Harmar Historic District
Also known as: West Marietta; See Also:93000987(Boundary Increase)
Why it's listed
Harmar Historic District covers about 60 acres of the old village of Harmar, now part of Marietta, Ohio, where the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers meet. Its tree-lined streets were planned by Ohio Company surveyors before the settlement grew, and its buildings include Federal brick houses, a Greek Revival church, a Gothic Revival cottage, the Italian Villa mansion known as the Anchorage, and a Maple Street business block from the 1890s. The district began around Fort Harmar, built in 1785 as the first officially authorized United States garrison in the Northwest Territory. Shipbuilders and steamboat yards made Harmar a commercial rival to Marietta, and the Bank of Marietta operated here from 1808. Harmar was a separate municipality from 1837 until it rejoined Marietta in 1890. The arrival of the railroad in 1857 and 1859 slowed local business. The district was recognized for this river-trade history and its range of well-kept nineteenth-century architecture.
Significance in brief: The district is significant for its planned streets, laid out by Ohio Company surveyors, and for its shipbuilding and river commerce. It also holds many well-preserved examples of nineteenth-century American architectural styles, including Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival and Italian Villa. The site of Fort Harmar (1785), the first U.S. garrison in the Northwest Territory, gives it added historical importance.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 74001645, listed December 19, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers and the rear property line of Lancaster, George, and Franklin Sts., Marietta |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | December 19, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001645 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1785-1890, 1900 |
| Architectural style | Federal, Colonial Vernacular, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italian Villa, and Victorian |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation, Commerce, Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Industry, Community Planning and Development, Military |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is rated good and altered. The district is occupied, with private residences, commercial, religious and park uses. One house on Fort Street is described as vacant and deteriorating. |
| Acreage | 60 |
| Within district | Harmar Historic District (Boundary Increase) |
| Coordinates | 39.41053, -81.46284 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 74001645.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5659068
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.