This is the site of George Washington's encampment on the night of Oct. 26, 1770, during his Ohio River territory exploration trip to find suitable lands for settling.

 

In celebration of George Washington’s 200th birthday in 1732 and in commemoration of his contributions to the settlement of much of Ohio, the Ohio Society DAR dedicated markers or plaques at several sites in Ohio in the year 1932. One of those sites was this encampment site marker in Reno. Other markers were also placed at East Liverpool and Mingo Junction where Washington’s group had camped earlier on this same trip, and Long Bottom where he stopped after leaving Marietta. Other sites throughout Ohio were also marked including Upper Sandusky to honor the friendship and contributions of Washington and Col. William Crawford who had also accompanied Washington on this trip down the Ohio River; Cleveland to honor the many soldiers and pioneer followers of Washington who helped to settle this Ohio country including that city’s namesake, Moses Cleaveland. A tablet was placed on the campus of Miami University to commemorate President Washington’s Act of 1792 to set aside lands for schools and to emphasize one objective of the NSDAR—to foster education. A memorial marble sundial, a replica of one at Mt. Vernon, Washington’s home, with a bronze plaque is in the State House Yard in Columbus.

 

There was a well-coordinated and extensive progressive pageant undertaken by hundreds of participants in 1932 to fully reenact that historic voyage of Washington down the Ohio River in 1770. Beginning at East Liverpool the trip was undertaken by men dressed as the original figures rowing a flat boat and a canoe manned by two Indians who helped scout the trip for Washington. They were met along the way with pageants and ceremonies that were held all the way down the Ohio to the Kanawha River on the precise dates of the original trip. Thousands of people viewed and took part in this celebration over the next 12 days.      

 

After careful study of Washington’s diaries of his trip down the Ohio River in 1770, to view the lands of the Ohio Company of Virginia, it was determined that his party had camped where the Ohio meets the Little Muskingum River on its eastern bank near this marker site on the night of Oct. 26, 1770. The original marker, a grindstone, was dedicated on Feb. 20, 1932.  On Oct 26, 1932, this was one of the stops on that pageantry celebration. Despite the rain, 20,000 people attended the gathering at this site. There was an elaborate pageant staged to welcome ‘Washington and his companions’ as they landed.  

 

The grindstone was donated by Daniel H. Buell from his quarry. The marker was composed of two circular stones set on edge. The plaque was designed and placed by E.M. Hawes of Sewah Studios, who was a member of the Ohio Commission of the George Washington Bicentennial. The stone plinth and wheel were set in place by Miller Memorial Company.  

 

Fifty-four years later, the original sandstone wheel had badly deteriorated, but the 84 inch diameter base had hardened over the years and was deemed suitable to remain as the base for the new light gray granite wheel of the identical size. The plaques inscribing the first marker and site were retouched by Sewah Studios and reinstalled on the new stone. A new smaller plaque was placed below the original one stating that the Marietta Chapter, NSDAR, had replaced and rededicated the stone. The plaques are duplicated on both sides of the stone. The dedication service for the new stone and restored markers was held on Oct 4, 1986, at this site.

 

Marietta Chapter, NSDAR, member Louise Zimmer spoke at the ceremony describing Washington’s trip from Fort Pitt down the Ohio as far as the Kanawha River at Point Pleasant. Twelve men accompanied Washington on the trip leaving Fort Pitt on Oct. 20 and returning Nov. 21, a little less than four weeks. Three of the men, Col Geo. Croghan, Lt. Robert Hamilton and Alexander McKee, only traveled for one day with the party, returning to Fort Pitt, and leaving the remaining eight, Washington, Dr. James Craik, Cpt. William Crawford, Joseph Nicholson, Robert Bell, William Harrison, Charles Morgan, and Daniel Reardon, and two Indians guides, one unnamed and one called The Pheasant, to make the trip. Washington, who was 38 years old at the time, was a ‘man for all seasons.’ He found much of the bottom lands to be rich and fertile and game to be most abundant including buffalo, deer, turkey and other animals, birds and fish. He also said the Ohio River itself was remarkably crooked. But all-in-all he stated he had seen no finer land anywhere.  

 

The Marietta Chapter, NSDAR, held a re-dedication ceremony of this Washington Monument on Oct. 26, 2020.

 

 

 

All funding is provided by the Marietta Chapter NSDAR.  Property is in excellent condition and well maintained by the chapter.

 

The Marietta Chapter, NSDAR, owns a 12 foot square plot of land where the marker is located. The chapter maintains the marker, flagpole and the landscaping. The marker was re-dedicated on October 26, 2020 marking the 250th Anniversary of the Encampment.