ohio Company of Associates
The Ohio Company of Associates, also known as the Ohio Company, was a land company which is today credited with becoming the first non-American Indian group to settle in the present-day state of Ohio...
.
The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
individually, and it is also a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
of the Marietta Historic District
Marietta Historic District (Marietta, Ohio)
The Marietta Historic District is a historic district in Marietta, Ohio, United States that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Among the buildings in the district are ones dating back to 1788, the year in which Marietta was founded as the first white settlement in what is now...
. The building is the only surviving part of the Campus Martius fortification and has been enclosed inside the Campus Martius Museum
Campus Martius Museum
The Campus Martius Museum interprets Ohio history.Campus Martius was the second fortification in Marietta, Ohio and the first primarily for civilian defense. The Rufus Putnam House, incorporated in the Museum is the only remaining part of the fortification. The museum also includes the Ohio...
building.
The house has been called “the most outstanding architectural combination of New England tradition and frontier necessity preserved in Ohio today.”
Construction began soon after Putnam arrived in 1788. Each wall of the building was built prefabricated. Four inch thick by foot wide hewn oak timbers were mortised and tenoned, and fastened with wooden dowels into a diagonal braced frame. Random-width four inch thick planks were fitted to complete the wall laying on the ground. Each plank was numbered with roman numerals, then removed so the frame could be raised, and then re-assembled. Eight by eight inch oak floor joists with neither foundation or basement were used, and tulip poplar floor boards were laid, but not fastened until seasoned.
The building was completed late in 1790. The green planks used in original construction shrank, and it was necessary to wedge lath into the cracks, until clapboard was applied later. With the end of the Northwest Indian War
Northwest Indian War
The Northwest Indian War , also known as Little Turtle's War and by various other names, was a war fought between the United States and a confederation of numerous American Indian tribes for control of the Northwest Territory...
, the Campus Martius
Campus Martius (Ohio)
Campus Martius was a defensive fortification at the Marietta, Ohio settlement, and was home to Rufus Putnam, Benjamin Tupper, Arthur St. Clair, and other pioneers from the Ohio Company of Associates during the Northwest Indian War. Major Anselm Tupper was commander of the Campus Martius during the...
fortification was no longer necessary, and Putnam bought the adjacent blockhouse, and used the lumber to add a four room addition to the original four room house in 1795.
Putnam’s wife died in 1820, he stayed in the house till he died in 1824. After Putnam’s daughter Elizabeth died in 1831, the house was sold to the Nye family, who occupied it for many years, followed by tenants late in the 19th century. The Marietta Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
leased the building starting in 1905. In 1917 the state bought the Campus Martius site, and placed it under the control of the Ohio Historical Society
Ohio Historical Society
The Ohio Historical Society is a non-profit organization incorporated in 1885 as The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society "to promote a knowledge of archaeology and history, especially in Ohio"...
. Few Putnam pieces remain to decorate the interior, so other pioneer families donated items about 1927, including the Meigs, Fearing, Devol, Blennerhassett, Mason, Hildreth, and Sprague. The building, which now has a basement, was enclosed in the south wing of the museum later.
A 1903 history says the building was commonly called The Old Block-House.
An earlier home of General Putnam's, the General Rufus Putnam House
General Rufus Putnam House
The General Rufus Putnam House is a National Historic Landmark at 344 Main Street in Rutland, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA....
in Worcester, Massachusetts, is also listed on the National Register.