Places to go and things to see by Gypsy Bev

Archive for September, 2022

Take a Relaxing Visit to Historic Harmar Village

Old Fort Harmar was built near the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers.

At the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, Fort Harmar was the first military fort built in Ohio County. Built under the command of General Josiah Harmar, this 1785 fort was given his name.

This drawing was made by early pioneer, Judge Joseph Gilman.

Its purpose was to keep illegal settlers from squatting there but it proved the opposite as they came and settled because they felt safe from the American Indians with the protection of the fort. The fort was abandoned in 1790 and demolished in 1791. Its location is thought to be under the Ohio River as the river has widened over the years.

Take a trolley ride for interesting historical stories.

The Ohio Company planned out Harmar Village near the fort site across the Muskingum River from downtown Marietta. Today, a trolley tour of Historic Marietta and Harmar is a nice way to get an overview. Then you can go back and see the places that appeal to you. Once you get to the other side of the river, Harmar Village is filled with historical homes, a few unique shops, many dining experiences, museums, and restored train cars.

Historic Harmar Bridge provided a nice walk over the Muskingum River in past years.

Historic Harmar Railroad Bridge, strictly pedestrian in recent years, leads from Front Street in downtown Marietta to Harmar Village but is now closed. It was a scenic walk over the Muskingum River to explore the old restored village. The bridge, which was built in the 1860s is in disrepair and they have a campaign to save the bridge as it was the only working, hand-operated railroad bridge in America. They still operate it during the Harmar Festival for those who would like a ride. All proceeds, of course, go to Save the Bridge.

Putnam House is high on the hill overlooking the town and the rivers.

A beautiful Italianate home can be found high on the hill in Harmar. It was built in 1859 by Douglas Putnam, one of Marietta’s wealthiest men. Putnam was the leader of the abolitionists in the area where he was a major supporter of the Underground Railroad.

He built the home for his wife Eliza who fell in love with that style when traveling through New England. Eliza carefully chose everything that was to go into the house to make it their home. The cost at that time was $60,000.

The family named the house Putnam Place, although many called it Putnam’s Folly. The tower was probably his idea as he could easily see both rivers and the city as well as across the river to Virginia so he could keep a good eye on slave movement. At that time the Ohio River was rather shallow and you could easily ride a horse across it. Later the house was purchased by Harry Knox, a builder of steamboats, and renamed Anchorage.

In recent years, paranormal investigations and tours have also been held at Putnam Villa by the Washington County Historical Society, which hopes to restore it.

Henry Fearing House Museum gives a glimpse of life in the early 1800s.

Harmar seems to overflow with historical homes. The Henry Fearing House Museum gives you a taste of middle-class life during the Victorian era. Fearing invested in the area and had a steamboat enterprise. Built in 1847, today this house holds historical items from Marietta and Washington counties. In 1829, Levi Barber, who was a surveyor and U.S. Congressman, built The Barber House.

The Children’s Toy & Doll Museum has a vast collection of old toys.

The Children’s Toy & Doll Museum gives visitors a glimpse of what toys entertained children during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The house where this hidden treasure is located was built in 1889 by George Strecker, a local boilermaker. They have beautiful displays of dollhouses, circus wagons, dolls from around the world, and many new displays this year.

The Old Post Office has a train display beside it.

The Old Post Office is a center of attraction right beside their train display. Lydia Young served as postmaster here from 1864-1885 in what was also her notary shop. While there aren’t many places for shopping in Harmar, you’ll find several places for delicious food as all have crowds of people at lunchtime.

Busy Bee is a popular family restaurant for breakfast and lunch.

Busy Bee is right next door to the Post Office and has been serving fresh ingredients from local farms since 1944. Everything is made from scratch with breakfast their specialty. Larry loves the area and has plans for starting three new businesses there: a bakery, butcher shop, and distillery.

Harmar Tavern has a friendly bar, indoor dining, and a great patio.

Stop for a meal at Spagna’s Italian Restaurant right next door to Harmar Tavern. Spagna’s offers authentic southern Italian cuisine and an extensive wine list. Or go next door to the tavern, a neighborhood gathering place that almost never closes. They are known for their “Soon to be famous” Fried Bologna Sandwich.

The history of Harmar is told at the edge of town near where the original fort stood.

If you are planning to attend their Fourth of July Celebration or the Sternwheeler Festival, you might enjoy heading to Lookout Point on Harmar Hill. Here you can see many vistas of Marietta as well as the beautiful Ohio and Muskingum Rivers winding their way through the scene. It’s a great place to watch the fireworks! Harmar is a great place to visit any time of the year.

