Marietta History
At left, Marietta’s current borough hall, as it looked for centennial celebrations in 1912.For over two centuries, the community of Marietta has grown along the shore of the Susquehanna River. Although today its population is only slightly in excess of 2,500, many of the charming early landmarks of this growth are still in evidence.
1719 – Purchase of 300 acres along the bank of the Susquehanna River by Indian trader, Robert Wilkins, adjacent to property of George Stewart, also a trader.
1727 – Wilkins property sold to Rev. James Anderson, whose son, James, establishes a ferry.
1733 – George Stewart’s son inherits land which he sells to David Cook in 1748.
1803 – David Cook’s son lays out town of New Haven (east end of Marietta).
1804 – James Anderson IV lays out town of Waterford (west end of Marietta).
1812 – Anderson and Cook procure charter and name the newly incorporated town Marietta. The War of 1812 threatens the new country and town, and Marietta raised two companies of soldiers to march to defend Baltimore and Washington.
1813 – John Pedan, James Mehaffey and James Duffy purchase the land west of Anderson’s and lay out lots in what is known as Irishtown.
1814 – Jacob Grosh purchases and lays out lots, now the easternmost four blocks of town, known as Moravian Town.
1816 – Market House is erected on the square; Union Meeting House construction on public burying ground is authorized for protestant congregations looking to establish a common place of worship; construction is completed in 1818.
1817 – Economic crisis checks town expansion and recovery is slow until–
1825-1830 – Pennsylvania Canal is constructed. Planing mills, lumber yards, and carpentry shops vie with taverns as the backbone of the local economy.
1845 – Iron smelting leaves an indelible mark on the town with as many as six furnaces and a rolling mill constructed on land immediately adjacent to the borough. Marietta’s economy and population grow.
1847 – Borough erects Town Hall at Walnut Street and Waterford Avenue.
1853 – Borough adds the Town Clock to Town Hall.
1861 – Marietta raises five companies of soldiers for the Union Army.
1863 – In June, the river’s banks are fortified when the Confederate Army approaches from Gettysburg. The Columbia/Wrightsville bridge is burned to stop advancing troops. The First National Bank of Marietta becomes the first chartered bank in Lancaster County and the 25th chartered bank in the United States.
1868 – The Musselman/Vesta Furnace is built by Henry Miller Watts and Henry Musselman, the last of the Marietta furnaces.
1873 – Henry Miller Watts, Philadelphia attorney and Ambassador to Austria under President Andrew Johnson, builds Riverview Tower on Ironmaster’s Hill, at the intersection of current routes 441 and 23.
1875 – The First National Bank of Marietta builds a new bank on Market Street to accommodate its growth.
1876 – Marietta celebrates the U.S. Centennial. The first issue of The Marietta Times is published on Thanksgiving and continues until the early 1960’s.
1880 – Mansions in Marietta are sites of lavish entertaining, hosting Presidents Grant and Cleveland, Supreme Court justices and railroad presidents when Col. Duffy entertains “The Farmer’s Club”.
1882 – Dr. H. M. Alexander founds the first commercial biological laboratory in the United States. By 1894, more vaccine is produced here than at all other such establishments in the U.S. Over time, Alexander’s laboratory evolves into Wyeth Laboratories that was recently purchased (2005) by GlaxoSmithKline, producers of flu vaccine.
1893 – Columbia and Donegal Electric Railway runs its first car from Columbia to Marietta through Chickies Hill Park.
1911 – The last raft arrives via the Susquehanna River, denoting an end of an era for the lumber industry.
1913 – Italian immigrant Samuel Acri builds one of the earliest movie theaters in the country on Market Street and names it Acri’s Theatre, now known as the Historic Marietta Theatre.
1917 – Marietta sends 182 men to serve their country, including Lt. Benjamin Hiestand, in whose memory the Marietta Community House is subsequently dedicated in 1920.
1930 – Lavino, the last furnace (formerly Musselman/Vesta) goes out of blast and is dismantled as the Great Depression impacts Marietta.
1936 – The Pennsylvania Flood devastates Marietta. (High water mark on Shank’s Tavern, Front and Gay Streets).
