German Marietta and Washington County

Revolutionary War officers and soldiers of Anglo-Saxon descent founded Marietta, Ohio, in 1788 with the goal of establishing a New England-style town in the frontier of the Northwest Territory. The town developed slowly until a great influx of immigrants, particularly German pioneers, flooded into Washington County during the decades after 1830. The landscape’s rolling hills, creeks, and forests drew German farmers to rural areas, while others settled in the cities as shoemakers, brick-makers, leather workers, bakers, brewers, grocers, butchers, carpenters, and dry goods retailers. Between 1880 and 1920, the population of Marietta nearly tripled, mainly due to German immigration. By 1905, German merchants dominated the shopping area of the first two blocks of Front Street. Otto Brothers and Strecker Brothers built regionally significant businesses in the developing shopping area of Putnam Street. Germans of Marietta and Washington County also enriched the culture with their musical talents, churches, and participation in civic activities.