An 1859 Italianate sandstone mansion in Marietta's Harmar neighborhood where Douglas Putnam's wife Eliza died in 1862, now hosting Hidden Marietta paranormal tours.
George Street, Marietta, OH 45750
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Daytime historic tours and seasonal ghost tours offered through Hidden Marietta Tour Company; overnight paranormal investigations available at premium rates. Pricing varies by event.
Access
Limited Access
Multi-story Italianate mansion with original 1859 staircases and tower; uneven historic flooring
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1859 · Italianate sandstone mansion completed in 1859 by Douglas Putnam · Contributing property to the Harmar Historic District · Owned by the Washington County Historical Society since 1996 · Associated with the Putnam family's abolitionist and Underground Railroad legacy
Construction on The Anchorage began around 1849 on a hillside overlooking the Muskingum River in Harmar Village, with Douglas Putnam commissioning architect John Slocomb to design a Tuscan-inspired Italianate villa for his second wife, Eliza Putnam. The home was completed in 1859 at a reported cost of approximately $65,000, with walls of locally quarried sandstone roughly two feet thick. The result is a 23-room mansion crowned by a square belvedere tower, often cited as one of the most architecturally significant antebellum homes in southeastern Ohio.
Eliza Putnam died in the home in September 1862, only three years after its completion, reportedly of heart disease. Douglas Putnam continued to use the house for a time but eventually moved out, and in 1894 sold the property to Harry Knox, a member of a Marietta boat-building family. The Knox family rechristened the property The Anchorage and redesigned the driveway into the shape of an anchor in tribute to their maritime trade.
From 1960 to 1986 the building served as a private nursing facility. After standing largely vacant for a decade, the home was acquired by the Washington County Historical Society in 1996 and stabilized over the following years. It is now a contributing property to the Harmar Historic District and a key stop on locally operated history and paranormal tours.
Douglas Putnam was a noted abolitionist whose brother David participated in Underground Railroad activity in the region, and the Anchorage and other Putnam-family properties have long been associated with that legacy. Today the Washington County Historical Society partners with Hidden Marietta Tour Company to offer interpretive tours and ticketed paranormal events in the building.
Sources
According to Hidden Marietta Tour Company, the most commonly reported figure at The Anchorage is the apparition of Eliza Putnam, the wife for whom the home was built and who died there in 1862. Guides describe her as a softly singing or speaking presence on the upper floors and in the belvedere tower. Staff and overnight guests have also described shadow figures along the main staircase and corridors.
The News and Sentinel's 2013 feature on haunted Marietta listed the Anchorage among the city's most active sites, citing reports from former nursing-home staff during the 1960-1986 medical era as well as more recent paranormal investigations. Ohio Cooperative Living's Haunted Marietta profile similarly catalogues unexplained voices captured on audio recorders and reports of touch experiences attributed to the lingering spirit of Eliza.
The Anchorage is now one of Hidden Marietta's flagship investigation properties, and the lore is treated as a complement to, rather than a replacement for, the documented Putnam family history maintained by the Washington County Historical Society.
Notable Entities
Walk the 23 rooms of Douglas Putnam's 1859 Italianate villa with Hidden Marietta guides, who present the documented Putnam family history, the home's 1960-1986 use as a nursing facility, and its current preservation by the Washington County Historical Society.
Hidden Marietta runs ticketed evening paranormal events in the mansion, with access to the upper floors and tower most often associated with reported apparitions and EVP captures.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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