1965 – Civic-minded Mariettians form Marietta Restoration Associates, to promote restoration and preservation of the town’s history and architecture. They create and produce the first Candlelight Tour of Homes at Christmastime.
1967 – Marietta Restoration Associates purchases the Sultzbach/Rinehart House on Waterford Avenue as a revolving fund project, a way to save endangered historic properties and then to sell and return them to private ownership.
1972 – The floods of Hurricane Agnes (marker on Shank’s Tavern) devastate the community but spark renovation efforts.
1978 – The United States places a portion of the town on the National Register of Historic Places, calling it a well preserved example of a mid-19th century town. The Sultzbach/ Rinehart House is sold to private owners.
1979 – Marietta Restoration Associates initiates Historic Marietta Day to promote community awareness and spirit.
1982 – Marietta Restoration Associates are granted a lease from the Borough of Marietta for the Union Meeting House and begin an extensive restoration project to save the building. After restoration, the building is opened for public events and rented out for private use.
1983 – The Marietta Historic District Boundary Increase is dedicated, making 48% of the town listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1987 – Marietta Restoration Associates obtain a 99-year lease from the Borough of Marietta on the Old Town Hall and begin an extensive restoration project. Upon completion, MRA opens and operates a public museum of Marietta history at the site.
2001 – The Farmer’s First Bank, successors of the First National Bank of Marietta, closes its Market Street branch and donates the property to Marietta Restoration Associates. Marietta Restoration Associates move their offices and open a Gift Shop at the site.
2003 – Marietta Restoration Associates lease the Musselman/Vesta Furnace Office Building from Lancaster County Parks and Recreation and begin the process of restoring the building for use as a museum of the iron industry in Marietta.
2005 – Marietta Restoration Associates purchase the Historic Marietta Theatre and begin the process of restoring the building for use as a movie and performing arts theatre.
The 591-acre Chickies Historic District is placed on the National Register of Historic Places. (The Chickies Historic District includes the eastern end of Marietta Borough, the industrial archeological furnace sites and the ironmaster homes in neighboring East Donegal Township and Chickies Rock in West Hempfield Township.)
The Chickies Historic District is nominated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and sent to Washington for approval as a National Historic District. (The Chickies Historic District includes the eastern end of Marietta Borough, the industrial archeological furnace sites and the ironmaster homes in neighboring East Donegal Township.)
1719 – Purchase of 300 acres along the bank of the Susquehanna River by Indian trader, Robert Wilkins, adjacent to property of George Stewart, also a trader.
1727 – Wilkins property sold to Rev. James Anderson, whose son, James, establishes a ferry.
1733 – George Stewart’s son inherits land which he sells to David Cook in 1748.
1803 – David Cook’s son lays out town of New Haven (east end of Marietta).
1804 – James Anderson IV lays out town of Waterford (west end of Marietta).
1812 – Anderson and Cook procure charter and name the newly incorporated town Marietta. The War of 1812 threatens the new country and town, and Marietta raised two companies of soldiers to march to defend Baltimore and Washington.
1813 – John Pedan, James Mehaffey and James Duffy purchase the land west of Anderson’s and lay out lots in what is known as Irishtown.
1814 – Jacob Grosh purchases and lays out lots, now the easternmost four blocks of town, known as Moravian Town.
1816 – Market House is erected on the square; Union Meeting House construction on public burying ground is authorized for protestant congregations looking to establish a common place of worship; construction is completed in 1818.
1817 – Economic crisis checks town expansion and recovery is slow until–
1825-1830 – Pennsylvania Canal is constructed. Planing mills, lumber yards, and carpentry shops vie with taverns as the backbone of the local economy.
1845 – Iron smelting leaves an indelible mark on the town with as many as six furnaces and a rolling mill constructed on land immediately adjacent to the borough. Marietta’s economy and population grow.
1847 – Borough erects Town Hall at Walnut Street and Waterford Avenue.
1853 – Borough adds the Town Clock to Town Hall.
1861 – Marietta raises five companies of soldiers for the Union Army.
1863 – In June, the river’s banks are fortified when the Confederate Army approaches from Gettysburg. The Columbia/Wrightsville bridge is burned to stop advancing troops. The First National Bank of Marietta becomes the first chartered bank in Lancaster County and the 25th chartered bank in the United States.