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History, Museums, Ohio, Uncategorized

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Jake Graham’s Writing Journey

If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna’ make a dream come true.

Jake Graham writes under the author name of Jacob Paul Patchen.

Since the age of twelve, Jake Graham has been writing poetry. His first poem emerged during a disturbing time in his life and was on the stormy side. Then he fell in love with poetry.

As a student at Meadowbrook High School, he also wanted to play football. So poetry was set aside as his main passion for a while. However, he never stopped writing poems in his notebooks as it helped him to understand the world around him.

After high school, Jake served with the Marines in Iraq.

Jake is a veteran of the Marines where he served in the infantry in Iraq. His reason for serving was to protect our freedoms, which are very important to him. He appreciates all who have served.

“Of Love and War” is a collection of poems associated with the author’s service in Iraq.
Upon his return from service, he worked with Graham Excavating for a short time.

He went to Muskingum University to follow his football passion but while there his professors gave him encouragement and guidance in his writing. Today Jake is a learning consultant at Muskingum University where he tutors students with learning disabilities in their PLUS program. His youthful spirit helps students feel they can accomplish their goals.

A big influence in his life was Grandpa Charles “Whitey” Patchen.

Most of his poetry is written about him and his life…and for him. It’s very therapeutic to write about feelings. Growing up, Jake was very close to his grandfather so some of his poetry such as the book “Plucking Chickens from the Pines with Grandpa” developed from experiences with him.

Jake felt that the lessons he learned from his grandpa were more important than anything he learned in school…if he had paid attention! Actually, Jake wanted to keep his grandfather’s Patchen name alive since he had no sons and uses Jacob Paul Patchen as his author name.

Jake surprised his mom with a Welcome sign for Christmas with some of his shotgun shells attached.

His novels are fiction and based on ideas that float through his mind. “When something hits you, you have to act on it,” Jake explained. When he writes, he pictures it in his head as playing out as a movie. His stories center around love, family, war, and learning things the hard way. These are the things that made him the man he is today so he feels it important to spread that message.

Jake read some of his poetry at a meeting of Cambridge Writers at Crossroads Library.

Due to his Marine service, his books that are related to the war are based on real experiences he has felt himself or witnessed. He seriously cares about the number of suicides that are committed each day by veterans who have problems living with the world they have seen. Of Love and War is based on his war experiences through poetry and prose.

Words That Matter – Family begins a children’s series of picture books that help them focus on what is important in life. His plans are for a ten-book series for children to help them with issues in many parts of their lives.

The Silver Medal was presented to him by the Military Writers Society of America.

Telling it like it is has become his style. He doesn’t hold back on telling things that really do happen even if he is writing them in a fiction format. His style is easy to read and has already won six book awards. He writes stories for children, teens, young adults. and adults. Every book has a purpose with a touch of Jake’s great sense of humor.

Recently he had a signing at Bookology in Cambridge.

Recently, author Jacob Paul Patchen has had the opportunity for speaking engagements as well as book signings. He enjoys talking to other writers and constantly looks for ways to improve his own writings.

He frequently speaks to groups about his writing and experiences.

It was a special privilege to come back to Meadowbrook High School and speak to students on Career Day, as well as to classes at Muskingum University. Perhaps along the way, he can help someone have a better understanding of a personal problem through his writings.

Here are his earliest books and he keeps adding to that list all the time.

A couple of these books have become required reading for counselor training classes as they explain the turmoil that accompanies problems faced in today’s world. His words paint a clear picture of what victims endure. For those suffering past or present from abuse or severe trauma, these books touch the soul.

His most recent book, “No Pistol Tastes the Same” a PRSD Novel, gives a clear picture of what the war zone was like and the problems many military men and women have when returning to civilian life. Jake’s choice of words and comparisons make reading easy, yet you can feel their pain.

This author wants to impact others with his writing so much that they try to change for the better. Finding happiness in the form of love, freedom, and purpose would be his goal. Someday he’d like to own some land, a house, an RV…and maybe even an island!

Jacob Patchen encourages others by telling them,

“Go do more than just exist. Go be.

Go inspire and achieve.

Go do the things that make you breathe.

Find a way to make us better.”

That would be a great lesson for all of us to follow. Find the things in life that bring you enjoyment, then focus on those things.

For questions or scheduling a talk, contact the author at Jacobpaulpatchen@yahoo.com.

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Cambridge, Ohio, Uncategorized

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