Marietta, OH

Local Events

Reenactments, heritage festivals, and living history programs — experience the Revolution where it happened.

Upcoming This Year

Jul

Festival

Marietta Independence Day Celebration

Downtown Marietta and Ohio Riverfront, Marietta, OH

Marietta's annual Fourth of July festivities take on special significance in a city founded by Revolutionary War veterans. Celebrations along the Ohio River and throughout downtown Marietta include patriotic ceremonies, parade, riverfront fireworks, and historical observances that connect the nation's founding ideals to the city's unique role as the first settlement under the Northwest Ordinance.

FreeJuly 4 and surrounding days; events may shift to nearest weekend.

Jul

Lecture

Northwest Ordinance Day Observance

Campus Martius Museum, Marietta, OH

Commemoration of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the landmark legislation that established governance for the territory where Marietta became the first organized settlement. Programs may include lectures, readings of the Ordinance, and discussions of its revolutionary provisions banning slavery and guaranteeing civil liberties in the new territory. Hosted in partnership with local historical organizations.

Museum admission may applyHeld on or near the July 13 anniversary of the 1787 Ordinance; contact Campus Martius Museum or the Washington County Historical Society to confirm scheduling.

Jul

Guided Tour

Campus Martius Museum Living History Programs

Campus Martius Museum, Marietta, OH

Campus Martius Museum hosts seasonal living history demonstrations and educational programs throughout the year, featuring costumed interpreters portraying 18th-century frontier life in the original fortified settlement built by Revolutionary War veterans. Programs include demonstrations of period trades, military drills, and daily life inside the reconstructed Rufus Putnam House.

Museum admission requiredPrograms run primarily during summer months; check Campus Martius Museum website for current schedule.More info →

Earlier This Year

Apr

CeremonyFeatured

Founding of Marietta Anniversary Celebration

Campus Martius Museum, Marietta, OH

Annual commemoration of the April 7, 1788 arrival of the Ohio Company pioneers at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, marking the founding of the first permanent organized settlement in the Northwest Territory. Events typically include wreath-laying ceremonies, historical speeches, and programs at Campus Martius Museum honoring the Revolutionary War veterans who founded the city.

Museum admission may applyHeld on or near April 7; contact Campus Martius Museum to confirm exact date each year.More info →

May

Ceremony

Revolutionary War Soldiers Grave Marking at Mound Cemetery

Mound Cemetery, Marietta, OH

Mound Cemetery in Marietta contains the graves of more Revolutionary War officers than any other site in the United States. Annual Memorial Day and Veterans Day observances include wreath-laying ceremonies and tributes at the graves of Continental Army officers such as Rufus Putnam and Benjamin Tupper. The Sons of the American Revolution and local heritage groups participate in marking and honoring these graves.

FreeTypically held on or near Memorial Day (last Monday of May); contact Washington County Chapter SAR or Mound Cemetery to confirm.