Beware of the Rug: Mound Cemetery, Marietta, Ohio

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Mound Cemetery, Marietta, Ohio

While in Marietta, Ohio I took walks almost every day. Some of the walks ended up being more than 4 miles and were a surprise to me since it did not feel like I had walked that far. There are two cemeteries that I often passed when walking, the Mound Cemetery and the Oak Grove Cemetery. The Mound Cemetery is so named for the ancient Hopewell mound located there. The mound is known as the Great Mound or Conus. It is thought to date from 100 BC to 500 AD. As noted in the postcard Thursday last week Marietta was founded in 1788 as the first settlement in the Northwest Territory. The land for the cemetery was donated by General Rufus Putnam in January 1801 with the first burial taking place that same year in October.

Informational placard

The placard gives a brief history and has a key to the graves of important people buried there including Revolutionary War veterans.

It is a rather pleasant, quiet place to stroll around. The mound has stairs to the top and benches to sit on once one is up there.

The mound

Revolutionary War officers and soldiers were the pioneers of Marietta most coming from Massachusetts. Land grants were given to veterans as payment for military service. The Daughters of the American Revolution publication of Jan-Jun 1900, American Monthly, stated that there are more officers of the Revolution buried in the Old Mound Cemetery than in any other place in the United States. A small section with flags and memorial stars has the names of several Revolutionary War veterans.

Flags and Stars with names of Revolutionary War veterans

Close up of a star

The French General, Lafayette, visited Marietta in 1825. He had fought with the Americans during the Revolution and a quote from him is engraved on one corner of the cemetery: “I knew them well. I saw them fighting the battles of their country . . . They were the bravest of the brave. Better men never lived.”