1868 – The Musselman/Vesta Furnace is built by Henry Miller Watts and Henry Musselman, the last of the Marietta furnaces.
1873 – Henry Miller Watts, Philadelphia attorney and Ambassador to Austria under President Andrew Johnson, builds Riverview Tower on Ironmaster’s Hill, at the intersection of current routes 441 and 23.
1875 – The First National Bank of Marietta builds a new bank on Market Street to accommodate its growth.
1876 – Marietta celebrates the U.S. Centennial. The first issue of The Marietta Times is published on Thanksgiving and continues until the early 1960’s.
1880 – Mansions in Marietta are sites of lavish entertaining, hosting Presidents Grant and Cleveland, Supreme Court justices and railroad presidents when Col. Duffy entertains “The Farmer’s Club”.
1882 – Dr. H. M. Alexander founds the first commercial biological laboratory in the United States. By 1894, more vaccine is produced here than at all other such establishments in the U.S. Over time, Alexander’s laboratory evolves into Wyeth Laboratories that was recently purchased (2005) by GlaxoSmithKline, producers of flu vaccine.
1893 – Columbia and Donegal Electric Railway runs its first car from Columbia to Marietta through Chickies Hill Park.
1911 – The last raft arrives via the Susquehanna River, denoting an end of an era for the lumber industry.
1913 – Italian immigrant Samuel Acri builds one of the earliest movie theaters in the country on Market Street and names it Acri’s Theatre, now known as the Historic Marietta Theatre.
1917 – Marietta sends 182 men to serve their country, including Lt. Benjamin Hiestand, in whose memory the Marietta Community House is subsequently dedicated in 1920.
1930 – Lavino, the last furnace (formerly Musselman/Vesta) goes out of blast and is dismantled as the Great Depression impacts Marietta.
1936 – The Pennsylvania Flood devastates Marietta. (High water mark on Shank’s Tavern, Front and Gay Streets).
1965 – Civic-minded Mariettians form Marietta Restoration Associates, to promote restoration and preservation of the town’s history and architecture. They create and produce the first Candlelight Tour of Homes at Christmastime.
1967 – Marietta Restoration Associates purchases the Sultzbach/Rinehart House on Waterford Avenue as a revolving fund project, a way to save endangered historic properties and then to sell and return them to private ownership.
1972 – The floods of Hurricane Agnes (marker on Shank’s Tavern) devastate the community but spark renovation efforts.
1978 – The United States places a portion of the town on the National Register of Historic Places, calling it a well preserved example of a mid-19th century town. The Sultzbach/ Rinehart House is sold to private owners.
1979 – Marietta Restoration Associates initiates Historic Marietta Day to promote community awareness and spirit.
1982 – Marietta Restoration Associates are granted a lease from the Borough of Marietta for the Union Meeting House and begin an extensive restoration project to save the building. After restoration, the building is opened for public events and rented out for private use.
1983 – The Marietta Historic District Boundary Increase is dedicated, making 48% of the town listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1987 – Marietta Restoration Associates obtain a 99-year lease from the Borough of Marietta on the Old Town Hall and begin an extensive restoration project. Upon completion, MRA opens and operates a public museum of Marietta history at the site.
2001 – The Farmer’s First Bank, successors of the First National Bank of Marietta, closes its Market Street branch and donates the property to Marietta Restoration Associates. Marietta Restoration Associates move their offices and open a Gift Shop at the site.
2003 – Marietta Restoration Associates lease the Musselman/Vesta Furnace Office Building from Lancaster County Parks and Recreation and begin the process of restoring the building for use as a museum of the iron industry in Marietta.
2005 – Marietta Restoration Associates purchase the Historic Marietta Theatre and begin the process of restoring the building for use as a movie and performing arts theatre.
The 591-acre Chickies Historic District is placed on the National Register of Historic Places. (The Chickies Historic District includes the eastern end of Marietta Borough, the industrial archeological furnace sites and the ironmaster homes in neighboring East Donegal Township and Chickies Rock in West Hempfield Township.)
The Chickies Historic District is nominated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and sent to Washington for approval as a National Historic District. (The Chickies Historic District includes the eastern end of Marietta Borough, the industrial archeological furnace sites and the ironmaster homes in neighboring East Donegal Township.)