Cole Longcor
cwl002@marietta.edu
Marietta has always been a significant place. History tends to echo here as the community simultaneously drives for change and celebrates its roots. College towns tend to be unique, almost isolated communities, with a distinct culture that has strong ideas of its past but strives for a better future, and always considers its legacy. Marietta is this regard isn’t that unusual, as there are ties between the town and the college which create a sense of community. How the community acts though is what makes Marietta exemplary.
To celebrate Black History Month there were a series of events, lectures, and celebrations sponsored by Marietta College. The Special Collections event, “Abolitionists Movement and Marietta College”, was both a call for reflection of the past and a charge for the future.
Marietta was born as a place of freedom, based on the Northwest Ordinance and later the Ohio Constitution. Being across the river from what was Virginia, Marietta was a place of hope and belonging to many trying to escape the shackles of slavery. When the Fugitive Slave Acts were passed many in the community rallied to oppose the government and the slave hunters, some going as far as to help smuggle freedom seekers across the river and through spots in the underground railroad.
Sam Hall, President of the Anti-Slavery Society on campus and Valedictorian of the first graduating class was one of such people. When a mob overran a speech Hall was giving, he jumped through a window and swam across the icy Muskingum River from Harmar back into town and to campus.
The Putnam family, crucial in both the founding of the community and college, had stakes in the underground railroad and abolition movements as well. David Putnam was a staunch abolitionist and was an underground railroad operator, hiding freedom seekers in his house. When slave hunters tried to search the house, Putnam stalled them outside as McCoy snuck out the freedom seeker. Douglass Putnam, a founder, donor, and chair of Marietta College worked to enroll the Harrison brothers, Charles Sumner Harrison being the first black student to attend the institution.
Students got involved in the movement when protesting the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. On the Fourth of July students flew the flag upside down at half-mast while incessantly ringing the bell as the town tried to host its festivities. This protest attracted national attention, claiming the display was disgraceful and the students were acting traitorous.
As time passes society changes. Progress has been made, though stories and history can often be forgotten. Harrison, McCoy, and Putnam are more than just locations around campus, though the namesake serves as reminders of their contributions. There are efforts to celebrate the past while promoting brighter futures such as the Charles Sumner Harrison and John G. McCoy Scholarships. A new goal is to have a plaque on campus at the sight of 508 Putnam Street, where there used to be an underground railroad safehouse. The area is now lays between the admissions building and McKinney Media Center. While buildings may disappear and laws may change, the heart of the community and the efforts of individuals fighting for a better future will always be a part of Marietta.
